In a Big Tech World, Lead with Humanity
Photo credit, Anna Lissa Gonda
How can agencies strike the right balance between technology and talent?
As tools such as AI and large language models become increasingly sophisticated, agencies are eager to prove that their technical chops are superior to their competitors’. But, in choosing to celebrate technology over human talent, agencies are at risk of alienating their staff, implying that their happiness, growth and development is of lesser importance.
No Single Individual(NSI), the pioneering agency partner offering bespoke ‘teamlancing’ solutions for agencies in need of strategy or account management support, has a clear stance on how technology should integrate into day-to-day operations: always with a human touch. This positioning reflects in NSI’s internal business model, whereby its network of freelance talent is carefully hand-curated, ensuring that teams are representative of experience, expertise and diversity – something that an AI model wouldn’t be able to emulate.
With its agency partners, NSI advocates for technology to be used as an enabler – not a replacement. It encourages agencies to be transparent in decision making, offering employees insight into how and why choices are made, thus showing that their experience is considered and respected, not commoditised.
To further understand NSI’s approach, and the real-world application of its business model, LBB’s Abi Lightfoot caught up with founder and CEO Christine Olivas.
LBB> In your experience, how have you seen the use of advanced technology and advanced language models increase in recent years?
Christine> To me, the significant uptick in the use of AI and LLMs (large language models) in recent years is part of a larger trend of companies increasingly relying on their technological bonafides as market differentiators. These organisations focus so much on incorporating cutting-edge products and platforms to stay ahead of the curve, yet the true secret sauce – the great people who make great work – often gets lost in the shuffle. I know some amazing companies in our industry – Springboards.ai and Okay Human, to name a few – who are asking the right questions of how to unleash human potential via AI, but they’re the exception.
LBB> And in what ways has this impacted talent and company culture?
Christine> Because new technology is usually implemented in a rapid, top-down manner, talent often gets a loud and clear message that they’re replaceable. When companies signal their eagerness to invest in technology over talent, that can negatively disrupt company culture, harming growth and driving people away from our industry. It’s hard for talent to earnestly commit to companies when there’s no alignment on the role of technology or opportunities for sustainable career growth. I understand that innovation is critical to improving how efficient we can be, but there’s a real lack of concern about making people feel valued in a time of such rapid change.
LBB> At No Single Individual you advocate for ‘leading with humanity’ – what does this truly mean in an increasingly automated and tech-first industry?
Christine> Watching these weighty conversations around tech unfold, I’ve had to step back and evaluate my own perspectives as a founder and CEO. Ultimately, at No Single Individual, we’ve developed a stance that prioritises the human element in agency offerings. Simply put, the proper place for tech is as an enabler for people, not as a replacement. We use innovation to help us improve on the delivery and experience of our core offering – strategy and account teams – but we are really careful to avoid a scenario where we commoditise our people.
LBB> How should technical solutions act as an enabler, as opposed to a replacer of core offerings such as strategic counsel, creative development or talent sourcing?
Christine> There’s a labour-saving philosophy around modern tech that is intriguing in theory, but always gets botched in practice. We’re all striving for greater efficiency, and technology can facilitate more streamlined workflows, but it can’t serve as an adequate substitute for human creativity. It’s a trap to think we can substitute LLMs and human beings one-to-one – we’re nowhere near that kind of quality equilibrium. The mistake lies in thinking agencies are best supported by an algorithm or platform, rather than using those tools as a means to deliver thoughtfully curated counsel and people with proven effectiveness.
LBB> And how can agencies prove to new and existing talent that whilst they are constantly evolving and staying up to date with changing technologies, they are continuing to prioritise human talent, insight and wellbeing?
Christine> Transparency is absolutely essential to the creation of any trusting relationship, and talent is no exception. I’ve always advocated for greater transparency in leadership decision-making, not only because it helps identify inefficiencies we sometimes miss, but because it demonstrates real respect for the talent you work with. When we’re forced to show our work, to prove our reasoning, it leads to stronger choices that benefit everyone, creating a virtuous cycle of talent interest and sustainable growth.
LBB> How does No Single Individual operate by leading with a human touch, and what advice do you offer to the agencies that you support looking to do the same?
Christine> Unlike many companies in our field, we don’t rely on technology to build and maintain massive databases or ‘rosters’ of talent for agency partners to browse. Not only does this reduce people to keywords and resumes, but it also becomes unwieldy to keep up to date on freelancer rates, availability and real expertise.
Instead, our teams are carefully hand-curated from an elite membership of talented freelancers to provide operational smoothness and immediate impact. That curation requires understanding of how people work together, what combinations will best serve the client, how to balance varied experience levels, how to ensure diverse perspectives – all ‘human touch’ evaluative choices that technology can’t account for. While we do use a tool (haptapt) to keep tabs on our growing team’s best skills, this is only a means to really get to know our people, not the other way around.
I recommend that other companies seeking to operate the way we do meaningfully invest in those interpersonal relationships, rather than use technology as a half-baked replacement for robust human talent management.
LBB> In your opinion, what does the perfect balance of technology in tandem with human insight look like?
Christine> When tech implementation is governed by human interests and as a solution for juicy, real-world problems, everyone benefits. At No Single Individual, we strive for agency support that is informed, not dictated, by technology, in order to elevate the human touch that’s often the difference between good and great work. Our talent is our business, and any piece of new tech that seeks to diminish their inherent value or blatantly attempts to replace them is ultimately unhelpful for both our clients and our own long-term success. Many of our agency partners also operate with this same ethos, and they seek to unlock the human experience – and behavioural change in society – with a thoughtful, ethical application of technology. You can see it in their work and culture.
LBB> Lastly, opening the conversation slightly more broadly – Christine, you recently attended Cannes Lions. Were there any instances where it became apparent that the human element of the festival had been lost, and how could the industry rectify this?
Christine> While there were some bright spots of connection and community, attending Cannes this year confirmed some of my suspicions about the direction of our industry, particularly when it comes to prioritising the human element. It’s a microcosm of the ecosystem at large, packed with elite cliques that are so laser-focused on pursuing the latest trends – particularly technological ones – that they often overlook the real people that fuel and guide our work. I saw way too many exclusionary spaces and a broad unwillingness to meaningfully engage in thorny issues like harassment, economic stratification, burnout, and oppression.
As an industry, we need to elevate and celebrate agencies that strive for impactful work while treating humans well – those that value vision more than pedigree, and that don’t wield AI hype to force their employees into compliance. I aim to be part of those conversations, and after walking the Croisette, I’m hopeful that enough folks feel the same way to create sustained change.
