ManagerMentor
How fast is managing changing? Buckle up in 2026.
Welcome to the second ManagerMentor newsletter where I answer the 50 Most Pressing Questions Facing Managers in 2026. These 50 Questions are a core component of the ManagerMentor learning and development system that I purpose-built for millennial and gen-z managers. Enjoy this free preview. Learn more here.
QUESTION #2: How fast is managing changing? Buckle up in 2026.
SUMMARY
It is now inevitable that every manager will have a combined team of biological and digital people — and maybe half of all managers will in 2026. People are simply mind-blown at the speed of AI’s development — especially the idea that things called “databots,” “audit bots,” “quotebots,” “demobots” and so on will be sitting at the same table with humans at scale in 2026. The facts show where the market is — and why there is no time to waste. Get your
team ready.
WHY: The Most Important Year of Your Managing Career
I don’t think it’s hyperbole to suggest that 2026 will be a year like no other for anyone managing people.
For the last 100 years, a manager’s job was simple to define: you managed people. Biological people. People with names, emotions, ambitions and career stories. That definition is changing — faster than most managers realize.
I’ve been listening to the questions and conversations about the future of managing this past year. Above all else, people are simply mind-blown at the speed of AI’s development. The question I hear most often isn’t “will agents replace my team?” It’s “how do I manage a team that’s half human and half digital?”
For the first time in the history of managing, the answer to “who is on your team?” includes both people and machines. That changes everything — how you set goals, how you measure performance, how you develop your people, and how your best people write their career stories.
Your job as team manager is to get your team ready for the change. These facts will help your team see what’s coming and anticipate the change.
WHAT: 10 Facts Every Manager Needs to Know
Fact 1: Half of all managers are already managing human-agent teams. It is now clear that every manager will have a combined team of biological and digital people — and maybe half of all managers will in 2026. AI agent deployment has nearly quadrupled, with 42% of organizations having deployed at least some agents, up from just 11% two quarters ago (KPMG, Q4 2025).
Fact 2: The job market has already shifted — roles are being redesigned. 67% of executives agree that AI agents will drastically transform existing roles within the next 12 months. 40% of job roles in Global 2000 companies will actively collaborate with AI agents as workflows are redesigned (PwC, 2025).
Fact 3: The #1 skill needed is not technical — it’s judgment. 73% of talent acquisition leaders say the skill they need most in 2026 is critical thinking and problem-solving — not technical AI skills. The value has shifted to people who can assess AI output, spot flaws, and know when to trust results versus override them (Korn Ferry, 2026).
Fact 4: Managing agents pays — literally. Workers with AI skills now command a 56% wage premium over those without in the same job. Productivity growth has nearly quadrupled in industries most exposed to AI since 2022 (PwC, 2025).
Fact 5: Human skills are becoming more valuable, not less. People management is up 138 occupations in job listings from 2023 to 2025 — one of the sharpest increases of any skill category. AI and machine learning is up 185 — but people management is right behind it (McKinsey, 2025).
Fact 6: Companies that invest in people to manage agents outperform. Companies reported an average 35% increase in productivity after integrating AI agents. Of those adopting AI agents, 66% report increased productivity, 57% report cost savings, and 55% report faster decision-making (KPMG; PwC, 2025).
Fact 7: Most companies are focused on access, not readiness. 84% of CHROs plan to upskill workers in AI — but follow-through is failing. While 77% of companies say they intend to launch upskilling initiatives, participation in adult-learning programs is flat or falling (WEF, 2025). Adoption without enablement isn’t enough.
Fact 8: New roles are emerging that didn’t exist five years ago. Companies are already hiring agent product managers, AI evaluation writers, and “human in the loop” validators. Jobs requiring AI skills are growing 7.5% even as total job postings fell 11.3% last year (Gloat, 2025).
Fact 9: The manager’s job is not being eliminated — it’s being elevated. Gartner predicts AI will flatten organizations, eliminating more than half of current middle management positions through 2026. The managers who remain will shift to strategic, value-add activities. The one job AI can’t replace? The manager who knows how to run a team of humans and agents.
Fact 10: 2026 is the year it goes into production. “2025 was a lot of ‘Let’s play with it, let’s prototype it.’ 2026 will be the year we put it into production.” — AI consultant Michael Hannecke (IEEE Spectrum, 2026). The window for preparation is narrowing.
HOW: Get Your Team Ready for What’s Coming
It's likely your team is already talking among themselves about the impact of agents and bots on team composition and responsibilities. One of the Six Drivers of Consistency is listening. Let your team know you're in touch with the pace of change — and create an opportunity for real dialogue.
Step 1: Share the Facts — Don’t Filter Them
Send the 10 facts to your team 24 hours before your next meeting — by email or Slack. Give them time to sit with the numbers before you're in the room together."
Tell your team: “I want you to read these before we meet. I want to know which fact surprises you most — and which one concerns you most.”
Step 2: Run the Team Discussion
Open the meeting with two questions:
“Which fact surprised you most?” “Which fact concerns you most?”
Go around the room. Don’t jump to solutions. Listen first. What you hear tells you exactly where your team is — confident, anxious, curious, or checked out. That’s your starting point.
Step 3: Make It Personal
Close the meeting with one individual assignment. Ask every person to answer this question in writing before your next 1:1:
“Given what you just read — what is the one skill you need to build in 2026 that you don’t have today?”
That answer becomes the first entry in their skills profile — and the first real career conversation you’ll have with them this year.
