By Yousef Khalili who looks at key leadership roles.
The adoption and use of AI continues to grow in all industries. In 2024 72% of organizations used AI in at least one business function, and this number will only increase. Being a leader in these times of rapid disruption and uncertainty can put you on guard. But, great leaders need not worry.
People can be given tasks from an agentic AI agent, their completed work can be proofed by AI and even edited or enhanced. But AI cannot truly lead people. It cannot inspire and convince staff of a vision and goal of a company. It cannot make them feel as though they are needed and belong.
In this article I’ll discuss five skills leaders have that can never be replaced by AI. You’ll want to continue to hone these skills and lean on them everyday as you help your team and company grow and innovate.
Leadership skills AI can’t replicate
Empathy
AI, for all of its amazing abilities, is still a machine, a tool. It is not empathetic. An astounding 52% of employees will stick with a company that shows empathy when they come to leadership with a need. There is a reason you are called a leader and not just a subject matter expert. You can truly help people, and empathy is a great place to start. You have worked a front line job in the past. You know the daily stressors that come with that work, and you understand how any issues at home can drive performance down.
AI cannot sit down in a conference room with an employee and tell that something is not right. It cannot see someone’s shoulders slump at bad news in a meeting. You can work one on one with that person and coach them back on the right path. You can look them in the eye and tell them what a great person and teammate they are. Human to human empathy is irreplaceable.
Understanding what the Real Issue is
If one of your employees is not performing as they need to be, or cannot quite grasp a new process or initiative, AI cannot dig in with that person and find the issue behind the issue. You know your people. You in many cases hired and possibly helped train them. You are aware what they are capable of, AI is not. So, when your employee cannot quite understand or perform as you know they can, you have the ability to work with them and find out what the actual challenge or hang-up is.
If your sales-person has missed their client interaction KPI’s for three weeks straight you are the one that finds out they are having login issues with the CRM, or that they’ve been entering info into the wrong fields. You then have an opportunity to teach and lead in a way no AI can.
Reading People, Body Language and Appearance
AI does not have eyes. It cannot see that Jeff on the marketing team came in limping. It can’t see everyone in the meeting slump in their chairs when that one manager starts talking. It cannot see Selena from HR become visibly worried overhearing a conversation in the breakroom.
The statistics on the amount of communication that is non-verbal are varied, but they all show a high percentage. To lead you must be able to read people to a certain degree. You see these things occur and you act as soon as possible. You can coach one on one where necessary and correct behaviors, assuage fears, and get your people on the right track, all because you saw something in-person.
Spotting Talent and Potential
Not everyone looks good on paper, online, or in a resume. And even those that do, that online profile does not tell a complete story. Think back on your professional journey. Was there a point where a leader spotted something in you and then helped you down a new path? Did they encourage you along the way that you could do it, that you have the hardware you just need help installing the software?
That is something unique to human leaders. You can have dinner out and notice how put together and professional a server is and think, “wow, I could use someone with that work ethic and personality at my company.” You can have a call with a vendor and notice how efficient, driven, and on-point an entry level employee is and know they could really flourish under your team and leadership. These are things that AI will never be able to do. Human intuition and instinct cannot be coded.
Actually Leading, Having a Vision and Creating a Plan
AI cannot build a company from nothing. It does not have a vision, cannot recruit a partner, hire the right team, and sell them on a vision and paint a picture of the success the group will experience. That’s what leaders do.
A vision for a business can be the difference between growth and bankruptcy. “Above 90% of businesses with well-defined mission statements achieve growth and profits that meet or surpass their industry’s average.” Going deeper into that same report from THM Agency you see that employee motivation is highly impacted, as 63% of staff feel motivated in a company with a well defined vision. Your company’s vision is a human’s vision for the future.
AI will continue to disrupt and cause job displacement and markets to be rearranged. In 1991 the global unemployment rate was 5.13%. Then came the internet, increased automation and reliance on machines, the rise of AI and countless other disruptions. All of that led to the global unemployment rate being at 4.89% in 2024. True leadership will always be needed and in demand. There will always be employees that need leaders to see them, guide them, and help them reach their true potential, no matter how far tech advances.
Yousef Khalili is the Global Chief Transformation Officer at Quant, which develops cutting edge digital employee technology.
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