Exclusive Interview with Speaker and Trailblazer Kellie Tomney
Gold Coast, Australia, 5th Sep 2024 – Kellie Tomney, Human Futurist, keynote speaker, Future of Work explorer, and international best-selling author of FUTUREPROOF YOU, has built a remarkable career that began in the corporate world. Amidst numerous challenges, she founded her consulting business during the Global Financial Crisis and has since dedicated herself to building highly energised, highly connected, high-performing, future-fit organisations through a revolutionary approach to growth.
Recognized as a Future of Work expert, ranking in the Top 5 in Business Leadership in Australia and in the Top 20 in Careers in the U.S.A., Kellie’s focus is on futureproofing growth. She achieves this through energising keynotes and impactful Future FITT™ Growth Programs designed to futureproof organisations, leaders, and people.
Her extensive client list includes global and local organisations such as Apple, KPMG, LinkedIn, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), Campbell Arnott’s, Woolworths Group, Origin Energy, NSW Health, Westpac Group, St. George Bank, The Corporate Executive Board, Plan International, CBRE, Australasian Women in Policing, Kerwin Rae K2 Elite Mastermind, Cologix, and PepsiCo.
Known as the Human Futurist, Kellie equips and energises organisations and individuals to embrace ‘what’s next,’ activate their full potential, and fast-track their path to FUTURE FITT™. The result? Your people—and your organisation—will be more connected, more energised, more impactful, and ultimately more futureproof. To learn more about Kellie Tomney and her services, visit her website here.
In this exclusive interview, Kellie shares her insights about futureproofing growth in the age of AI and what the most effective approach is based on her expertise and experience.
Q. To get started, what is your perspective on AI?
Kellie: There’s a lot of talk—and may I say, hype—around AI. While Artificial Intelligence has been around since the 1950s, what’s different now is its mainstream accessibility. AI is becoming increasingly embedded in everything, from search engines to service platforms, to self-driving cars and scientific advancements.
Q. What are some of the challenges you see with AI?
Kellie: The world of work has changed forever. The question now is: how do we, as humans, confidently embrace AI while questioning and challenging it where necessary?
AI is now more powerful and more accessible to everyone. We have the largest data sets in history, but the accuracy and ethical use of this data have never been tested on such a scale. The saying ‘garbage in, garbage out’ is more relevant than ever, amplified by the high speeds and wide-reaching impact of AI on interdependent systems worldwide.
We haven’t been here before. Be wary of those who claim to have all the answers. Now is the time to leverage our collective human wisdom, or what I call Whole Intelligence™—not just Artificial Intelligence.
Q. What advice would you give to CEOs, Executives, Leaders, and employees on AI?
Kellie: Businesses and organisations need more impactful, sustainable and scalable growth.
We’re currently facing low growth, low engagement, and high-stress environments both globally and locally. Many organisations, executives, leaders, and employees are struggling to keep up. This isn’t just something we see in research; it’s a reality we must address directly.
Too often, organisations prioritise tech skills without first establishing Clarity and fostering true Confidence in their people to embrace new technologies. Confidence is the key we need to unlock in this new world—it’s foundational to futureproofing an organisation’s growth. Technology alone won’t make a lasting difference without the confidence to lead, challenge, and leverage it effectively.
I tailor my advice to each organisation and industry. My Futureproofing Formula is essential for making your organisation and people more future fit. FUTURE FITT™ powers Futureproof:
The Formula: F = A³
There are three FUTUREPROOFING KEYS to success—Authenticity, Alignment, and Activation. These are crucial for futureproofing your organisation.
Confidence is the multiplier of these keys—it’s exponential. Confidence fuels every aspect of growth. The more you work on building confidence, the faster you’ll futureproof and accelerate authentic, aligned, positively activated growth.
To successfully integrate AI, I recommend following these 4 C steps:
- Clarity & Context First: Are you clear on why you’re using AI and what you aim to achieve with it? Have you defined both the positive impact and the challenges it may bring? Is your organisation and team strategically FUTURE FITT™ and focused, or are they future frantic or future fearful in the face of all this new technology?
