As a leader competing in an AI driven world you need new skills and the will to adapt – fast.
Leaders must build teams with the skills to thrive in this AI revolution.
Since the advent of chatbots and virtual assistants, generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) models have developed at an incredible rate. They’re swallowing up every day tasks left, right and centre – a fact that hasn’t escaped the attention of employers.
AI tools are already being experimented with, rolled out and implemented. Productivity demands are skyrocketing and some employees are now worrying about their jobs. While HR departments across organisations scramble for answers, do you, as a business leader, have the skills to survive in this new reality?
Future-proofing jobs
The adoption of AI tools varies, ranging from a full embrace to a more considered approach with employees at the heart of future decisions. But irrespective of this, there’s an expectation on leaders to build and lead teams who have the skills to thrive in this AI revolution, while delivering results in a collaborative manner.
At a recent HR panel event in London, Sunil Patel, people director at Virgin Media gave a perfect example of this challenge. While their HR teams are at the early stages of trialling various AI tools, the implication for their workforce is stark. In fact, their call centre staff, who amount to a third of their workforce, are the most likely to be heavily impacted by AI.
So as a future-proofing measure, Virgin Media are investing heavily in training for them, helping them develop skills that AI are yet to grasp, such as critical thinking, collaborative working and interpersonal skills.
Leading the way
Leaders need to take part in this upskilling drive, too. Those who are more adaptable and more reflective about their approach to leadership are more likely to be successful.
In Harvard Business Review’s Global Leadership Survey 2023, 74% of respondents said that leaders need to prove that they’re willing to take risks while also providing clarity and direction to their employees during these times of ambiguity.
So what are organisations doing to ensure their leaders are upskilled enough to survive?
Human strengths
As Virgin Media are demonstrating, given the rise in AI, it will be down to employees to tackle the complex problems that AI alone can’t solve. So business leaders need to consider two shifts to support their workforces:
• Focusing on the outcome of work, with multi-disciplinary teams collaborating to solve business challenges.
• Middle to senior managers being less directive and more reflective, while understanding how to create a high-performance environment for their teams.
Valuable lessons
In summary, your organisation needs to design and facilitate a learning intervention that will support leaders to thrive during these times of uncertainty. Such a learning intervention should focus on these three areas,
1. The importance of experimentation and a ‘test & learn’ approach to solve unknowable problems.
2. How a high-performance culture is built on a foundation of a team’s mutual continuous improvement.
3. How leaders who regularly reflect on their impact create far better psychologically safe environments for teams to flourish in.
About the Author
Arif is an experienced Leadership and Team Coach who delights in cultivating safe, positive, and trusting environments. His passions include team culture, and supporting leaders through periods of change. As Director and Co-Founder of Humble Associates he remains passionate about the power of Agility in Leadership.