How to be good so good they can’t ignore you
One of the questions I get asked most at events is:
“What advice would you give to the younger generation?”
My answer has always been:
Be a Learner, not a Knower
Stay curious. Run experiments. Keep learning. None of us knows what the future holds, so the ability to learn may become the most valuable skill of all.
But recently, I’ve started giving a different answer.
One that I think is even more important.
And it’s relevant whether you’re just starting your career or leading a global organisation.
My exploration of this question was prompted by my eldest daughter graduating and asking me for career advice.
Here’s the job market data from The Institute of Student Employers (ISE)
around 20 years ago, employers received about 38 applications per graduate vacancy
by 2022/23 this had risen to 86
for the last two years it’s been around 140 applications per vacancy. That’s the highest since records began.
One core message. It’s more competitive than it’s ever been.
So how do you stand out in that market as be so good that they can’t ignore you.
Traditional advice has leaned towards specialise and go deep in a niche.
I think that’s changed.
The World Economic Forums Future of Jobs Report 2025 surveyed more than 1,000 employers representing over 14 million workers.
It concludes that the future isn’t about one technical skill, it’s about combinations of capabilities. Employers rank analytical thinking, resilience, leadership, creative thinking, AI literacy and curiosity among the fastest-growing skills, and expect 39% of workers’ core skills to change by 2030, with 59% needing reskilling or upskilling.
Here’s how I talk to my daughter about this.
Think of a Venn diagram of 3 circles.
One circle is the degree and experience it’s given you: a scientific grounding and rigour which will always be valuable.
Now. What are the other two circles?
In her case, creativity is one - she loves her art and creativity. That’s a skill to keep developing.
The final circle - what will you put in there? Develop sales and marketing skills? Learn AI skills? Customer Experience skills?
She’s still mulling that one over.
The point is that the intersection of the three is where your unique value will sit.
It’s answering the question: “What combination of skills could I build that would make me difficult to replace?”
In a world where AI is making knowledge more accessible than ever, the winners won’t necessarily be those who know the most.
They’ll be the people who can combine different ways of thinking.
A scientist who understands branding (on that I travelled back on a plane last week where I was sitting next to the Director of Taste Experience from Carlsberg - an incredibly impressive lady who has merged skills around science, brand and marketing)
An engineer who can tell a compelling story.
A finance director who understands behavioural psychology.
A leader who knows how to coach, not just manage.
An architect who embraces AI instead of fearing it.
Individually, none of those skills are unique.
Combined, they’re incredibly difficult to copy.
Harvard Business Review has written for years about the value of T-shaped professionals: people with genuine depth in one discipline, combined with enough breadth to connect ideas across others. David Epstein made a similar point in Range, arguing that many of the biggest breakthroughs come from people who connect ideas across different fields rather than staying inside a single specialism.
I think AI has accelerated that trend.
Knowing one thing exceptionally well is still important.
It’s just no longer enough.
Your advantage comes from what sits alongside your expertise.
When I look back over my own career, the opportunities that changed my life didn’t come because I was the world’s best consultant, sailor, entrepreneur or speaker.
They came from combining those experiences.
Building a technology company wasn’t just about technology. It required sales, leadership, finance, psychology and resilience.
Sailing around the world wasn’t just about sailing. It needed planning, teamwork, communication and calm decision-making under pressure.
Speaking today isn’t just about telling stories. It’s about blending business experience, behavioural science, practical tools and real-world leadership into something audiences can immediately apply.
Every chapter has been built by adding another capability, not replacing the previous one.
Think of your career as a Venn diagram.
Each circle is a capability you’ve developed.
The magic isn’t inside any single circle.
It’s in the overlap.
That’s where your uniqueness lives.
That’s where your value compounds.
So here’s my challenge for you this week.
Don’t ask:
“What should I learn next?”
Ask:
“What’s one capability I could add over the next 12 months that would multiply the value of everything I already know?”
Because in the years ahead, being brilliant at one thing may get you noticed.
I think that having an unusual combination of skills is what will make you impossible to ignore.
Here are three experiments to play with around this idea:
Two Minute Experiment
Grab a pen and paper and note down the three skills you’re best known for today.
Five Minute Experiment
Ask two people who know you well what they think are the best skills you’re best known for today. (we don’t often see ourslves in the same way as others do, and this self-awareness exercise could be the spark of what to work on next)
Fifteen Minute Experiment
Draw your Venn diagram.
In the first circle write your core expertise.
In the second, write another capability you’ve developed (you can add more circles if you’ve other strong capabilities)
In the third, write one skill you could deliberately build over the next few years that would multiply the value of the other two.
Now look at the intersection in the middle.
That’s where your unique value begins to emerge.
Ask yourself:
“Am I intentionally investing in that intersection, or am I simply getting better at what I’ve always done?”
One final thought…
I often see people over-index on just one circle—usually the one they originally trained in and built their identity around.
But the future may not belong to the person with the deepest single expertise.
It may belong to the person with the most valuable combination of skills.
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