# 296. The Real Workforce Crisis Isn’t AI — It’s Human Disconnection | Colleen Stanley

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-learn-it-all-podcast-6700797/296-the-real-workforce-crisis-isn-t-ai-it-s-human-disconnection-colleen-stanley
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-learn-it-all-podcast-6700797/296-the-real-workforce-crisis-isn-t-ai-it-s-human-disconnection-colleen-stanley.md
Podcast: [the Learn-It-All™ podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-learn-it-all-podcast-6700797)
Published: 2026-05-14T16:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.learnit.com/podcast
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/01287f9b-c048-4d19-b132-b68340aa09da.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-learn-it-all-podcast-6700797/episodes/296-the-real-workforce-crisis-isn-t-ai-it-s-human-disconnection-colleen-stanley
Duration seconds: 2720

## Resource

What happens when people stop feeling seen at work, right as AI makes it easier than ever to avoid real human connection? In this episode of The Learn-It-All™ Podcast, Damon sits down with Colleen Stanley, President of SalesLeadership, author, and one of Salesforce’s Top 7 Sales Influencers of the 21st Century, to talk about the workforce crisis hiding in plain sight: leaders know mentorship matters, but the pace of change, remote work, social media, AI, and the “tyranny of the urgent” keep pushing it to the bottom of the list. Colleen explains why mentorship may not show up as a clean line item on a profit and loss statement, but it absolutely impacts employee engagement, retention, leadership development, emotional intelligence, sales performance, and company culture. Colleen also breaks down why AI will make human mentorship more important, not less. As younger professionals turn to AI tools for answers, judgment, and critical thinking, leaders have a bigger responsibility to pass down wisdom earned through real experience. From the power of a five-minute conversation to the danger of checking “one more message” during meetings, this conversation is a wake-up call for leaders who want to build mentorship cultures, strengthen workplace belonging, improve focus, and create teams where people don’t have to go it alone. In this episode, you’ll learn... How the “perfect storm” of remote work, social media, technology, and the pace of change is weakening the workplace community Why AI makes mentorship more urgent, especially as younger employees turn to tools before turning to experienced leaders Why Colleen believes focus is not just a productivity skill, but a relationship skill that affects trust, learning, and sales conversations How to stop “managing from the suite”…

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