How Leaders Can Navigate the World of AI: 5 Real-World Tips
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What should thoughtful leaders do when AI disrupts their teams?
Over the last year, we’ve seen artificial intelligence show up in the workplace in all kinds of ways. People are using it to speed up communication, handle tasks that used to take hours, and so much more.
We’re not ignoring the change. We’re using AI too. But we’re also slowing down to ask some fundamental questions.
This post explores:
How do we shift the shape of our work now that AI can help with more of it, and what stays the same?
This piece is for HR leaders, senior executives, and anyone guiding organizational change. It’s practical and meant to be something you can bookmark and share with your team.
How should leaders use AI without losing what matters?
Let AI clear the way, not take your place
It’s tempting to use AI wherever it saves time. That might mean auto-generated agendas or quick draft writing. But what matters more is what happens once those tasks are done.
Are you creating space to pause before reacting?
Are you using the extra time to listen more fully?
Are you staying present with people who need your attention?
The tool is just that: a tool. You decide what the real work looks like.
What leadership skills will AI never replace?
Build skill in the areas AI can’t touch
AI can produce language that sounds insightful. It can mimic a thoughtful tone and even respond in a way that feels tuned-in. But it doesn’t have lived experience. It doesn’t feel tension in the room. It doesn’t carry memory of the trust built (or broken) over time.
It can suggest what to say, but it doesn’t know what it means to say the right thing at the right moment. The leadership work still lives in the pause before speaking. In sensing what’s needed, not just what’s next. That’s a human skill, and it grows with practice.
Why is uncertainty still a leadership superpower?
Stay with what feels unresolved
AI gives fast answers when the path is clear. But a lot of leadership isn’t clear. It involves tension and emotion and a sense that something isn’t quite right yet. When your team is stuck. When you feel unsure. When no solution feels quite right. Don’t rush to fix it. Stay with the uncertainty. That’s often where something important shows up.
What ethical questions should leaders ask about AI?
Ask where your tools are taking you
AI learns from patterns. Those patterns reflect human bias. If you’re using AI to evaluate people, make recommendations, or guide choices, it’s worth slowing down. As tempting as it is, don’t outsource fact-checking.
Ask:
Who trained the tool?
What perspective is missing?
Does the output align with the kind of leader you want to be?
Using AI doesn’t remove responsibility. It shifts it.
How can AI become a leadership development opportunity?
Use AI as a chance to grow leadership
Bringing AI into your work isn’t just a technical decision. It’s a leadership moment.
It gives you the chance to:
Teach your team how to ask better questions
Design processes that encourage reflection and healthy push-back
Reinforce judgment and context, not just automation
Lead your people through this shift in a way that builds clarity and confidence.
In Practice: A Leadership Checklist
Coaches’ Corner
Have you checked out Coaches Corner yet? In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing new writing from our coaching team inside our Coaches’ Corner blog section.
These aren’t polished theories. They’re working notes from people in the field.
We explore what feels helpful, what’s raising new questions, and how we’re staying honest as things shift.
We hope it gives you a clearer view of how to keep leading in a way that feels grounded and real.
Before You Go
Take a moment to ask yourself:
What’s one part of your day AI could support, so you can focus elsewhere?
Where are you most needed as a human in your leadership right now?
What kind of attention does this new season ask from you?
If you want to talk it through, or if something in this post sparked a new idea, we’d love to hear from you.
AI might change how we work. But the heart of leadership still belongs to the people willing to listen and keep showing up.
Are you ready to lead with the uniquely human qualities that make a difference?
Discover how our leadership development programs can empower you or your team to grow with fresh insights, practical tools, and bold strategies designed to amplify your most authentic strengths. To deepen your impact, explore our specialized offerings in executive development, emerging leader development, and team collaboration, all crafted to help leaders thrive in today’s dynamic environment.
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