Adaptability. Empathy. Diplomacy. Emotional intelligence. Resilience. The ability to listen, influence, and see what others miss
They are strategic capabilities. And the best assistants have already mastered the
A survey we ran with Avery back in 2018 revealed that assistants scored 12% higher in emotional intelligence than anyone else in the office. That’s the result of years navigating competing priorities, balancing personalities, and reading the room before anyone else even notices there’s tension.
And this is why it matters. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report shows that the most in-demand skills for the coming decade are human ones; active listening, critical thinking, influencing, resilience. These are skills AI cannot replicate. They are skills assistants use daily – often seen as soft skills.
In the age of AI, however, those soft skills become critical skills.
Think about what that really means:
• The diplomacy it takes to challenge a leader’s decision in the right way, at the right moment.
• The empathy required to support a colleague quietly struggling while still driving the work forward.
• The emotional intelligence to stay calm in high-stakes situations when everyone else is losing perspective.
• The adaptability to shift priorities instantly and keep a project moving.
When assistants use emotional intelligence to de-escalate conflict, bring clarity to complex situations, or support leaders through uncertainty, they’re not simply being “good with people.” They are applying a measurable skillset that protects culture, accelerates productivity, and strengthens organisations.
Assistants who pair these human strengths with strategic knowledge – understanding the business, aligning with objectives, managing risk – will be the ones who are truly future-proofed. They will be the ones shaping culture, enabling clarity, and driving performance in ways no algorithm can match.
And in a world where AI is taking on the technical and repetitive, they are fast becoming the hardest, most irreplaceable skills of all.
