What will I learn about: why the upcoming Smart Machine Age requires humans to pivot toward critical thinking, emotional engagement, and creativity to avoid professional obsolescence?

Understand why the upcoming Smart Machine Age requires humans to pivot toward critical thinking, emotional engagement, and creativity to avoid professional obsolescence.

What will I learn about: the four essential skills—quieting your ego, managing yourself, reflective listening, and mastering otherness—that will help you thrive in an AI-dominated future?

Discover the four essential skills—quieting your ego, managing yourself, reflective listening, and mastering otherness—that will help you thrive in an AI-dominated future.

What will I learn about: Realize why updating your mental model from traditional individualism and fierce competition to one centered on collaboration is vital for future success?

Realize why updating your mental model from traditional individualism and fierce competition to one centered on collaboration is vital for future success.

What will I learn about: redefine humility not as meekness, but as an open-minded, self-accurate mindset that helps you think less about yourself and more about others?

Learn how to redefine humility not as meekness, but as an open-minded, self-accurate mindset that helps you think less about yourself and more about others.

What will I learn about: the practice of mindfulness to purposefully quiet your ego, lower your emotional defenses, and unlock your capacity for complex problem-solving?

Master the practice of mindfulness to purposefully quiet your ego, lower your emotional defenses, and unlock your capacity for complex problem-solving.

Humility Is The New Smart

Rethinking Human Excellence In the Smart Machine Age

Edward D. Hess and Katherine Ludwig

★ 4.5 / 5(137 ratings)

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Categories:

Motivation & Inspiration Technology & the Future

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

💡Did you know that the traditional definition of "being smart" is actually holding you back in the age of artificial intelligence?
💡What’s the secret to staying indispensable in a workforce increasingly dominated by high-tech machines?
💡Have you ever wondered why a trait often mistaken for weakness is actually the ultimate competitive advantage for the future of work?

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Key Takeaways from Humility Is The New Smart

✓Understand why the upcoming Smart Machine Age requires humans to pivot toward critical thinking, emotional engagement, and creativity to avoid professional obsolescence.
✓Discover the four essential skills—quieting your ego, managing yourself, reflective listening, and mastering otherness—that will help you thrive in an AI-dominated future.
✓Realize why updating your mental model from traditional individualism and fierce competition to one centered on collaboration is vital for future success.
✓Learn how to redefine humility not as meekness, but as an open-minded, self-accurate mindset that helps you think less about yourself and more about others.
✓Master the practice of mindfulness to purposefully quiet your ego, lower your emotional defenses, and unlock your capacity for complex problem-solving.

Learning Tools

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Humility Is The New Smart

The Smart Machine Age (SMA)+

The New Mental Model+

Four Key SMA Skills+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 7

According to the text, what is the primary strategy humans must adopt to avoid obsolescence in the Smart Machine Age (SMA)?

A. Compete with machines by processing and retaining larger amounts of information.
B. Cultivate humility, interpersonal skills, and creativity to complement the work of machines.
C. Transition exclusively into highly technical fields like robotics and nanotechnology.
D. Focus on individual success and aggressive competition in the workplace.

Question 2 of 7

How do the authors define 'humility' in the context of the Smart Machine Age?

A. A religious concept focused on occupying a lowly, submissive position in society.
B. The act of acting entirely selflessly and constantly thinking less of your own abilities.
C. A mindset that lowers defenses and biases, allowing you to think less about yourself and focus on others.
D. The ability to accept that machines are intellectually superior to human beings.

Question 3 of 7

Which of the following best describes the skill of 'managing self'?

A. Overcoming the fear of not being accepted so you can control your thoughts and connect with others.
B. Trimming back emotional defensiveness when receiving unflattering feedback from colleagues.
C. Using nonverbal cues like eye contact to show others that you are fully present.
D. Challenging your preconceived notions of the world by listening to others without interrupting.

Question 4 of 7

Why do the authors argue that most people's current 'mental models' are inadequate for the Smart Machine Age?

A. They rely too heavily on emotional intelligence rather than logic and data.
B. They are based on an outdated world that prioritized individualism and competition.
C. They do not account for the rapid physical changes in workplace environments.
D. They assume that machines will eventually develop human-like empathy.

Question 5 of 7

What is recommended as the best method to 'quiet the ego'?

A. Engaging in aggressive debates to test the validity of your opinions.
B. Practicing mindfulness by purposefully noticing the present moment in a nonjudgmental way.
C. Working faster to prevent your mind from dwelling on insecurities and fears.
D. Continually reminding yourself of your past successes to build self-confidence.

Question 6 of 7

What practical tool do the authors suggest using to improve 'reflective listening'?

A. A daily journal to record your emotional biases.
B. A checklist of reminders, such as 'don't interrupt immediately.'
C. A timer to ensure both parties speak for an equal amount of time.
D. A mental model map to visualize the other person's background.

Question 7 of 7

Why is 'slowing down' considered essential for self-management in the Smart Machine Age?

A. It allows you to act and think deliberately rather than just going through the motions.
B. It proves to your colleagues that you are not intimidated by the speed of machines.
C. It reduces the physical strain of manual tasks that machines cannot perform.
D. It gives machines enough time to process the data humans input into them.

Humility Is The New Smart — Full Chapter Overview

1Recommendation
21 — New-millennium technologies will push humans to work and behave in new ways.
32 — Developing four key abilities will help you meet the challenge of the Smart Machine Age.
43 — Thinking of others and accepting their perspectives is central to success in the SMA.
54 — Slow down by practicing mindful attention.
65 — Use simple tools to listen to others and give them your full attention.
76 — Final summary

Humility Is The New Smart Summary & Overview

Humility Is the New Smart (2017) is your ticket to success in the new smart age of machines. These blinks are a practical guide for thriving in a world that’s increasingly run by machines, both on and off the job.

Who Should Listen to Humility Is The New Smart?

Workers and professionals worried about losing their jobs to machines
Parents who want to understand the world their children will grow up in
Curious minds interested in positive psychology

About the Author: Edward D. Hess and Katherine Ludwig

Edward D. Hess is a professor of business administration and an expert in organizational learning, leadership and innovation cultures. He’s currently an executive-in-residence with the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Katherine Ludwig was formerly a corporate lawyer in finance and securities. She now works as a research associate at the Darden School of Business.