Leadership in an AI world
“As the world becomes more complex, the importance of leaders will only increase. Even quantum leaps in artificial intelligence are unlikely to provide the personal will, moral courage, and compassion that good leaders offer.”
— General Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and Chris Fussell, Team of Teams
It’s not true that "the best plan or strategy wins". Actually, organizations best able to adapt to their environments win.
As organizations adopt generative AI and continue to pivot towards agility, leadership must undergo a corresponding evolution. The role of a senior leader must move away from command and control. Agile leadership requires skills analogous to a "gardener" and an empathetic crafter of culture. A gardener cannot actually “grow” tomatoes, squash, or beans — they can only foster a fertile environment for the plants do so themselves.
Senior leaders, instead of dictating plans and actions, must cascade trust, purpose, and focus. In addition to giving teams a real-time understanding of what is happening in the world, senior leaders must provide them a clear and unambiguous sense of "mission" and purpose. They must empower teams to navigate an uncertain world with directional clarity.
We must foster the right environment for our people to react in real-time. In the battle for relevance, the ability to react swiftly becomes the ultimate differentiator.
The AI transformed economy will need a new kind of executive - motivators, innovators and social experimenters - those that have, paradoxically, developed their distinctly human skills. Their discussions of the advantages and ‘disruptions’ of AI on business – and on our culture in general – are related with a lighthearted accessible style of presentation, including the insightful use of ‘comic strips’ that underline the messages of their book.
The Preface sets the tone – ‘Today’s business leaders face a conundrum. AI unquestionably will play an enormous role in the future of their organizations and the business environment in which they operate, but what effects will it have? Prognosticators have wildly different visions of the future it will create, ranging from causing the extinction of humanity to ushering in a Golden Age in which machines provide all humanity’s needs and free us to focus on altruistic service to one another and the advancement of human culture…What makes AI more then ‘just another new technology’ is its ability to create a convergence of the many operating technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), block chain, robotics, 3D printing, augmented reality and many others…AI is so much more efficient at processing far greater amounts of data than any human can..’
With this fascinating overview of AI the authors discuss the skill sets business leaders must have to incorporate the benefits of AI – prospering from the changes to make the world better through the use of AI. This book is a must-read for business leaders, but it also is one of the more insightful and beneficial books for understanding the impact of AI. Very highly recommended. Grady Harp, April 20
compass - sets the direction Coach - gives feedback gardener - creates a fertile environment Culture - sets the "tone at the top". Today's leaders must be empathetic crafters of the culture they expect.
References
Image Credit: General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur received 13 awards for bravery, including the Medal of Honor. Perhaps the most gifted wartime soldier America ever produced, he orchestrated remarkable victories in France, New Guinea, the Philippines, and Korea. He often led from the front, sharing the dangers of the battlefield with his men, which earned him accolades for bravery and the loyalty of his soldiers. His tenure was marked by the challenge of leading the Army during the Great Depression, a period of limited resources and low morale. Despite this, he advocated for a modern, mechanized army, foreseeing the changing nature of warfare.