You and I are living in an era of magic. I use AI nearly every hour of the day to be wiser, bolder, and more creative.

In a way, AI has even become my mentor.

That might sound strange, but hear me out.

I wrote a post recently noting that this question: “Who decides the safe limits of superintelligence?” could be a turning point in human history.

As I wrote the draft of this post, I felt angry and even scared about the prospects of weaponizing AI, and this was apparent in the tone of the article.

I uploaded the draft to Claude before I published and asked, “Is this post balanced? Did I miss anything?”

Claude responded, “Mark, this is not you. Your thesis is emotional and underdeveloped. You are known for your fairness and intellectual honesty. Here are some ideas to make it better.”

And the ideas were pretty harsh … and much appreciated.

I generally work alone. In this case, AI wasn’t just a muse or editor; it intervened as a wise friend, keeping me on brand. AI is helping me to be wiser, bolder, and more helpful in this world.

I have neither turned my life over to AI and nor do I feel threatened by it. My career has become AI-shaped, conforming to the new superpowers and opportunities of a magical technology.

Instead of doomscrolling about layoffs, how can we all create an AI-shaped career?

Creating the AI-shaped career

Let’s start with some advice from my friend Azeem Azhar. Azeem is probably the most connected person I know, and so he’s able to tune into the priorities of a wide range of industries.  and his supremely interesting Exponential View Newsletter.

Here is his advice:

1. Ship end-to-end projects

Choose or create multi-step projects with real stakeholders; practice owning the plan and delivering it to a finish line. If AI takes on more of the execution work, the value for humans lies increasingly in coordination around those tasks, specifically in orchestration. It’s the ability to decide what needs to be done, in what order, and with which tools, and then keep a project moving.

2. Grab managerial experience early

Run standups, lead sprints, and coordinate small teams if you have a chance. Volunteer to own small scopes like roadmap reviews and stakeholder check?ins, to build judgment and trust.

3. Build domain fluency and networks

Learn how people in your field think and speak. It signals maturity and reduces perceived hiring risk. Read primary sources and talk to operators. Join a niche community or meetup and ask specific questions.

4. Choose costly and credible signals, such as an MBA

Managers want evidence of commitment. If a degree isn’t feasible, pick rigorous alternatives – selective fellowships, competitive certifications, or shipping a demanding public project.

5. Use AI well

Build agents, audit outputs, and integrate them into real workflows. You could be the person who sets the AI standard at your next company – we’re still early, and practical expertise is scarce. Track gains (time saved, error rates, throughput) and document playbooks so others can adopt them. Push for small, safe pilots and iterate fast.

The implications for sales and marketing

Let’s get more granular. Most of the people reading this article are in sales and marketing. How do we have an AI-shaped career in that profession?

6. Become impossible to replace in customer relationships

AI may automate tasks, but trust, empathy, and emotional resonance are still the human differentiators.
People want to buy from, partner with, and follow humans they feel connected to.

• Build a personal brand in your niche—be findable, memorable, and known.
• Develop deep customer fluency: their worldviews, their blockers, their aspirations.
• Become the person who delivers difficult news well, handles nuance, and reads a room.

This is the “Most Human Company Wins” applied at the individual level. AI can crank out emails, landing pages, and pitches. But it still can’t feel the customer.

7. Build a Portfolio of Evidence, Not Just a Résumé

AI is making hiring faster and more automated, but that also means résumés look more similar. Portfolios, demonstrations, and proof-of-work become far more powerful signals than job titles or bullet points.

• Publish case studies, screen recordings, agent demos, prototypes, or thought pieces.
• Document your projects in public spaces (LinkedIn, GitHub, Notion, Substack).
• Practice “building in public”—it shows momentum and reduces perceived hiring risk.

8. Become the human face of your brand

The personal brand is our last line of defense against AI. If you are KNOWN in your industry. AI can mass-produce content, but it can’t replicate an authentic, trusted, known human.

No matter what happens in this AI world, we will seek verification, validation, insight and comfort from real humans. The only career equity we can carry with us is our personal brand. Are you known or not?

I teach the best personal branding class in the world to help you determine:

• Your place in a crowded business eco-system
• Establishing the presence, reputation, and authority to break through
• Strategies to get your story out to an audience that matters
• Specific ideas to give your brand an edge

Being “Known” is the strongest career moats in the AI era.

