AI is changing leadership - and in a different way than you think
Last week, I was having coffee with a managing director. He was raving about how his new AI assistant is now sorting all his emails.
"Cool," I said. "And who's having that awkward conversation with your team leader who's been dragging the team down for months?"
Silence.
That's exactly the point: AI can do a lot for you - but not the things that keep you awake at night. The conversations that are unpleasant. The decisions that make you feel a lump in your throat.
The good news is that once you realise what AI can - and cannot - do, you will not become superfluous as a manager, but more important than ever. Provided you tackle the right areas.
- What AI can really do - and what it can't
Everyone is talking about ChatGPT, Claude, smart analyses and automated reports. That's useful - but it's not the solution to your management problems.
What AI does for you:
- Weekly reports that hardly anyone reads
- Appointment coordination for meetings
- Evaluation of employee surveys
- Preparation of standard meetings
- Project monitoring
- Meeting summaries
What stays with you:
- The conversation with your co-founder about trust and collaboration
- Decisions on remodelling in the management circle
- Defusing conflicts between team leaders (classic conflict management for managers)
- The dialogue with the almost internally dismissed employee
- The choice between two equally strong candidates
- Mastering crises for which there is no playbook
AI is no substitute for human leadership. It is a lever - but only if you utilise the space it frees up.
- The 7 core competences for leadership in the age of AI
Algorithms take over data analysis in seconds. Your job is changing - and so are the skills that now count.
- Strategic AI vision - Plan the use of AI not only to increase efficiency, but also to create long-term added value.
- Hybrid team leadership - Combine people and AI systems sensibly, keep responsibilities clear.
- Data criticism & judgement - Questioning AI insights, recognising bias, weighing up ethics.
- Courage to take the "against the data" decision - values and context are more important than an optimised Excel formula or the results of an algorithm.
- Emotional intelligence - Identify team moods, recognise team dynamics and use conflict coaching in a targeted manner.
- Speaking uncomfortable truths - Speak plainly, address conflicts in the team without destroying relationships.
- Coach Competence - Take fears seriously, create psychological safety, promote a culture of learning.
These competences form the foundation - regardless of how fast the technology develops.
- Where AI reaches its limits - and why humans remain irreplaceable
AI can recognise patterns, calculate probabilities and imitate language styles.
But she can't:
- Build trust
- Recognising subtle tensions
- Communicating vision and meaning
- Negotiating complex priorities
- Develop creative solutions that do not exist in any data set
Practical example:
A tech-savvy CEO tried to resolve team conflicts using an AI-supported feedback tool. The result: everyone felt monitored, no one spoke openly, no trust in the technology. The employee survey was then disastrous. It was only when he sought a personal dialogue again that the knot was untied.
- AI transformation is a matter for the boss - not an IT project
78 % of failed AI implementations fail not because of technology, but because of a lack of leadership commitment.
Why? Because AI integration is a cultural issue.
Your tasks:
- Develop your own stance on AI - where yes, where no
- Involve the management team - honestly, not as a PowerPoint show
- Closing skills gaps - targeted management coaching and AI collaboration training
- Channelling fears of the future - showing prospects instead of fuelling fears of job loss
- Conclusion: leadership remains human
AI is changing tools and processes - but not the core of leadership.
The competitive advantage lies not in the technology itself, but in your ability to design organisations in which human creativity, emotional intelligence and technology work hand in hand.
The winners in five years' time will not be those who are best at dealing with AI.
They are the ones who can lead people - while AI has their backs.
Article created with the support of Perplexity (research), Claude and ChatGBT (suggestions for text modules)
