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. Theyād grown up online, sniffing out trends before they hit the Explore tab. They instinctively knew what would work on TikTok, what wouldnāt on LinkedIn, and how to write sticky copy that passed the vibe check.
Clients leaned in. Senior colleagues nodded along, saying, āYou just get this stuffā.
But lately, Iāve noticed something.
Everyoneās using the same tools, learning the same tricks, watching the same tutorials. AI has collapsed the skill gap, flattened the learning curve. Suddenlyā¦ being a ādigital nativeā isnāt a differentiator. Itās just the starting line.
Reflection
For a long time, being young and digitally fluent gave you leverage. You didnāt need tenure ā just talent and intuition. But now everyone has access to the same content calendars, prompt guides, and carousel formulas. The playing fieldās leveled.
So where do you go next?
Taste.
Not speed. Not volume. Not āwho got there firstā. But who knows whatās worth doing. Thatās the new competitive edge.
Because in a world where anyone can generate 20 hooks, 15 content ideas, and a carousel template in 45 seconds, itās not about who creates more. Itās about who decides better.
Action
Step 1 ā Get Out of Your Comfort Zone. Ā Stop measuring success by speed. Start judging your work by resonance. What landed? Why? What didnāt? Why not?
Step 2 ā Learn a New Skill. Study decisionāmaking. Seriously. Learn to frame trade-offs, evaluate timing, and get the tone right. Strategy isnāt guesswork ā itās judgment.
Step 3 ā Add Value. Become the person with a filter. The one who says ānot that oneā for the right reasons. Taste is what turns good ideas into great ones ā and saves everyone from mediocrity.
Step 4 ā 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 ā not just runs it.
(By the way, these four steps make up my Return on Marketing Career (RoMC) frameworkāmore on that here.)
References
Why soft skills still matter in the age of AI ā Research shows communication and critical thinking may now be even more essential than technical skills (Harvard Business School).
Curation & the Paradox of Choice ā Too many choices can overwhelm and paralyze decisionāmaking (Think With Google).
Explains how decision quality deteriorates after making many decisions, linking directly to how ātasteā can counter that overload (Wikipedia).
āGood Taste Is More Important Than Everā ā Argues that in an AIāsaturated world, taste ā the human judgment of what feels right ā becomes irreplaceably valuable (The Atlantic).
If youād 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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