AI and Leadership, Part 2: Five Ways to Lead People (6–10)

Have you racked your brain over how AI could massively improve leadership?

We are often sold the idea that AI makes us more efficient. But what if the goal is not efficiency, but depth?

If technology handles the everyday routines, a good amount of time opens up in your calendar. Executive-level leadership is measured by where you invest it.

There is clear data on where leadership should now be aimed:

• Microsoft: 68% feel there isn’t enough uninterrupted focus time in the workday.
• Gallup: A manager accounts for roughly 70% of the variation in team engagement.
• Gartner: Performance-management processes are being automated, but leaders have to learn a new way to lead in a “human + AI” environment.

I identified 20 themes across the material I dug through. In this video I cover the next five (6–10), also broken down below.

6. Personalize learning and development

We tend to push the entire organization through the same training pipeline. That is inefficient. AI makes individual learning paths possible for everyone. Your role shifts from ordering courses to coaching people’s growth.

7. Detect structural overload

You have to be careful with privacy here. Use, for example, calendar metadata that signals when a team no longer has focus time or when days keep stretching into the evening. As a leader you can fix the structures and look after people’s well-being far better.

8. Spar on difficult situations

I still warmly recommend that you spar difficult conversations with a colleague. That is the best way. AI is an excellent, low-threshold support alongside it. You can find confidence in your arguments exactly when a colleague isn’t available.

9. Fairness

In large organizations the loudest often get the attention. AI helps you unpack data regularly — completed projects and results, for example. It helps you see the quiet workhorses who deserve thanks and recognition.

10. Subject-matter and onboarding support

Build, or have built, an agent for the team that knows your products and processes. It is the fastest way to help a junior succeed, because the information is available instantly and mentoring time doesn’t have to be spent on lookups.

How does this list sound? Have you already tried any of these, or is one of the themes next on your list?

Aspenly · Thinking