As there is no longer any disagreement that A.I. will change everything we do, it would be appropriate to stop asking “if” and start asking “how” – and the best place to start that conversation is to discuss leadership. Because it is the leaders – or future leaders – who will get us to this new world, organizations must be clear on what’s expected of its leaders.
Consequently, here are some offerings in that arena, based on an understanding of basic leadership principles and how they will be affected.
1. Insistence on Creativity.
A.I. is not only the biggest transformation in human history; it is the most sweeping. As a result, there’s no choice but to get out of comfort zones and be positioned not only to deal with change but to create it.
2. Talent Acquisition and Management.
No question: we’ll have to get better at this, as the game is now at a higher level and the stakes are higher every day.
3. Decentralized Organizational Design.
With massive amounts of data available everywhere, there’s no need to let bureaucracy bog things down.
4. Autonomous Teams.
Although this has been brewing for decades, A.I.-driven autonomy will see small teams produce huge results. Leaders will just have to summon the guts to enable it.
5. Massive Inbound Intelligence.
There’s no limit on available intelligence. A.I. can not only find it, A.I. can generate it. But be careful; we know the inherent danger in making stuff up.
6. More Robust Internal Learning and Development.
No choice. Either keep up with or ahead of the crowd – or bust. It’s like flying; the minute you stop flapping your wings, you’re done.
7. Less Benchmarking, More Vision.
Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop, said, “Running a company on market research is like driving while looking in the rear-view mirror.” She always looked in one direction: forward.
8. Leaps, No Bounds.
Armed with all this power, the risk of taking bold steps is mitigated. Any leader wannabe who doesn’t see that – and do that – is not the leader for the future.
9. Change in Balance Between What’s Strategic and What’s Operational.
Technology used to be a strategic advantage. No longer: The 20th and 21st centuries have seen to that.
10. Predictive Analytics.
It used to be that “analysts make projections and fools make predictions,” but that’s changing. A better word for it might be “expectations.” Call it what you will, it will be done better from now on.
11. Better Risk/Reward Decision Making.
Does this one even need a comment?
12. Transparency.
True colors show through when you can’t hide them. Tomorrow’s leaders will have to be much more “what-you-see-is-what-you-get.” Good.
13. Ethics, Ethics, Ethics.
Leaders either need to dust off their old Ethics textbooks or get with the program on the spot. While A.I. has a huge potential for nefarious abuse, it also has the potential to develop our commitment to all levels of ethics: meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics.
Surely, more criteria will evolve, and so will commentary like this. But that’s the thing about A.I. It’s still in its wilderness phase. And like Lewis and Clark, there will be new territory iscovered every day. Tomorrow’s successful leaders can’t wait!
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