High Agency – The Soft Skill That Beats Experience
The highest performers aren’t always the ones with the most experience. They’re people with very high agency, clock speed, and energy.”
Albert Cheng, Ex-Head of Product at Duolingo
Chinedu had everything on paper.
Ten years of software development. Multiple certifications. He’d built systems for major Nigerian banks. Everyone respected his technical knowledge.
Then his company needed someone to lead their AI integration project.
Chinedu assumed the role was his. Instead, they chose Amaka. She had only three years of experience.
However, she’d taught herself AI tools in six months. She’d built three proof-of-concept projects on weekends. She constantly suggested improvements without being asked.
Chinedu was furious. “I have 10 years! She’s practically a junior developer!”
His manager explained: “Chinedu, you’re excellent at what you already know. But Amaka has something we need more, HIGH AGENCY.”
The Duolingo Revelation Changing Everything
Albert Cheng just dropped a career truth bomb in Business Insider Africa. He led product at Duolingo and Grammarly. He’s worked with thousands of professionals.
His observation is shocking: the highest performers aren’t always the most experienced people.
Instead, they’re people with “very high agency, clock speed, and energy.”
Furthermore, experience can actually hinder your adaptability in the AI era. Past success can make you dangerously inflexible.
What Is “High Agency” And Why Does It Win?
At CareerPaddy, we need to break this down because it changes everything about your career strategy.
High Agency means:
- You take initiative without permission
- You move fast and learn faster
- You bring endless energy to growth
- You adapt quickly to new realities
The Three Pillars:
1. High Agency = Taking Initiative
Amaka didn’t wait for her company to send her to AI training. She saw where the industry was going. She learned on her own time.
High agency professionals create opportunities. They don’t wait for perfect instructions.
2. Clock Speed = Learning Velocity
How fast can you go from “I don’t know this” to “I’ve built something with it”?
That’s clock speed. It matters more than what you already know.
The AI era rewards people who learn new tools in weeks. Not those who take months to “properly study” them.
3. Energy = Sustained Drive
This isn’t about 80-hour weeks. It’s about maintaining genuine enthusiasm for growth.
Experienced professionals often lose this. They’ve “seen it all before.” They approach new challenges with fatigue instead of excitement.
Answer these honestly:
Initiative Check:
When you see a workplace problem, do you think of solutions or wait for management? Do you explore new tools on your own or wait for official training?
Speed Assessment:
How long does it take you to learn something completely new? Are you faster or slower than five years ago?
Energy Evaluation:
When your industry changes, do you feel excited or exhausted? Do you approach new challenges with curiosity or resistance?
The Sweet Spot: Experience + High Agency
Here’s the truth. This isn’t about dismissing experience.
The most powerful professionals combine deep expertise with high agency. They have the wisdom of years AND the energy of beginners.
That’s the career sweet spot.
Experience gives you judgment. High agency gives you velocity. Together, they make you unstoppable.
However, experience alone? It’s becoming a liability.
The Choice is Yours
Your experience matters. But only if you combine it with high agency.
Otherwise, those ten years might actually be working against you right now.
Will you defend your experience while the industry passes you by? Or will you add initiative, speed, and energy to everything you already know?
Albert Cheng just gave professionals a wake-up call. Experience without agency is becoming a liability.
Your CV lists your experience. However, your next opportunity depends on your agency.
The difference between the two? It determines everything about your career future.
Ready to develop high agency and flexibility that makes your experience valuable instead of obsolete?
Visit CareerPaddy for our High Agency Development Framework.
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Your high-agency career transformation starts now! 🚀
Tell us: Do you have high agency, or are you coasting on old experience?
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