9. Become an experience designer

Your customers are hungry for connection and live experiences. This is a uniquely human acitivy.

We’re already seeing a backlash as young people seek more shared experiences in their online world.

• Learn to design workshops, events, roundtables, and customer communities.
• Study experience design, service design, and community management.
• Become the person who can create moments of belonging and transformation.

10. Lead a brand community

In Belonging to the Brand, I boldly predicted that community will be the last great marketing strategy, and that is backed up with evidence.

Here’s the good news. AI is not going to build and run a human community. Community might be the only type of marketing people actually seek out because we need human connection.

This book goes into detail about how to build and nurture a brand community, but the main ideas are:

• Find an intersection of the purpose of your company and the purpose of your customers
• Create an online and/or offline space of trust and safety
• Reward community members and assure they are seen and heard

The AI-shaped career

Here’s the simple truth: none of us can fully predict where this is going, but we can decide how we’re going to show up for it.

An AI-shaped career isn’t about becoming more machine-like. It’s about becoming the most unmistakably human version of ourselves — more curious, more connected, more courageous.

If you build trust, create experiences that matter, show your work, and become known in a meaningful way, you won’t just survive this transition. You’ll stand out in it.

The future doesn’t belong to the people who race against the machines. It belongs to the people who double down on the humanity the machines can’t touch.

Need a keynote speaker? Mark Schaefer is the most trusted voice in marketing. Your conference guests will buzz about his insights long after your event! Mark is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books, a college educator, and an advisor to many of the world’s largest brands. Contact Mark to have him bring a fun, meaningful, and memorable presentation to your company event or conference.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram

Illustrations courtesy Mid Journey

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Note: This post was written in anticipation of Sapphire Now, SAP’s annual conference, which they re-launched in 2020 as one of the biggest virtual events in the world, attracting more than 100,000 participants.

You can see all of the content from this event here: SAPPHIRE NOW VIRTUAL EVENT. 

This week, I’ve provided inside information on how one of the biggest companies in the world is opening the doors to a path-finding, five-day virtual event called SAPPHIRE NOW. Today, I’m providing my hand-picked conference guide with the essential sessions for marketing and business leaders in my audience.

SAP is transforming its massive annual event to an online virtual experience. In previous years, this would have required thousands of dollars for travel and a ticket — and an invitation — but this year the experience is FREE and open to everyone.

And yes, they have Sting.

SAPPHIRE NOW offers a variety of executive presentations plus 11 different content tracks:

• Business Technology Platform
• Customer Experience
• Enterprise Resource Planning
• Experience Management
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Industries
• Intelligent Enterprise
• Procurement
• Small and Midsize Enterprise
• Supply Chain and Manufacturing

With more than 50 speakers involved with this virtual stage, I’ll point out the five events that would be most relevant to the {grow} blog audience. I’ll be attending these sessions myself and I hope to see you there, too!

SAP has more than 400,000 customers and countless partners and stakeholders from around the world. I think it will be fascinating to see how the company pulls off a virtual event of this scale!

Each session will be a blend of live and pre-recorded content. You can view the entire line-up here, but this is the specific programming I’m looking forward to most:

1. Customer Experience
June 16 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time

This session will be extremely relevant to anybody in marketing today. There is so much pressure on our profession to own the 360-degree view of the customer experience. I predict that in the next few years, the role of marketing will be substantially transformed around context and experience.

That’s why this session is essential and number one on my list. This digital experience is jam-packed with outstanding speakers and topics including:

• Customer experience trends and disruptions
• Case studies from grocers, Bayern Munich, pharmaceutical, automotive, and healthcare
• A discussion on brand loyalty between my friend Denise Yohn and Adam Savage, Former Co-Host and Executive Producer, Mythbusters
• Building B2C customer experience into a B2B business
• Future-proofing your customer experience

… like I said, ESSENTIAL VIEWING!

2. Keynote talk by SAP CEO Christian Klein + Sting
June 15  10:45 a.m. Eastern Time

I’ve watched Mr. Klein in action a few times and he’s a different breed of leader. He’s young and relatively new to the job, having become the sole CEO back in April. He’s passionate. He wears sneakers. And I can’t wait to hear what he has to say.

