The wolf you feed

Table of Contents

• Focus: Skills on the Rise

• Mindset: Feed the Wolf

• Life Skill: Helped, Heard, or Hugged?

• Career Advice: Listen to Charlie

• This is Cool: Mind Maps on NotebookLM

FOCUS OF THE WEEK
LinkedIn’s Skills on the Rise

LinkedIn's inaugural Skills on the Rise list provides a glimpse into what employers are increasingly valuing, and what you and the young people in your life should be focusing on to stay relevant.

According to LinkedIn data, 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change by 2030.

That's massive, if true.

The skills-based hiring revolution is opening doors and expanding global talent pools. This means more opportunities for those who adapt, but potential challenges for those who don't.

And professionals seem to sense this shift. According to the report, a quarter already plan to prioritize learning new skills this year.

Only a quarter? Why wouldn’t you always be learning new skills??

At the top of LinkedIn's list, AI literacy ranks #1, with adaptability coming in at #3.

This list represents both a challenge and an opportunity.

For educators, it's a call to rethink how we prepare young people for careers that will evolve multiple times during their working lives.

For students and early-career professionals, it's an invitation to develop a growth mindset and embrace continuous learning as a core life skill.

If your school isn’t stepping up, then you need to.

The question isn't whether change is coming. It's already here.

The real question is: are you positioning yourself to thrive in this new reality?

The 15 Fastest-Growing Skills in the U.S.

1. AI Literacy

• Why: Companies seek professionals who can understand and utilize AI tools for business purposes

2. Conflict Mitigation

• Why: Essential for navigating workplace conflicts like return-to-office policies and managing intergenerational teams

3. Adaptability

• Why: Continuous learning and resilience are key amid rapid economic and technological changes

4. Process Optimization

• Why: Organizations focus on operational efficiency and cost-effectiveness for competitive advantage

5. Innovative Thinking

• Why: Creative problem-solving is crucial as AI transforms work landscapes

6. Public Speaking

• Why: Effective verbal communication builds confidence in ideas and expands influence at any career stage

7. Solution-Based Selling

• Why: Customers expect tailored, AI-driven solutions in crowded markets

8. Customer Engagement & Support

• Why: Authentic customer relationships are critical amid growing competition and tighter spending

9. Stakeholder Management

• Why: Success depends on identifying and balancing priorities of the right stakeholders

10. Large Language Model Development & Application

• Why: Growing demand for professionals who can build and work with systems powering generative AI

11. Budget & Resource Management

• Why: Organizations focus on strategic resource allocation amid economic uncertainty

12. Go-to-Market Strategy

• Why: Critical for product launches as consumer behavior shifts and technology increases competition

13. Regulatory Compliance

• Why: Organizations navigate stricter data privacy laws and shifting financial regulations

14. Growth Strategy

• Why: Businesses focus on strategic growth for long-term stability after learning from post-pandemic boom

15. Risk Assessment

• Why: Organizations prioritize preparation for potential threats in unpredictable landscapes

MINDSET OF THE WEEK
Which Wolf Will Win?

I love this story 🐺

We all have competing voices in our heads. One that pushes us toward growth, optimism, and connection, and another that drags us toward fear, resentment, and isolation.

Neither voice is inherently wrong. They're both natural parts of being human.

It’s important however to remember that we get to choose which voice we strengthen through our attention and actions.

When you catch yourself spiralling into negative thought patterns, comparing yourself to others, or feeling like you're not enough, that's one wolf getting stronger.

Each time you consciously shift toward gratitude, curiosity, or taking meaningful action despite your fears, you're feeding the other wolf.

It’s kind of like the image of the angel and devil sitting on opposite shoulders.

In a world filled with endless content designed to trigger outrage, fear, and inadequacy, being intentional about what you consume and where you direct your energy isn't just nice, it's necessary.

The most successful people I've worked with aren't necessarily the most naturally gifted or privileged. They're the ones who've learned to consistently focus on what they can control, what they can learn, and how they can contribute.

So ask yourself today: which wolf am I feeding with my thoughts? My conversations? My social media habits? My environment? My actions?

