The Three Skills That Still Matter Most

We've built incredible tools for generating information. But we've forgotten how to think critically about what we're consuming—and what we're creating.

Back in 2014, I gave a TEDx talk about three skills I thought would be essential in the age of information abundance: Vet. Synthesize. Curate.

I was worried then about information overload. Now I'm worried about something deeper: we're losing the ability to think critically about what's true, what matters, and what's worth sharing. And in a world where AI can generate anything that sounds authoritative, these skills aren't just nice-to-have anymore.

They're the difference between leading and following the algorithm.

Let me break down why each one matters—and why they're harder to practice than ever.

1. Vet: Don’t Just Trust — Check

We used to live in an age of knowledge scarcity, where access to information—and the authority to distribute it—was concentrated in a few trusted hands.

Universities. Publishers. Newsrooms. Trade associations.

These were the gatekeepers. They decided what was valid, what was worth your time, and who counted as an expert. Today, those gatekeepers are gone. Or more accurately, they’ve been bypassed.

The internet gave everyone a microphone—and with that, the burden of vetting shifted from institutions to individuals.

Today, anyone can publish a blog, launch a podcast, or push a LinkedIn post to thousands. That’s a powerful shift. But it also means we've lost the old filters—and gained a new responsibility.

Now you are the filter.

We crave thought leadership, but we’re buried in opinions. And when everyone has a microphone, authority doesn’t come from volume—it comes from credibility.

That’s why vetting matters.

You can’t build clarity on a shaky foundation.

That means asking:

• Is this information accurate?

• Who’s behind it?

• What’s the agenda?

• What isn’t being said?

You don’t need to be paranoid. But you do need to be discerning. Especially if you’re a founder or a functional leader, people are looking to you to make sense of a messy world. They’re not asking for more content. They’re asking for better judgment.

Vetting isn’t just about trust. It’s about leadership. 

And it’s the first step in transforming information into action.

2. Synthesize: Turn Learning Into Leverage

It’s not about how much you know—it’s about whether you can make it useful.

In a world of infinite content, we don’t need more information. We need people who can translate, combine, and make meaning.

Can you take in different sources, ideas, and inputs—and distill what matters for your team? Your customers? Yourself?

This isn’t abstract. It’s deeply practical.

When I was in high school, my math teacher was learning to program at night—and teaching it to us the very next day. She wasn’t a computer science expert. But she was a trained educator. She knew how to absorb unfamiliar content, build a mental framework, and teach it forward with clarity and confidence.

That’s synthesis.

Not just repeating what you’ve read. Not regurgitating a list of features or stats. But processing, reshaping, and applying what you’ve learned in real time—so others can benefit from it, too. It’s the skill that turns reading into insight. Learning into action. Experience into clarity.

In “Who Are Your Sensemakers?” I wrote about the people who help us process complexity—the ones we turn to when things feel overwhelming. But the harder challenge is becoming that person for others. Synthesis is how you do it.

And it’s what gives leaders their edge. The best communicators aren’t always the loudest—they’re the ones who show you how the pieces fit.

3. Curate: Share Your Meaning, Not Just Your Links

Sharing content is easy. Sharing why it matters—that’s the leadership move.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again:

This is where trust is built. This is where authority gets earned.

When someone shares a link, a quote, a stat—with no explanation—I usually ignore it. Not because it’s bad. Because I don’t know why they shared it. And in this attention economy, that small missing piece—the “why”—is the difference between noise and value.

Curation is more than taste. It’s narrative.

You’re saying: “Here’s what I found. Here’s what I think. Here’s why it matters—to me and to you.”

It’s a gift. A signal that you’ve done the work to make sense of something—and now you’re helping someone else do the same. You're sharing a piece of your understanding with the world. 

And it’s not just about links.

I once asked: Is knowing which song comes next a critical 21st-century skill? 

It sounds like a joke. But think about DJs. Editors. Curators. Storytellers. 

Their value isn’t in what they select—it’s in how they sequence meaning.

That’s why I tell stories in this newsletter. They’re not just anecdotes. They’re narrative glue. They wrap ideas in memory. 

They help people absorb the why—not just the what.

Curation isn’t content management. It’s context design.

The Skills Are the Signal

These three skills—vetting, synthesizing, curating—aren’t just for information hygiene. 

They’re how we build trust. 

They’re how we show what matters to us, and how we help others make sense of it too.

And in a world obsessed with “building a personal brand,” here’s the truth:

That’s what separates leaders from lurkers—and authenticity from automation. In a world where AI can remix anything, the real edge is caring enough to explain why you’re sharing it.

Berkson’s Bits

Vendor Pro-tip: What workarounds do your customers use to make your software work for them?

Friction in UX is the bane of all technology. Sometimes it's not obvious to you as the vendor. And when you ask your customers, they may think of the things they CAN'T do but want to be able to do.

Listen to them. Then ask them what workarounds they have in place to do the work they need to do. Are they patching together a custom integration? Keeping multiple screens open at once? Or just skipping functionality altogether that is just too difficult to use?

What I’m Listening To

🎧 WorkLife with Adam Grant – “How to Fix the Personal Branding Crisis” 

Adam Grant makes a compelling case: People don’t trust polished personas. 

They trust perspective.

Many people try to figure out how to establish authority on platforms like LinkedIn or X. Some call it personal branding.

But that’s a myth.

Businesses have brands. People have personalities.

And personalities have moods—your energy and perspective shift depending on what you're going through, professionally or personally.

The problem with personal branding is that it expects you to show up as the same version of yourself, in every setting, every time. But no one operates like that. You're not a campaign. You're a person.

As Grant says: "Instead of promoting yourself, focus on your ideas. Instead of emphasizing what you've achieved, focus on how you can contribute."

Your credibility doesn't come from your resume—it comes from how clearly you think and contribute. That's not personal branding. That's personal context.

Why This Still Matters

If you’ve followed this newsletter, you know I talk a lot about communication. But this goes beyond messaging.

This is narrative work. 

Inside companies. Across teams. Between humans.

You can’t build clarity without vetting. 

You can’t build strategy without synthesis. 

And you can’t build trust without curation.

This is the work I do every day with founders, leaders, and teams: Helping them make sense—so they can help others do the same.

Looking forward to continuing the conversation...

Alan