“Super Skill is a delightful, educational, and thought-provoking book with an important hook: Storytelling may well be the most AI-proof career skill you can have. This is the kind of material I’d want to put in every marketer’s hands—whether they’re fresh out of school or leading strategy.” - Margaret Magnarelli, VP, Marketing & Communications at Baldor Foods

“Super Skill helps today’s business professionals match their authentic creative superpowers with the technological advantage of AI to create a force multiplier. As a marketing executive, I would want to make this required reading for my team.” - Margaret Magnarelli, VP Marketing & Communications, Baldor Foods

Super Skill is a campfire experience. We gather as a community, and Joe leads us on a gripping journey we all desperately want to see through to the end. The result is a smart and starry event, and a playbook of how we can all thrive in the years ahead—building relationships, trust, and connection. Break out the s’mores. - Mat Zucker, CMO, Prophet

Joe knows the business and art of storytelling. Super Skill is a treatise and a playbook, combining what we need to know with what we need to do to remain relevant in our work. His distinct and persuasive voice reminds us that we all need to still use our own. - Mat Zucker, CMO, Prophet

"Super Skill reveals the hidden truth everyone should know: Story—not speed—is the new currency of work." - Ann Handley, best-selling author, Everybody Writes 

"Super Skill is a lively, modern guide for anyone navigating the age of AI—told through a series of sharp, memorable stories that make big ideas feel approachable and fun. With humor, heart, and a front-row seat to how technology is reshaping our world, Lazer shows how storytelling isn’t just for creators but for all of us: leaders, parents, learners, and everyday humans trying to make meaning. It’s part masterclass, part story collection, and all inspiration for a generation learning to communicate, connect, and create alongside intelligent machines." - AJ Thomas, f. Global Head of Talent Experience @ Google X

“A lively, modern guide for anyone navigating the age of AI—part masterclass, part story collection, and all inspiration for a generation learning to communicate, connect, and create alongside intelligent machines.” - AJ Thomas, f. Global Head of Talent Experience @ Google X

"There is no one more qualified on the topic of storytelling for business today than Joe Lazer. Super Skill is funny, engaging, ultra practical, and a must-read in this era of AI and rapid change." - Shane Snow, Tony Award-winning producer and bestselling author of Dream Teams

“We're drowning in all the AI hype, but Joe Lazer brings us back to the powerful skill that still sets us apart: the human story. Super Skill is smart, funny, and immediately useful — a guide to staying irreplaceable in a world of machines. I'm just jealous I didn't write it.” - Dr. Eric Solomon, f. CMO @ Bonobos & Instagram; Founder @ The Human OS

“Joe makes me want to go back and get a liberal arts degree all over again. This book is a story of hope and how we can find the best in ourselves, for our heart and our pocketbook, in the age of AI.” - Joe Pulizzi, founder, Content Marketing Institute; author, Burn the Playbook

“A must-read for next-generation leaders looking to wield the algorithms, rather than being wielded by them.” - Ben Young, Founder & CEO, Nudge

"Joe shows how developing your storytelling taste helps you reclaim agency. And importantly, how to share your stories with the world. A must-read for next-generation leaders looking to wield the algorithms, rather than being wielded by them." - Ben Young, Founder & CEO, Nudge

"If you have a fire in your chest to make what matters in the AI era, this book will help you unleash it." - Jay Acunzo, author of Break the Wheel and public speaking advisor

"Joe lives in that razor-thin no-man's land between the AI hypemasters who want to fuck their chatbots, and the AI doomsayers who want to throw their laptops into the sea. Super Skill is about combining what humans are best at, storytelling, with practical technologies to help us be even more human, more fulfilled, and more creative. The antidote to a world of endless slop isn’t a better prompt or a smarter model—it’s better stories." - Kyle Monson, Founding Partner, Codeword

"Insights this obviously shouldn’t feel like counter-narratives, but that’s exactly why Joe’s thinking is so essential right now. Super Skill is a necessary and optimistic reminder that our squishy, imperfect human braids are, and always will be, the killer app." - Kyle Monson, Founding Partner, Codeword

“Super Skill is about combining what humans are best at— storytelling—with practical technologies to help us be even more human, fulfilled, and creative. The antidote to a world of endless slop isn’t a better prompt or a smarter model—it’s better stories.” - Kyle Monson, Founding Partner, Codeword

"Everyone from podcasters to newscasters to disaster casters tells us that within five years there will be a General AI that will be able to do everything better than humans. But will that make it a better human? AI can calculate faster, analyze deeper, and generate endlessly. But it cannot feel or tell a story that moves the human heart. In Super Skill, Joe Lazer argues that storytelling is our evolutionary superpower that sets humans apart from all other animals and all other forms of intelligence. Storytelling is the force that lifted homo sapiens above stronger rivals, built civilizations, and now, in the AI age, will determine who calls the shots. Blending neuroscience, history, and unforgettable case studies, Joe shows how stories are the key to agency, empathy, and leadership. Read Super Skill. Then get out there and reclaim what makes you human!" - Joe McCambley, CMO, Saatva

“In an age obsessed with AI, Joe Lazer reminds us of a powerful truth: technology may scale output, but storytelling scales influence. AI can generate content, but it can’t generate conviction. Super Skill: Why Storytelling Is the Superpower of the AI Age is a timely, deeply human guide to the one capability that makes leaders irreplaceable. If you want to future-proof your career, start here.” - Ben Chodor, Author & CEO, CallRevu

"Super Skill is a rare combination of historical perspective, self-deprecating hilarity, and practical advice for today's marketers. Now more than ever, storytelling is the differentiator for great brands--and whether you're a CMO or just starting out, Joe explains not only why it matters, but how to do it effectively." - Kristin Fallon, former Head of Brand, GE HealthCare

"Super Skill is essential reading for any leader looking to grow their business with intention. With wit, humor, and practical guidance, Joe proves that storytelling isn't soft--it's strategic--and shows you exactly how to do it." - Kristin Fallon, Founder and COO, Stealth AI

Introduction 1

PART I: THE STORYTELLING ECONOMY

1 Storytelling Sapiens 13

2 The New Science of Stories 25

3 Welcome to the Storytelling Economy 33

PART II: UNLOCK

4 Principle 1: Build a Storytelling Habit 51

5 Principle 2: Master the Elements 64

6 Principle 3: See the Shapes 79

7 Principle 4: Become an Active Listener 94

8 Principle 5: Find Your Muse 106

9 Principle 6: Develop Taste 115

PART III: UNLEASH

10 Principle 7: Identify Your Big Idea 133

1 1 Principle 8: Be Vulnerable 149

12 Principle 9: Lead Through Stories 163

13 Principle 10: Sell Through Stories 176

14 Principle 11: Build an Audience 195

PART IV: UPGRADE

15 Principle 12: Beware the Vortex of Mid 211

16 Principle 13: Automate the Busywork 220

17 Principle 14: Iterate with Intention 235

18 Principle 15: Innovate Boldly 252

Super Skill Cheat Sheet 263

Acknowledgments 269

Source Notes 271