Experience
When I founded our media performance agency, I used to envy the young people who joined us. Being the youngest person in the room genuinely felt like a superpower. They’d grown up online, sniffing out trends before they hit the Explore tab. They instinctively knew what would work on TikTok, what wouldn’t on LinkedIn, and how to write sticky copy that passed the vibe check.
Clients leaned in. Senior colleagues nodded along, saying, “You just get this stuff”.
But lately, I’ve noticed something.
Everyone’s using the same tools, learning the same tricks, watching the same tutorials. AI has collapsed the skill gap, flattened the learning curve. Suddenly… being a “digital native” isn’t a differentiator. It’s just the starting line.
Reflection
For a long time, being young and digitally fluent gave you leverage. You didn’t need tenure – just talent and intuition. But now everyone has access to the same content calendars, prompt guides, and carousel formulas. The playing field’s leveled.
So where do you go next?
Taste.
Not speed. Not volume. Not “who got there first”. But who knows what’s worth doing. That’s the new competitive edge.
Because in a world where anyone can generate 20 hooks, 15 content ideas, and a carousel template in 45 seconds, it’s not about who creates more. It’s about who decides better.
Action
Step 1 – Get Out of Your Comfort Zone. Stop measuring success by speed. Start judging your work by resonance. What landed? Why? What didn’t? Why not?
Step 2 – Learn a New Skill. Study decision‑making. Seriously. Learn to frame trade-offs, evaluate timing, and get the tone right. Strategy isn’t guesswork – it’s judgment.
Step 3 – Add Value. Become the person with a filter. The one who says “not that one” for the right reasons. Taste is what turns good ideas into great ones – and saves everyone from mediocrity.
Step 4 – Move Up Faster. Shift from executor to editor. From doer to decider. If you want to stay ahead, become the one who shapes the play – not just runs it.
(By the way, these four steps make up my Return on Marketing Career (RoMC) framework—more on that here.)
References
Why soft skills still matter in the age of AI – Research shows communication and critical thinking may now be even more essential than technical skills (Harvard Business School).
Curation & the Paradox of Choice – Too many choices can overwhelm and paralyze decision‑making (Think With Google).
Explains how decision quality deteriorates after making many decisions, linking directly to how “taste” can counter that overload (Wikipedia).
“Good Taste Is More Important Than Ever” – Argues that in an AI‑saturated world, taste – the human judgment of what feels right – becomes irreplaceably valuable (The Atlantic).
If you’d like to discuss your career journey with me one-to-one, please feel free to email me at [email protected] or message me on LinkedIn.
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