It’s well known that the ability to adapt to changing circumstances is the hallmark of evolution. As a species, we adjust to the changes around us to survive. Artificial intelligence (AI) is pressing us forward and prompting evolution across organizations and industries. Those who recognize its potential know factoring AI into their long-term vision isn’t an option; it’s imperative.
From marketing to customer service, few functions will remain untouched by AI. And training and development are no different. But what about leadership training? If bots and big data take center stage, where does this leave the humans leading teams? How can we prepare those leaders with the skills they need to be successful?
The organizations that survive and thrive will harness AI for good and seamlessly blend artificial intelligence with human intelligence. It will require the skillful efforts of their leaders, and readying those leaders requires taking a closer look at leadership development. AI will not only have an impact on what skills the leader of a Human+AI team needs to strengthen but also on how training for those skills is delivered.
Leadership Skills Evolution
Artificial intelligence will reshape leadership skills training, elevating core skills and introducing new ones. AI doesn’t make leadership obsolete, but it will compel leaders to work more intentionally on skills that require higher-order thinking—thinking that goes beyond the basics of giving answers and assigning tasks. It will provide leaders with the opportunity, if not the need, to redouble their focus on “soft skills”—skills that emphasize communication and the power of human connection in leadership.
An Escalation of EQ
AI can’t tune into the nuance of communication between a leader and their team members. An emotionally intelligent leader must recognize the verbal and nonverbal cues in interpersonal interactions. And it requires an emotionally intelligent leader to demonstrate empathy—to put themselves in the shoes of their employees, colleagues, or customers. AI can process data and look for patterns, but emotionally intelligent leaders are the ones who understand the nuance of human interaction. That nuance makes all the difference when handling conflict, making difficult decisions, or motivating and inspiring others. AI may be able to analyze data and patterns, but a leader knows the team, their history, and their strengths and weaknesses. They understand interpersonal dynamics and often have a shared history. With AI bolstering elements of leader competence, leaders can amplify their human connection skills.
Dynamic Coaching
While AI can quickly provide many apparent answers, a leader and their team must know what to do with those answers. That’s where the leader’s ability to coach becomes pivotal. If AI gives an employee a head start with information or new ideas, a strong leader can ask curious and open-ended questions to help evaluate those ideas. And the leader can use that moment to help grow and develop the employee. But they can only do so if they’ve honed their coaching skills. Answers provided by AI are rarely development opportunities—but with coaching, they can be.
Likewise, leaders need to factor AI into the way they collaborate. That collaboration means giving artificial intelligence a seat at the table without making employees feel threatened by its presence. Minimizing the fear factor associated with AI and harnessing its power to augment human intelligence—not replace it—are skills and strategies leaders need to refine.
Critical Thinking Skills
AI revolutionizes leadership by providing data-driven insights, personalizing development, enhancing decision-making, and automating routine tasks. It sets a new standard for fostering a culture of continuous organizational learning and development. The new standard includes an increased demand for leaders with strong critical and creative thinking skills. AI can provide big data, but leaders must be critical consumers to determine its validity. Leaders will need to rely on their own experience to make sense of the vast amounts of data technology now can provide. They must challenge themselves to consider different viewpoints and fan the flames of creative thinking. AI can provide data, patterns, and what is. Leaders can ignite the spark of what’s possible.
The Impact on Leadership Training
Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing the skills that are a focus for leadership. AI, in its many permutations, is already transforming how we prepare leaders. Like its role in other job functions, artificial intelligence can augment leadership development professionals’ efforts, allowing them to focus on higher-order efforts, including personalizing the learning and providing specific and useful feedback.
- Personalization: General leadership development content, models, and scenarios help frame core leadership concepts. However, the contextualization and personalization of leadership training create relevance for the learner. AI technology can generate hyper-relevance for leaders by analyzing feedback on their performance and identifying their strengths, areas for improvement, and potential weaknesses among the organization’s leaders. This analysis means Learning professionals can more quickly create learning plans tailored to the needs of their leaders. And it means leaders can more precisely understand the focus areas for personal development. AI similarly can provide feedback on team members, allowing leaders to tailor development plans and offer feedback specific to the individual, creating the conditions for more productive and motivated teams.
- Scalability: AI already has mastered processing and sharing information. Leadership development professionals must learn to leverage its power to scale up the application of leadership skills. With the integration of AI bots, training can be delivered whenever and wherever learners need access.
- Agility: AI will enable organizations to become more agile in the shaping and delivery of their leadership training initiatives. It’s not just about reaching more learners efficiently, it’s about being able to respond proactively in ways we haven’t done before. With this agility, the team will need to continuously grow and develop.
Opportunity, Not Obstacles
A criticism of leadership development, from both HR professionals and leaders alike, is that leaders can’t take the time they need to focus on their development. And when they do, it can be difficult to solidify behavior change. Artificial intelligence starts to chip away at both obstacles by giving leaders a head start on some of the more essential skills. In turn, it frees up leaders to do what human leaders do best—connect, support, and develop others.
