I’m using AI to help me make some career decisions, but I wonder if I’m missing something?
This post is part of THE DEEP STUFF - reflective answers to the questions senior creatives ask.
I write these pieces as a coach and a former creative director. I work with experienced creatives who are navigating confidence loss, change and the pressure to stay relevant. No platitudes. No fridge magnet philosophy, just picking up on conversations that are hopefully useful to share.
This question came up in a recent chemistry chat. It’s a good one, for anyone starting to think seriously about a change and my answer has to be, ‘Great keep on using AI and self-help tools in general, if you find them motivating’. I love a tool they can provide structure to help you to organise your thoughts and look at options. And in the case of AI it’s damn fast and always available.
So what might you be missing?
Like a coach, AI isn’t there to judge. Unlike a coach it can only work with what you give it. So it will mirror back clearly (often brilliantly) but it won’t challenge what’s going on under the surface, what you are skirting around, where your language is carefully managed. That gap between what you say and what you want.
It won’t sit in silence when something lands. It won’t hold tension or interrupt a well-rehearsed narrative. And whilst that might sound like a nice thing. In reality it’s the difference between knowledge and change. And this is the bit that matters.
Real change isn’t just cognitive it involves discomfort, spotting contradictions and knowing when to call them out. As brilliant as AI is, it can’t fully hold that process
Live one to one coaching isn’t just about better answers, it’s about contact and feeling truly seen and heard.
A good coach listens for what’s not being said. They notice shifts in tone, hesitation, energy. They ask the question you didn’t know to ask (or just didn’t want to).
A good coach provokes a challenge, helps you understand what actually matters. Gives you space to think without performing and here’s the big difference. A coach will hold you accountable as you move from thinking to action.
If you are using AI to support your career journey consider this; are you just getting clearer or are you actually making confident moves? They are not the same thing.
It is very easy to become what I call a ‘Serial Filler’. You know when you are super-able to answers questions about yourself by the book and spend hours and hours lost in the process. This might feel satisfying in a, ‘Look I spent a day doing this course’ sort of way, but if you are not taking real action, then you are just filling your head. The fundamental difference between coaching and self-help is (apart from the obvious) that coaching is designed to measure tangible action. A good coach will hold you accountable and know when to call time on the over-thinking. There are no pages to hide behind with coaching it’s raw. And it’s real.
If you like this mini series and have a question you don’t mind being answered publicly (no names obvs) get in touch by email
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