More and more, artificial intelligence is permeating nearly every aspect of business and industry. It's already begun changing the future of leadership. Change requires updated skills, and a change as sweeping as the proliferation of AI will almost certainly require that leaders develop new skills. But much of what we'll need will come from refining and adapting skills that are already part of good leadership practice. Leaders who embrace change with an agile spirit thrive in every situation.

The future is being built now with robotics, artificial intelligence, and all kinds of automation that will take over many of the skills we perform today. But there are some skills that we will need for the future, skills that can't be automated. If you want to excel in the years to come, make sure you're up to speed in these areas: If you're in leadership, how you communicate, what you communicate and--most of all--how you listen are all supremely important. No robot or machine could ever have the same effect as a leader with great communication skills. Knowing how to communicate is all about creating and clarifying expectations.