Are robots more valuable than humans? As we make our way through this digitalized age, one thing becomes apparent: jobs are being eliminated by the minute. New technologies are doing human jobs more quickly, efficiently and correctly. Machines make no errors. But now, robots are replacing a different sector of the human workforce – knowledge.

There is one thing that machines do not possess, though: human creativity. The power of thoughts, ideas and emotions is something only humans possess. A machine cannot solve complex problems via deeply concentrated, innovative thought. They cannot evolve in the same way humans do because their brain capacity doesn’t extend beyond numbers and logic. Simply put, humans have talent.

“It’s evident that the world is changing quite fast. We need to focus on securing the right kind of talent for the future. Talentism is winning capitalism,” said Iikka Lindroos, Managing Director of ManpowerGroup, Finland and the Baltics.

ManpowerGroup, the world’s workforce expert, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, deems this age of massive disruption and digitalization as the Human Age. It’s said that in the next 10-15 years, 50% of the existing career roles in developing countries will disappear. However, for every job lost to digitalization and the Internet, 2.6 new jobs are born. This is where human, not machine, talent is needed.

“Massive globalization and digital disruption are what define the Human Age, a volatile and fast-changing new era marked by the rise of talentism — the new capitalism that puts unprecedented value on talent as the driver of business success. As a result, a lot of companies have changed dramatically. The changes bring a new need – attracting the right kind of talent,” said Iikka.

But how do you find this talent? Sometimes it’s not always obvious. Therefore, business leaders must make sure that they do their best to unleash the human potential in their employees. Iikka provides his three tips on how to do so:

1) Help people build their careers: Companies can no longer control careers. Instead, they need to play a significant role in enabling individual careers if they hope to unleash the human potential, and ultimately, talent.

2) Make sure your employees are engaged – in their jobs and in the company: Engaged employees are the engine driving a company’s innovation and growth. Providing career development opportunities is one way to keep employees engaged and learning.

3) Update your employer value proposition: The best talents choose who they sell their potential to. They will only be attracted by employers who have a compelling value proposition and who can demonstrate that they live up to their promises, whether it is transparency, sustainability or “the best place to work.”

Utilize these nuggets of advice – they will only help you better find and retain the right kind of talent within your company. And remember, you can always outsource that talent if needed. The great thing about ManpowerGroup is that they’re located in 80 different countries, making their availability agile, skillful and flexible. They can accurately find your company the right talent in most places of the world.

Iikka will elaborate on these tips (and more!) on October 27 at our Turku School of Economics “World-Ready” program. The program, on behalf of Amcham and TSE, brings students and business leaders together to engage in dynamic discussion. The aim is to teach students about what they need to know to be successful business leaders in the 21st century. What are the soft skills students need to acquire? What are the tips you don’t learn in school? Students will learn how to develop their talents in order to output the best versions of themselves.

Overall, as we develop further in this uber digital and technologically savvy world, don’t fall for the robot trap. It’s about the power of people. Human talent and innovation will drive our business world forward – not cold, thoughtless machines.

By: Lauren Ayala