Everywhere you turn, AI dissenters seem to be arguing that artificial intelligence is a threat to humanity. They say that not only is AI poised to steal our jobs, but it’s also disrupting human connection, eroding our empathy, and challenging our ethics.
At Transitions Coaching, we help people live, work, and lead more humanly. With that emphasis on our humanness, you might assume we fall in line with the AI naysayers. But we believe that to be human is to be curious, and our curiosity compels us to embrace exploration, examine alternative angles, and look at things from different perspectives. We know that change—even the technological type—is often synonymous with improvement.
That’s why we were so intrigued by this article from HBR, which proposes that AI can help us elevate the best of our humanness. What if, in addition to helping us automate things and become more efficient, AI could help us enhance our leadership?
Integrating AI with the Human Aspects of Leadership
The authors of the article say, “Our studies looked closely at … leaders’ ability to leverage the best of human and AI. What we found: leaders with high awareness, wisdom, and compassion are far more ready to become AI-augmented leaders.”
It turns out that people who embody the traits of authentic, human leadership are in a better position to leverage their strengths in a way that both complements and is complemented by AI.
This prompted us to think about the human qualities of highly effective leaders and how those qualities might intersect with AI-readiness. We believe the most effective leaders:
- Ask good questions
- Thoughtfully discern answers
- Provide appropriate context
- Lead with the heart
Here’s a deeper look at how AI can enhance each of these human qualities to help you expand your effectiveness as a leader:
Ask Good Questions
Great leaders ask great questions, and not just for the sake of eliciting information. Their insightful questions often challenge assumptions and stimulate creative thinking. AI can serve as a thought partner to enhance this skill.
- Data-driven inquiry. Ask the right questions, and AI can analyze vast amounts of data. Its rapid analysis can help you make more informed and unbiased decisions.
- Augmented brainstorming. AI can also serve as a great brainstorming partner, generating questions you may not have thought of to help you explore new angles.
Your curiosity can help you engineer the right prompts and decipher the deep insights AI delivers. This can enable your team to peel back the layers surrounding complex issues and become more effective at problem-solving.
Thoughtfully Discern Answers
Highly effective leaders can effectively cut through the clutter. They put their analytical skills to work, evaluating data and differentiating between relevant and irrelevant information. AI can help you do more of this and faster.
- Data processing. AI augments your analytical skills by helping you process huge amounts of data, synthesize information, and quickly summarize key points.
- Predictive analytics. AI is also a useful tool for identifying trends and patterns that humans might not immediately see.
As a leader, you’re constantly drawing on data, experience, and intuition to interpret scenarios and take decisive action. Using AI, you and your team can access even deeper insights and digest information more accurately and swiftly.
Provide Appropriate Context
Effective leaders understand the broader context in which decisions are made. But sometimes, context is difficult to discern and even harder to articulate. That’s where AI can help.
- Contextual analysis. AI can provide contextual data analysis, which shows how different variables interact and impact outcomes. And taking it a step further, AI-driven visualization tools can make complex data easier to understand.
- Feedback on communication. AI tools can offer you feedback on improving your clarity or tone, helping you become more aware of your communication style and its impact.
Providing clearer context makes you a better communicator. When you use AI to analyze and visualize complex data, you can more effectively communicate the context behind your decisions. And that can help you foster greater understanding, alignment, and trust across your team.
Lead with the Heart
We know how important empathy is to effective leadership. Empathetic leaders understand needs and emotions and demonstrate care and compassion. There is no AI substitute for genuine concern, but AI can give your empathy a boost.
- Sentiment analysis. AI can help you analyze employee feedback and deliver insightful sentiment analysis. With a deeper understanding of the key issues affecting employees and the emotional overtones, you may be able to respond more effectively.
- Personalized support. AI tools can also help you create more personalized support for employees, such as tailored development or recognition programs.
As an empathetic leader, you’re committed to making sure your employees feel heard, understood, and supported. AI lends a hand by offering you additional information and ideas that can help you lead with even greater care and attention.
AI as an Ally
These use cases show us how AI can be a powerful ally in enhancing our leadership. As the study’s authors say, “The AI-augmented leader is a both/and leader who brings the best of both human and machine to their leadership practice.”
The leaders who will be most successful in adapting to AI won’t be those who view it as a time-saving replacement—it will be those who leverage the power of technology to complement their most human qualities.
At Transitions Coaching, we believe the most effective leaders are informed and decisive as well as compassionate and connected. Meet the Transitions Coaching team here and learn how we can help you uncover your strengths and embrace opportunities for more human leadership.
