I’m knee-deep in AI from three perspectives right now.
- I’m adopting it vigorously to create efficiencies in my own business.
- I’m uncovering ways to help leaders use it to overcome their never-ending demands.
- And as a Board member for a non-profit, I’m exploring how it might streamline operations across an entire organization.
You might be in a similar spot, experimenting with AI to lighten your workload or sitting at the table where decisions are made about how to integrate it across the enterprise.
Wherever you are on that spectrum, one thing’s clear: Leading in this new era calls for courage, curiosity, discernment, and commitment.
These are the traits leaders will need to draw on to turn AI from a disruption into a true advantage, whether you’re already using it or just starting to explore its potential.
Courage Not reckless risk-taking, but the steady resolve to move forward when the path isn’t fully lit.
When COVID hit, I had no choice but to pivot fast. I adopted new technology, found ways to engage virtual audiences, and learned more about digital presentation tools than I ever expected.
Not every experiment went well. Let’s just say my “pair and share” breakout once turned into two giant groups of 20 people all trying to talk at once. Pure chaos. But that messy moment reminded me that progress rarely starts pretty. And waiting for perfect conditions is a luxury leaders can’t afford.
It’s the same with AI. I started exploring how it could support my work and help the leaders I serve, one experiment at a time. That curiosity led to Ask Sara, a conversational AI tool that acts like a leadership coach in your back pocket. It also inspired a new AI-powered learning and execution tool designed to help leaders use AI in the flow of their everyday work.
Both grew out of a willingness to test, learn, and refine, not from waiting until everything was polished or proven.
Curiosity The willingness to tinker, explore, and ask “what if?”
AI rewards those who treat it like a sandbox, not a crystal ball. The more you experiment, the more you discover ways to save time, spark ideas, and even stretch your thinking about what’s possible.
Discernment The ability to balance excitement with good judgment. Leaders have to question AI’s outputs, understand its blind spots, and stay alert to its limits.
In my AI-Powered Learning and Execution Tool, I constantly remind leaders that they’re in the driver’s seat. AI can offer speed, structure, and insights, but it can’t replace discernment, moral reasoning, or context.
Every AI-generated idea still deserves a quick gut check before it leaves your desk.
Discernment keeps us from being swept up in the hype and ensures the technology serves us, not the other way around.
Commitment The grit to stay in the game when things get messy.
AI adoption isn’t a one-and-done project, it’s a moving target. The leaders who thrive won’t be the ones who dabble, but the ones who keep showing up, testing, refining, and learning right alongside the technology.
In the end, the leaders who thrive with AI will be the ones who combine bold experimentation with grounded judgment.
Which of these traits do you think you’ll need to lean on most as AI continues to reshape how we work and lead?
These four traits are part of a much larger leadership shift I’m helping to shape, one where AI supports better thinking, stronger decisions, and more human leadership.
If you’re responsible for developing leaders in your organization and would like to see a demo of my new AI-powered learning and execution tool, email [email protected] to schedule one. You’ll get a firsthand look at how it helps leaders use AI wisely and to their advantage.
Until next time,