- Confidence to Challenge & Collaborate: Do your leaders, talent, and people have the confidence and trust to co-create, challenge, and collaborate effectively? Are you engaging and empowering a broad and diverse range of expertise and experiences at all levels within your organisation?
- Commitment: Are you committed and investing to build both human and tech future skills with care? How are you ensuring data accuracy and correcting biases in your AI initiatives?
- Curiosity: Are you truly fostering a culture of curiosity and innovation? Are you experimenting, exploring, and activating AI and other advancements in new, innovative ways to advance your organisation’s positive purpose and drive true transformation?
It’s essential to have an authentic, clear, and compelling purpose, and to include a diverse range of experiences in the discussion—not just AI experts. Data science is a relatively new field, so those in it often have limited experience with the organisation, its customers, and its people.
To futureproof effectively and achieve sustainable success, I recommend Future FITT™ Growth Programs that involve proactively collaborating with a balanced mix of individuals. I facilitate and guide, and together we lead and co-create with those who bring futureproofing leadership skills, industry experience, organisational knowledge, and technological expertise. This proactive mix is crucial for driving growth and ensuring sustainable success in this new era.
Q. What are the biggest concerns you have right now about AI?
Kellie: I would say the hype around it is my biggest concern. AI is not the ONLY ANSWER! There are many advanced technologies, whilst it’s tempting, don’t get carried away with only AI. Many are working off incomplete or incorrect data sources. We really do need a human first approach, then AI, and it’s just one of the technologies and automations in this new world.
Markets are already reflecting some doubts about AI. There are already warnings about the AI bubble bursting. Investment firms globally are indicating that ‘so far, many of the startups are short of viable business models.’ The technology is too expensive for too little benefit. To quote Gayle Jennings-O’Bryne, CEO and general partner at Wocstar in this INC. Australia article, many people don’t have “a real appreciation of the capital intensive nature of the AI technology that is being built right now.”
In that same article, Jennings-O’Bryne said, “People are jumping on the AI bandwagon thinking that money will come because they somehow have incorporated AI into their business model. […] Eventually, investors will want to see sustainable business models that yield profits. They are indicating that the AI bubble will burst, and it’s probably going to be from now to five years out.”
I am concerned with AI being sold as the ‘silver bullet’ to saving organisations. But AI is not the golden key to unlocking success. Without great people, even the best tech is just a shiny tool. Think of AI as a powerful engine. Without skilled drivers, even the most advanced engine won’t get you to your destination.
Q. What trends are you seeing in the workforce space today?
Kellie: We’re facing a global confidence crisis—in business, leadership, and self-confidence. Confidence is critical: 98% of workers perform better, 96% are more likely to stay at a company, and 94% report being happier at work when they’re confident. However, rapid technological advances and shifting business conditions are eroding this confidence, with 60% believing that only a few people will have stable, long-term employment in the future.
People want to grow and progress in their careers and most often to do so, they only think about getting promoted. We humans can still think careers are in a straight line up or a relentless advance in one field. Traditional career paths and career progression only through promotion, are no longer fit for purpose. The future of work demands flatter, more flexible, project-based structures that drive innovation. Organisations and leaders must embrace new approaches to help people grow and achieve their personal and professional goals in a more connected, energised, and future-fit way.
Employee engagement is low, with only 23% of employees engaged, and a staggering 62% not engaged, and 15% actively disengaged. This disengagement is costing us $8.9 trillion in lost productivity worldwide. Additionally, only 34% of people globally say they’re thriving, while 66% are struggling or suffering, which is horrible for both humans and businesses!
The key to reversing this trend is future-proofing growth and reskilling. As 76% of employees feel unprepared for the future, organisations must embrace new ways to grow, and focus on developing new leadership and reskilling strategies. There are limitless ways to progress in work and many are getting stuck and stale, only accessing a mere one. We work to futureproof growth in a new, impactful, scalable and sustainable way.