The main purpose of this corporate event is to introduce new ideas and provide some technology announcements. I expect a lot of that. But isn’t it going to be fascinating to hear a CEO keynote speech in the pandemic era?

The world is in turmoil. Most SAP customers have had their markets rocked and their supply chains upended. The very heart and soul of organizations is being transformed. What does SAP have to say about that? This will be captivating.

Also, Sting will make an appearance in this time slot. What’s not to like?

3. Small and Mid-sized business trends
June 18  1:30 Eastern Time

Simon T. Bailey

This session is being created to explore the context of smaller businesses in the global crisis.

With “business as usual” now obsolete, companies must reimagine how they operate and engage with customers. Technology can play a new role in enhancing flexibility and responsiveness. The theme of this session is PIVOT and this will be a very energizing event.

I’m particularly excited to hear some of the speakers and stories presented including:

• Sarah Evans, a friend of mine and an acclaimed thought leader in the SME space
• Chris Turner, who will show how he is using technology to build a sports analytics company
• Author Simon T. Baily will be talking about “shifting your brilliance”
• Miguel Molina, an executive from Avocados from Mexico discussing new marketing practices

… and this is just a glimpse of what’s in store. Amazing content.

4. Experience Management
June 15  2 p.m. Eastern Time

Take a look at the theme of this session:

“Break the obsession with measurement with a system of action.”

I’m thinking WHAAAAAT?

I think this is an extraordinary idea from a mega-company like SAP and we will see some cutting edge thought leadership here.

One of my favorite quotes from my book Marketing Rebellion came from Wistia CEO Chris Savage: “You can keep up with the pulse of culture or you can measure. You probably can’t do both.”

Are we starting to see this bold attitude show up in global enterprises? This session promises a bold call to “work differently” with case studies featuring Under Armour, BMW, and Ernst & Young.

Are we truly moving to an enlightened new era of customer experience management? Fasten your seatbelt on this one.

5. Industries Session
June 16   12:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Azeem Azhar

It was hard to make this last pick. There are SO MANY good sessions to choose from. But I had to go with this topic about industry transformation because it features two interviews led by my long-time friend Azeem Azhar.

Azeem is a former tech journalist, an entrepreneur, and absolutely one of the most brilliant minds in the world when it comes to the future of business and technology. I decided to make this my final pick just because I can’t pass up an opportunity to see this man in action.

Of course there is much more to this session – seven different speakers, and features from retail, agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, on-demand printing, utilities, and consulting practices. Should be a great one.

Viewing this conference on multiple levels

That wraps up my personal guide to SAP SAPPHIRE NOW.

On one level, the content will be amazing. But it will also be interesting to see how SAP can pull this off. In my experience, an online global experience like this is unprecedented. The complexity, coordination, and technology involved in this conference is mind-blowing.

From a marketing perspective, here are some other ways I will be watching SAP SAPPHIRE NOW:

• What forms of presentation formats will SAP be pioneering? How could this work for me and my customers?
• SAP has created SAPPHIRE NOW to replace a beloved annual event that brings people together in one location. How will they reinforce “community” in a virtual setting?
• The company is on the cutting edge of content marketing. Will I see something inspiring and bold? I’m especially interested in opportunities for interactivity that might occur here.
• SAPPHIRE NOW is being created across different departments, different countries, and different cultures. How does the company deliver a relevant and seamless experience with that level of complexity?

I can’t wait to find out!

I hope you’ll join me in exploring this five-day digital adventure by signing up here: Free virtual pass.

Disclosure: I’m being compensated as an advocate for SAP to highlight this extraordinary virtual event.

Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He is the author of several best-selling digital marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant.  The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak to your company event or conference soon.

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Most marketers are asleep … and they don’t even know they’re asleep. This is probably a natural human state — homeostasis. We tend to want to maintain our habits and the status quo. Who wants to disrupt yourself?

But if you’re a marketing professional, there is no status quo. To succeed today, you must be a change junkie, and that means fighting hard for personal relevance. You have to disrupt yourself.

Sound strange? Perhaps. But embracing chaos is also an essential life strategy for a marketer today.

