Unlock the Human Skills for Thriving in Today’s Rapidly Changing World
Grounded in science and built for real-life, QI Skills represent a new set of skills deemed necessary for success in today’s AI-powered world, with far-reaching implications for parenting, education, business, innovation, healthcare, and beyond.
An Introduction to QI Skills
Across all stages of life—whether learning, nurturing, teaching, or leading—human skills are what matter most. These are the skills to understand ourselves, relate to others, adapt to change, and imagine new possibilities. This understanding inspired Dr. Laura Jana to create the QI Skills framework.
QI Skills are a powerful set of seven essential skills—ME, WE, WHY, WILL, WIGGLE, WOBBLE, and WHAT IF—designed to help people of all ages navigate complexity, connect meaningfully, and thrive in an AI-powered world. These skills cultivate self-awareness, empathy, curiosity, resilience, creativity, adaptability, and critical thinking, while also unlocking and enhancing traditional IQ skills.
By nurturing QI Skills, individuals build a strong foundation that bridges uniquely human intelligence and intellectual ability—empowering learners, educators, parents, and business leaders alike to innovate, lead, and succeed in every sphere of life.
About Dr. Laura Jana
Dr. Laura Jana is a renowned pediatrician, early educator, and award-winning author with over 25 years of experience helping people of all ages develop the skills needed to thrive in today’s complex world. Her diverse career spans owning an educational childcare center, consulting for more than 50 companies, serving as Chief Innovation Officer at major universities, and writing over 30 books for parents and children.
Through her extensive work with parents, educators, health experts, and organizations worldwide, Dr. Jana recognized that while knowledge is important, it is our human skills—how we understand ourselves, connect with others, adapt to change, and imagine new possibilities—that truly matter most in the 21st century. This insight inspired her to create the QI Skills framework.
Dr. Jana has shared these ideas across prestigious platforms such as TED, the World Bank, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the British Parliament. Now, she brings this transformative framework directly to families, educators, and business leaders to nurture the essential skills needed for success in an AI-powered world.
Praise for QI Skills
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"I strongly believe that success today is highly dependent on developing an adaptive and collaborative mindset that can flourish in today's rapidly changing world. Dr. Jana is doing exactly this ... as she lays out a strategic plan for assembling the critical toolkit of 21st Century skills every child will need to thrive."
Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn, Manas AI & Inflection AI
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"The QI Skills framework beautifully captures what we all know to be true – that who our children become is as important as what they know.”
Jo Kirchner, CEO of Primrose Schools
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"Being a leader is like being a parent... being a parent is like being a leader. ... Dr. Jana's integration of workforce development terminology with child development will set the tone for ethical parenting and leadership practices for years to come!
Beverly Kracher, PhD, Founder of the Business Ethics Alliance
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"By compellingly presenting the case for cultivating key life skills - or 'QI Skills' - early in life, Dr. Jana has captured the essense of the important shift in how we, as parents and collective communities, can best prepare our children for success and happiness in a rapidly evolving world."
Martin Scaglione, Former President & COO of ACT Workforce Division
Featured Books
Whether you’re looking for educator-focused strategies, family-friendly tools, or engaging stories for young learners, these books provide meaningful ways to bring the QI Skills framework to life.
See our featured titles below or explore the full QI Skills Collection.
QI Skills for the Early Childhood Classroom
Newly released in Summer 2025, this practical guide equips early educators with research-based strategies to cultivate the seven essential QI Skills in young children. Offering comprehensive definitions, developmental milestones, and actionable "Classroom QI-nnections"—specific activities designed to seamlessly integrate these skills into everyday learning—this book provides ideas and insights to help children build self-awareness, empathy, curiosity, resilience, creativity, adaptability, and critical thinking to thrive in school and in life. This approach ensures educators can easily implement the strategies, enhancing their teaching practices and helping every child reach their full potential.
“This book is exactly what our teachers need — offering practical takeaways, developmental milestones, and reflection activities that fit seamlessly into real-world classrooms.”
- Robert Patterson, CEO of Kids Can Community Center
QI Skills for Parents and Caregivers: the Early Years
Coming Fall 2025, this practical guide empowers parents and caregivers with clear strategies to nurture the essential QI Skills during the early years. Featuring straightforward explanations, developmental milestones, and everyday activities, it provides tools to help children build emotional strength, curiosity, adaptability, and resilience at home. This accessible approach supports families in fostering the human skills our children need to thrive.
“This book will help you successfully unlock your child’s cognitive and creative potential right from the start, not to mention your own powerful potential as a parent.”
- Colleen A. Kraft, MD, MBA, Pediatrician, Past President of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Jumping Into Kindergarten
A long-time favorite children’s book that introduces young children to the QI Skills through an engaging and relatable story. Perfect for preschoolers and kindergarteners, this book helps children build confidence, curiosity, and social-emotional skills as they prepare to take their first big steps into school and new experiences.
“I have not come across a book that gets it like this one. Children who come into kindergarten with these skills will be more confident and parents will feel more at ease”
- Dawn Luckritz, Kindergarten Teacher of the Year
Online Learning & Courses
Your official introduction to the 7 QI Skills—a practical framework to help you adapt, connect, and grow in work, learning, and life. Our newly published, self-paced online course, QI Skills: Essential Human Skills for Thriving in a Complex World, offers a comprehensive one-hour overview of these essential skills.
