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Artificial intelligence will dramatically change how we work. But it won’t change how we lead. As the AI revolution progresses, and employees experience a mix of acceptance, fear, excitement, and distrust, the best leaders will embrace the technology and master the core qualities of human leadership.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will soon surpass human ability in many areas of leadership. Our research indicates that employees already have more confidence in AI than in their human bosses in certain areas of leadership, like strategy and performance management.
For all its promise though, AI has its limitations, particularly in the more human, emotional parts of work that require care, transparency, and courageous conversations. Despite the complexity and messiness of human interactions, employees still value them.
The best leaders of today—and tomorrow—find a balance in their practice that embraces AI and its many strengths while also doubling down on their very human qualities as leaders.
The field of AI vs. human activities: On the one hand you can consider the extent to which you can leverage AI. On the other hand, you can consider the extent to which you should leverage your humanness.
We surveyed over 600 employees across multiple industries to understand their views on artificial intelligence and leadership. Comfort levels are on the rise with AI, but employees still want and value human-centered leaders.
We found high levels of confidence in AI when it comes to strategy and decision-making. 65% of respondents were “somewhat” to “completely confident” in AI’s ability to develop a strategy.
And, respondents reported being comfortable with AI playing a role in analyzing their performance and optimizing actions and decisions. 43% “agree” or “strongly agree”, and 23% are “neutral” on this topic.
Somewhat surprisingly, 45% of respondents indicated that they are “somewhat" to "extremely" comfortable getting AI-driven performance feedback, as long as it is positive feedback.
But, when it comes to receiving negative performance feedback, only 25% of respondents would be “somewhat" to "extremely" comfortable receiving negative feedback on job performance if it was generated by AI. 55% would be “somewhat" to "extremely" uncomfortable.
If we are being honest, we may feel nervous about AI – of not grasping what’s new, of being outrun by those “smarter” than us, or being seen as old-school by those whom we lead.
In the face of these fears, our instinct may be to protect our ego and ignore the shifts around us. The better answer for ourselves and those we lead?
Adopting a beginner’s mind full of curiosity and an openness to new ways of thinking and doing.
According to our research, leaders who adopt a beginner’s mind towards AI can bolster the well-being and commitment of their teams by 25% or higher.
Interested in more? Click the button below to see our recent research report, The Human Leader.
Fear and anxiety naturally arise in times of substantial change, such as the current AI revolution. However, they can cause leaders to fall back on their ego and emphasize their expertise, which negatively impacts both people and organizations.
Instead, leaders need to adopt a beginner’s mindset characterized by openness and curiosity.
Learn more about the importance of a beginner’s mindset in our thought-provoking Harvard Business Review article titled “To Succeed with AI, Adopt a Beginner’s Mindset”.
Despite the complexity and messiness of human interactions, employees still value them over AI’s promise. This, of course, doesn’t mean we should shun AI and its many performance benefits. Instead, the best leaders of today — and tomorrow — find a balance in their practice that embraces AI and its many strengths while also doubling down on their very human qualities as leaders.
Do you believe that leaders have qualities that AI cannot emulate? Or do you think that leaders will sooner or later be replaced?
Read our Harvard Business Review article to explore more on this thought-provoking topic.
Each chapter of the book is based on an important mantra used to help cultivate wise compassionate leadership. As a companion guide to the new book, we offer a series of Mantra Worksheets that are available for download.
Human Leaders in the Age of AI
Pressure is on leaders to move quickly and smartly as the scope and applicability of artificial intelligence grow exponentially, At the same time, historically low levels of trust in leaders and external environments rocked by conflict and division mean employees are looking for leaders to be authentic, transparent, compassionate. How to move forward in an AI-enabled future?
In this keynote, we share results from Potential Project’s recent research on when and how best to embrace AI, and we share provocative insights on when leaders need to double down on becoming more human leaders. There is a way to do both and the opportunity is now. Let’s get started.
Becoming an AI-Augmented Human Leader
In an AI-enabled future, leaders who leverage AI will have a distinct advantage through gains in productivity, efficiency, and improved decision-making. When used appropriately, AI can even help to increase employee confidence and trust in leadership and the organization. But employees still want and value human leaders, despite the shortfalls and blind spots that come along that. Leaders who deepen their ability to lead with humanity will win at attracting, retaining, developing, and motivating top talent. For all of us, this is an amazing opportunity: an opportunity to be more authentic, more connected, more human.
Our experts and experienced facilitators guide teams through interactive discussions and exercises to build the three core qualities of a human leader: awareness, wisdom and compassion.