I think a key to my long-term success is that I have been in a constant state of professional reinvention. Here are five ways I’ve learned to disrupt myself.

1. Disrupt yourself by teaching

I’ve found that teaching a class — especially at the grad school level — is an energizing challenge and a mandate to stay relevant.

The students I interact with at Rutgers University, mostly mid-to-senior-level marketing leaders from large companies, are incredibly challenging. If it’s a current marketing topic, I am bound to have a question about it in class. There is a strong symbiotic relationship between teaching, content creation, and consulting that is keeping me at the top of my game.

You might think that teaching at a college level is unobtainable to you, but what about holding local classes and workshops? Hosting lunch and learns at your company? Staying in tune with the needs of people in the trenches will keep you fresh and tuned-in to trends in the field.

Think about how you would benefit and refresh your perspective if you had to prepare content to teach somebody else about an important marketing topic.

2. Networking

I spend a tremendous amount of time alone. I have a remote office literally out in the woods behind my home. It’s a superb place to think and write but my greatest inspiration comes from discussions with others — so I have to seek that out.

Any time I visit a city I urgently seek connection with others and outside views. When I visit New York, it’s not unusual for me to have four or five back-to-back meetings with friends and thought leaders to absorb new ideas.

I’ve also created a forward-looking retreat for marketing leaders called The Uprising. It’s going to be epic but it will also provide fuel for my own personal relevance as I bring smart marketing people together to envision our marketing future.

Smart conversations fuel personal disruption.

3. Constant Evaluation

I am in a constant state of self-evaluation — Am I “locked-in” to anything that is inhibiting my progress in the context of this changing world?

For example, I am currently evaluating:

• Time spent on blogging versus podcasting or other content forms. I have been “locked in” to blogging for 10 years. How should this time be adjusted?
• I have written seven substantial books. My last book was over 300 pages long. People seem to appreciate my books but is there a new way I can deliver content that would connect to my audience in different ways?
• What happens to my speaking career in a recession? I can tell you exactly what happens. It dives. How do I adjust now?
• What do I need to know about Fortnite? WeChat? TikTok? These are powerful new media forces.
• I can’t possibly be a generalist and survive. There is too much change. What are my specialties? What do those need to be in the future?

I am constantly thinking about “what’s next?” Normally over the quiet winter holiday period I spend a deep amount of time re-evaluating my direction. Disrupt yourself by routinely questioning everything.

4. Connecting to the new leaders

Where do I need to go next? Here’s one place to find the answers: People much younger than me.

Disrupting yourself requires a mindset of humility. I am part of the first generation in history who looks to the next generation for guidance and counsel, instead of the other way around.

I’m not a guru. I’m a student and my teachers are under 30 years old and often under 20 years old.

Look at what’s going on out there and get on board. What you’ll find isn’t weird. It’s the future.

5. Disrupt yourself through the right content

I do a lot. I’m always on the move. So I have to be judicious about my time and the content I consume.

Facebook is a waste of time. Sitcoms are a waste of time. Superhero movies are a waste of time but I watch a lot of them any way. Just being honest.

In general, I am laser-focused on the type of content I consume to keep track of what’s coming next.

• I rarely spend time reading an entire business book because 90 percent of them are one idea plus fluff. Once I get the idea, I move on.
• When I speak at a conference, I look carefully at who else is speaking and make a point to attend as many interesting sessions as I can. Many people are shocked that one of the speakers is in the audience taking notes. Why wouldn’t I be there? I don’t have all the answers.
• Blog posts and videos that are “tips and tricks” will not push you forward toward personal disruption. They will only get you through tomorrow. Look for content creators who are focused on NEXT.

Three examples of people I follow who push me to think about next include:

1. Azeem Azhar and his Exponential View newsletter and podcast
2. The newsletter from Benedict Evans
3. Anything from Andy Crestodina at Orbit Media
4. I’m fascinated by Gen Z trends uncovered at JUV

Disrupt yourself by having the discipline to consume meaningful and relevant content.

Disrupt yourself by internalizing change

I want to conclude with an important piece of advice. Learning about change is not enough. You have to internalize it. That can be hard to do.