Remember that this isn't about toxic positivity or ignoring legitimate challenges. It's about consciously choosing which mental patterns you reinforce, knowing they'll ultimately shape the way you experience life.

The wolf that wins is the one you feed. Choose wisely.

Or as Sirius Black, who is kind of a wolf, puts it:

“We've all got light and dark inside us. What matters is the side we choose to act on. That's who we really are.”

Currently rewatching all of the Harry Potters right now 😅

LIFE SKILLS
Helped, Heard, or Hugged?

The downside of being someone who spends a lot of time coaching, problem-solving, and taking pride in my ability to figure it out is that I typically look at everything as a problem that needs to be solved.

Turns out, that’s not always the case.

For a long time, when someone shared their struggles with me, I'd immediately jump into fix-it mode, whether they wanted solutions or not.

It was coming from the right place, but I was using the wrong tools.

The Helped, Heard, or Hugged Method transformed my relationships by creating awareness of what others actually need:

• Helped: They want practical solutions

• Heard: They need someone to listen as they process

• Hugged: They're seeking emotional comfort

Very simple to use. Instead of defaulting to assuming the situation you’re in required a problem to be solved, simply ask: "Do you want to be helped, heard, or hugged right now?"

This question shifts you from your default mode, to what's genuinely needed in the moment.

This approach isn't just for romantic relationships. It works with friends, family members, colleagues, and even when coaching young people. It's one of those "once you see it, you can't unsee it" skills that will transform how you connect with others.

What makes this skill so valuable is that it acknowledges a fundamental truth: different people need different things at different times.

The person who usually wants solutions might sometimes just need a listening ear. The one who typically seeks comfort might occasionally want practical advice.

Meeting people where they actually are, not where we assume they should be, is one of the most powerful ways to strengthen relationships.

CAREER ADVICE
Listen to Charlie

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's longtime business partner who passed away last year at age 99, left behind a treasure trove of wisdom that applies as much to career development as it does to investing.

What makes Munger's advice so valuable is its practicality. He wasn't interested in complex theories or getting-rich-quick schemes.

Instead, he focused on fundamental truths about human behaviour and decision-making that have stood the test of time.

Shaan Puri recently shared his top 10 favourite Munger quotes, and now I’m sharing them with you.

My personal favourite might be #4: "Try to be consistently not stupid, rather than trying to be very intelligent."

Most careers aren't built on occasional strokes of genius but on consistently avoiding major mistakes. Making solid decisions day after day compounds over time in remarkable ways.

Another gem is #7: "The people who rise in life are not those who are the smartest, but they who are learning machines. They go to bed every night a little wiser than when they woke up."

In a world where skills become obsolete faster than ever, this lifelong learning mindset isn't just nice to have, it's essential for survival. Your willingness to keep learning might be your greatest competitive advantage.

Like Charlie, these principles aren't flashy, but they work.

And in a career landscape filled with noise and distraction, focusing on timeless wisdom like Munger's can help you build something that lasts.

Want more Charlie?

David Senra, host of the Founders podcast got to sit down with Charlie shortly before his passing.

The internet has a wealth of resources and stories about Charlie, but this episode is a great place to start if you’re interested in learning more about the man.

It’s not the dinner conversation itself, but a reflection from David. And because David reads biographies for a living, he makes a lot of interesting connections to other founders and stories he’s read over the years.

It’s also a podcast on Spotify & Apple.

THIS IS COOL
Mind Maps on NotebookLM

You guys know I love NotebookLM.

I don’t use it daily, but definitely weekly. If I was a student today though, this would be my new tab page.

Especially with this new update - Mind Maps.

Here’s how it works:

1. Open NotebookLM

2. Add your sources

3. Click Mind Map

4. Done. It’s that easy.

I understand things better when I can visualize them, so I can see this bring pretty clutch in helping me consume complex topics better than re-reading the same paragraph for the sixth time.

Simon is the NotebookLM lead at Google.

In the tweet below he introduces the new functionality with a quick video.

You can share notebooks you create in NotebookLM. If you make any cool new mind maps, send them my way.