How Self-Leadership Drives Career Success in the Age Of AI

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Topic: How Self-Leadership Drives Career Success in the Age Of AI

Speaker: Tony Gambill

Location: Zoom and in-person Merrimack College 315 Turnpike Street North Andover, MA 01845 - Meeting Room Arcidi B

Date: April 8, 2026 6:30 PM EST - 8:30 PM

Technical expertise is being commoditized. 

Self-Leadership is not.

AI can generate ideas.

Analyze data.

Optimize systems.

 But AI cannot:

• Engage effectively in high-stakes conversations

• Regulate your emotions when you feel triggered

• Align your behavior with your values under pressure

• Help you intentionally evolve from experience

• Ensure you remain agile during ongoing change

That is the work of Self-Leadership.

 In a world shaped by AI, automation, and accelerating change, technical skills alone are no longer enough. Advanced Self-Leadership is the true differentiator. How are you preparing yourself to succeed in a work environment being disrupted by AI?

 Self-leadership is the foundational capability that allows you to fully express your knowledge, skills, passions, and values - especially in the moments that matter most. During this 60-minute session participants will:

 Understand “Why Self-Leadership Is The Most Important Leadership”

1. Be introduced to the SOAR Self-Leadership Model and complete the SOAR Self-Leadership Assessment 

2. Complete the SOAR Self-Leadership Assessment (Self-Scored)

3. Gain understanding of the fewest most important knowledge, skills and practices for each phase of the SOAR Self-Leadership Model and take away one key practice from each phase of the cycle.

4. Define the “One Big Thing” you will commit to doing to improve your Self-Leadership abilities

 In an AI-driven world, your long-term advantage is not what you know. It is how well you lead yourself.

Research from McKinsey shows that demand for social and emotional skills will grow by 26% by 2030. As AI transforms our workplace, the most important career development shift of our time is the need for today’s workforce to rapidly build the Self-Leadership skills that technology cannot replace. The big question every employee should be asking is:

The answer lies in strengthening our unique human skills that enable us to bring our best selves to our most important, complex and relational situations. These key skills include self-awareness, emotional competence, empathy, social intelligence, influence, adaptability, agility and relationship-building. Self-Leadership is the key. 

The four phases of the model are Self, Outlook, Action and Reflection (SOAR).

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