When I was writing my latest book, there was literally a moment when the implications of all this consumer research dawned on me. I sat back and thought, “I don’t know what it means to be a marketer any more.” That was a moment of internalizing change.

I was able to write this book and help people because I didn’t resist the change or ignore it. The new realities of our world slowly became part of my professional DNA until I was disrupted for good.

To disrupt yourself, you can’t just read about the changes in the world, at some point, you have to become the change.

Make sense?

Mark Schaefer is the executive director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. He is the author of some of the world’s bestselling marketing books and is an acclaimed keynote speaker, college educator, and business consultant. The Marketing Companion podcast is among the top business podcasts in the world. Contact Mark to have him speak at your company event or conference soon.

Follow Mark on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

Illustration courtesy Unsplash.com

The post Five Ways to Disrupt Yourself: The Fight for Relevance appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

Click here is you can;t see this video interview with Azeem Azhar, founder of PeerIndex.

I had a chance to catch up with PeerIndex founder Azeem Azhar at his homebase in London. Azeem is prominently featured  Return On Influence and this was a golden opportunity to catch up with him about some of the newest developments. In this interview we cover:

Is social scoring getting traction? Is it creating measurable value for companies and brands or is it still experimental?

How is the company going to use its new round of funding?

Why is social scoring so disruptive for many traditional advertising agencies?

How are companies realizing “TV ad-like” results by approaching influencers?

What is the “magic middle” of influencer outreach?

Is this still experimental or are companies beginning to dedicate real money towards influence marketing?

How are companies measuring benefits from this new channel?

I think you’ll find this conversation quite interesting!

The post PeerIndex Founder reveals social marketing developments appeared first on Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}.

We are on the cusp of a marketing revolution.  And it is being led by YOU.

Dozens of companies like Klout are slicing, dicing, and dissecting the billions of bits of information published on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook each day and grading your ability to create buzz.  The most powerful of these new “Citizen Influencers” are rewarded by the world’s biggest brands with trips, merchandise, and luxury cars. Today, anyone can get behind the velvet rope … if you know how!

And while this innovation is producing revolutionary opportunities for influence marketing, it has also resulted in the most divisive and controversial conversation on the web today.  As I observed this intersection of business opportunity and personal loathing I thought that somebody should write a book about this.

So I did.

Return On Influence is the first book to explore the new world of Internet power and how brands are identifying and leveraging the most influential bloggers, tweeters, and YouTube celebrities to build product awareness, brand buzz, and new sales. This book is unlike any marketing book you have ever read and features:

• In-depth explanations of the surprising new sources of online influence — and how they can work for or against you!
• Interviews with more than 50 industry experts including tech blogger Robert Scoble, Influence at Work Author Robert Cialdini, Klout CEO Joe Fernandez and Azeem Azhar of PeerIndex.
• Practical, actionable tips to increase your own personal power and online influence.
• Exclusive insider access to Klout, PeerIndex … and their customers.
• A first-ever look at a brand’s view of the Klout data that we can’t access.
• A special foreword by Lee Rainie, Director of Pew Research
• Never-before-seen social influence marketing case studies.

Your Klout score is only the tip of the influence iceberg. Return on Influence blows open the Klout controversies, dives into the underworld of Internet cheating, helps you determine your own online power, and looks deeply into the future of this significant marketing trend.

Important brands like Disney, American Express and Nike are clamoring to master this new marketing channel and reward the new buzz-makers — the Citizen Influencers — with trips, merchandise and exclusive events. Everybody has a voice now and becoming influential no longer requires movie star looks, a degree from Harvard, or political power.

This is OUR time. This is YOUR time.

This is the time of Return on Influence.

My book launches at SXSW in March but is now in pre-sale through Amazon.com at a special introductory price that is 1/3 off the cover price. Anybody who buys the book before March will also receive a special edition 30-page eBook, The Insider’s Guide to Klout, when emailing a proof of purchase to info@ReturnOnInfluence.com.

Over the coming weeks I’ll be passing along additional insights from the book and the story of writing it, which was an adventure all its own!  Here’s a new website with a glimpse of the book’s content: www.ReturnOnInfluence.com

If you’ve enjoyed {grow} and connecting with me, please consider buying my book, contributing a review and letting me know what you think about the work.  Many thanks!

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