Much has been spoken and written over the years about leadership, and it is pretty much acknowledged that effective leaders are not as common as they should be. Leading a team of diverse individuals has always been difficult and, in truth, is getting more so. Just to add petrol to the fire, effective leaders now have a new team member who needs leading. That new team member is AI.
Leaders need to think about AI as a new team member not just a tool, and like all team members it must be introduced to the way of working, included in, and made part of the decision making process. Just as with any human team member it is the job of the leader to ensure its strengths are used to enhance the team and its weaknesses recognised and managed. It is also the job of the leader to make sure that all team members work as one team and including AI does nothing to change this fact. Everyone in the team must feel comfortable with the new member, know how to interact with them, and how to work with them effectively and in harmony.
The problem is that very few leaders have had training in how to deal with this new team member, they are different to the others and need a different style of leadership. As well as a highly valued member of the team they can be a disruptive and they will very often make other members of the team feel threatened or anxious. It is the job of the leader to deal with this dramatic change in the status quo. You can’t have a team building day or a trip to the pub to integrate your new team member in the way that you can with the human version. Leaders require new skills if they are to successfully incorporate AI, and the truth is that very few are getting these skills.
We are entering a new age where the dynamics of teams will be very different to anything we have seen in the past. If you are to be an effective leader you need to embrace this change and ensure the team profits from all members, human and non human.
The next blog will look at how to effectively lead with AI as a member of your team.
If you would like help transitioning to this brave new world and would like us to help you become more effective in everything you do please Contact