Confidence is essential for this transformation—it’s the key to growing more with less.
Q. What is a key thing you would advise to get your workforce future-ready?
Kellie: Get FUTURE FITT™. Get your people more connected, more energised, more impactful and more future fitt. 76% of employees don’t believe they are equipped for the future. We’ve all heard how many jobs new technology will create, and how many will go. We know that many roles will no longer be required. It’s happened already that admin, report writing, data analysis, copywriting roles, and millions of other roles have been diminished. In the time it takes to delegate that request, we can have a first draft and many options back to us in seconds.
We haven’t yet experienced a time when we all need to grow and reskill in our current roles as well as for new ones. Organisations are needing new and rapid leadership growth and reskilling to match the technological, digital and workforce evolution of this new world. Remaining on auto-pilot is a BIG mistake.
Futureproofing growth and reskilling is a strategic imperative that will allow you to keep up. Reshaping your organisation, will get you ahead. Reimagining and futureproofing your organisation now, will transform your business into a sustainable leader of tomorrow. Futureproofing and reskilling is key and for that to be successful we all need to boost our confidence. We won’t successfully grow and reskill without confidence.
There are new ways to grow your organisation. Energise your organisation with FUTURE FITT™ and you’ll see confidence, connection, engagement and impact skyrocket. It’s the impactful, sustainable and scalable solution designed for growth in this new world.
Q. What are the opportunities you see?
Kellie: There are so many opportunities that exist now if we embrace them! To be more human, connect more with customers, energise teams, and elevate organisations. What matters is how we apply technological advances, and the key is using them to rehumanise and reimagine work and get FUTURE FITT™
It’s the time of our greatest ability to unlock our highest potential, highest value and highest impact. I am speaking and working with organisations to futureproof organisations, leaders and people so they are future-fit and future-ready. Together we focus on what’s next, who’s next, and how we can do things now to accelerate futureproofing and new growth.
We stand at a pivotal crossroads. Will we choose a technology-dominated world, a human-centered world, or a balanced blend of both? I strongly advocate for a balanced blend of both—prioritising humanity while leveraging technology to achieve the best of both worlds.
Q. What would you say to people thinking about embracing AI?
Kellie: Transformation is behavioural, not technological. People will make or break it. The constant is change. AI is yet another technological change, it is not the transformation itself. Ever since we’ve been working – in caves, in fields, etc., we’ve had new tools to assist us but the deeply desired constant throughout all of the time is knowing our purpose, feeling valued, connected, and making impactful progress – that’s THE transformation. Don’t get lost in the tools and technology without the people.
Focus on the constant amongst continual change. Focus on the people constantly amongst the continual technology change. Great technology is useless (and dangerous) without great people.
Don’t get carried away with AI. Be aware of it, educate yourself, and know its limits—but never lose your humanity and authenticity. In the future, humanity and authenticity will be the most valuable currency.
AI is not the silver bullet. It may improve efficiency, but it won’t improve engagement. People will still want work that is meaningful and purposeful, to feel energised and valued, to connect and make a positive impact, and to work for great leaders in a supportive, not stressful, growth environment. Don’t lose focus on your people, or you will lose your people.
I love working with my tech and corporate clients, especially those who future-proof their growth by connecting great people with great technology. It’s all about strategic connection, and right now, we’re all craving it. My clients can navigate uncertainty with confidence, driving innovation and growth even in low-growth conditions. They attract, develop, and retain talent who want to work in dynamic, forward-thinking companies, and they are building long-term sustainability and positive impact.
Futureproofing growth becomes your competitive differentiator. It will be survival of the fittest. Stay ahead or fall behind. It’s your choice.
How FUTURE FITT is your organisation? Your leaders? Your teams? Your talent? Are you?
“Change before you have to.” — Jack Welch
Get FUTURE FITT™ today.
To learn more about Kellie Tomney and her services, visit her website or connect with her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
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