Posted by 
The promise of AI for enterprise is that the tools help to simplify manual work and run large scale data analysis. It frees up time for leaders to focus on what matters. How will this change the role of leaders in our organizations?
Lei Wang, the first Asian woman to climb the Seven Summits and complete the Explorers Grand Slam, frequently faces tough terrain, wild weather and fear of failure while trying to conquer the world’s highest peaks. In these tricky situations, does she use AI tools to help her make the right decisions in split seconds? She believes even though AI could, it’s important to trust your judgment, rely on your team, and use your training and experience to make quick, smart decisions.
A bevy of new powerful tools like ChatGPT, Dall-E, Claude, Character AI are all encouraging people to use Large Language Models (LLMs) in their everyday lives. Instead of search engines, try AI’s superpowers to suggest your next dinner, help you plan your next vacation or write a funny song. As an entrepreneur in the marketing space, I recognize the potential and the choice of dizzying mix of human talent and powerful machines as my co-workers, planners and creators is tempting. Would I rely only on AI? Just like Wang, I am cautious about why, when and how to invoke its powers.
If AI will do the grunt work, what is the new role for leaders?
Lei Wang shares an example from the climbing community. Prior to every mountain expedition, a formal leader is chosen, who is usually the most experienced team member. However, leadership can unexpectedly fall on anyone during emergencies, such as avalanches or health crises. Each team member must be capable of surviving and rescuing others, even without the assigned leader’s help. Trust within the team is crucial, and it develops in an environment where everyone feels psychologically safe to express themselves and contribute fully. Developing leaders is not a one-time activity but a continuous pursuit in the culture of climbing.
Leaders need to use their judgement, ethical framing and integrity to decide where and when to deploy AI and where to use human talent. Yes, AI-powered models can enable effective decision-making in specific circumstances, but our future cannot entirely depend on artificial inputs. A panel at Drucker Forum in November 2022, forewarned leaders to simply rely on AI model-based decision-making described this “Models are only guides to think about the present and future, not strict representations of what will happen.”
Patrick Mikalef and Manjul Gupta illustrate that deploying AI models alone will be unlikely to deliver any competitive gains by their own right. Continous learning, adapting and experimentation is neccesary. So is being intentional about cultivating future leaders (and not just AI operators). Leaders need to focus on developing ethical and resilient leaders capable of handling uncertainty and risk in a challenging and complex future.
Are you creating a thriving nursery for new leaders?
We know from several studies including the recent one by Gallup, that more and more people are disengaged from their jobs and workplaces. In fact, the rapid adoption of AI tools may end up overwhelming employees further, displacing jobs and rack-up organizations’ costs. Recently, Gartner released a press release suggesting that around a third of generative AI projects in the enterprise will be abandoned after the proof-of-concept phase by year-end 2025.
In an ever-changing landscape with AI in the mix here are 3 next steps for leaders:
- Orchestrate trusted teams to harness the human element. Your empowered teams should be able to solve real world problems and think of technological solutions to provide a needed boost.
- Plan time to reflect on consequences of their decisions, embrace humility and understand when to deploy technology boosts like AI. Though AI can provide speedy inputs to solving problems, it should be buying precious thinking time so teams can think how their efforts can steer the progress of the planet forward.
- Listen, reflect and be thoughtful about change. This includes thinking beyond technical training and expanding your own skill set to build confidence, practice resilience and gain strategic planning skills.
The challenge for leaders today is to create environments where teams can harness both human and technological strengths. The next leadership is about orchestrating trusted teams, reflecting on the consequences of decisions on the planet, and being thoughtful about change. As AI continues to evolve, leaders must balance its use with the need to empower and engage their teams.
About the authors:
Lei Wang has scaled the tallest mountains on all seven continents and has skied to both the North and South Poles. She has defied the odds to become the first Asian woman and Asian American to complete the fabled Explorers Grand Slam. She is a leadership advisor, speaker, author and executive coach.
Yavnika Khanna is the CEO of Impactika Consulting, a purpose-driven marketing advisory firm that supports organizations in overcoming their most challenging marketing problems. She also mentors the Drucker Challenge and oversees press and media relations for the Drucker Forum. She is based in Seattle, USA.