You might be surprised to learn that I was not so ambitious about AI when people began talking about it. In some ways I’m kind of a blacksheep and I don’t like to follow the crowd; I find more purpose and meaning in carving my own path in life. However, since I love technology, it was a matter of time before my curiosity (and my colleagues) got the best of me, and now there’s no looking back… What a wonderful tool I found!
About this article on artificial intelligence
The article you’re about to read is written by Mike Reuter at Three Minute Leadership. I have been an email subscriber to his writings for a few years and I’m always impressed by his inspiring articles. They have helped me to grow personally and professionally, and I am very grateful for him. So, it’s only right that I share this insightful article with each of you, my fellow leaders!
Three Minute Leadership’s article on AI
About This Week’s Note: This week’s Three Minute Leadership note is longer than usual — and for an important reason. I encourage you, my friends, to take the extra time to read it. It is that insightful. As leaders navigating a rapidly evolving world, it is critical for leaders to understand the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on leadership and the future of work.
This note is about AI’s take on leadership
In it, I share a series of questions asked of my dear friend, ChatGPT, about AI and leadership. ChatGPT’s responses are insightful and thought-provoking as you will read. Each answer offers a glimpse into how AI can influence, support and elevate the great leader’s journey. As we know the future belongs to those who are prepared to meet it with both wisdom and open hearts.
Is Artificial Intelligence replacing leaders?
Absolutely not, it’s only helping them to make more informed decisions.
In the ever-evolving landscape of leadership, a profound new force has arrived — Artificial Intelligence (AI). Its emergence is not a distant horizon but a vibrant and immediate reality shaping today’s world. For great leaders, understanding AI is no longer optional; it is essential. It holds the power to enhance decision-making, unlock creativity, optimize human potential and redefine the future of work.
Those who embrace its possibilities will lead with vision and mastery; those who ignore it may find themselves leading yesterday’s dreams in tomorrow’s world. To help leaders navigate this transformative era, here are vital questions to ask AI — and the heartful answers they inspire.
What is AI’s definition of Leadership?
Leadership is the art and science of inspiring, guiding and empowering others to achieve a shared vision, fostering growth not only in outcomes but in human potential. As John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” AI would add: leadership today also requires adaptability to rapid change, the courage to innovate and the wisdom to harness new technologies for the benefit of humanity.
What does the leader need to know about AI?
Leaders must know that AI is not a competitor to human greatness but a collaborator. It can analyze vast data, reveal hidden patterns, automate tasks and augment intelligence — freeing leaders to focus more on vision, empathy, innovation and human connection. Knowing AI’s capabilities and limitations enables leaders to lead wisely, not blindly, into the future.
How can AI support leaders both in who they are and what they do?
In who they are, AI supports leaders by offering self-insight, enhanced emotional intelligence tools and the ability to listen more deeply to teams through analytics. In what they do, AI strengthens decision-making, accelerates learning, identifies opportunities and assists in crafting more inclusive and customized strategies. AI becomes an extension of the leader’s mind — a mirror reflecting possibilities that may otherwise remain unseen.
What are the consequences of a leader not being knowledgeable about AI?
Without understanding AI, leaders risk becoming disconnected from the realities shaping their teams, industries and missions. They may lose credibility, agility and the ability to innovate. Helen Keller once said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” A leader unaware of AI’s impact risks seeing today clearly but missing tomorrow entirely.
How can AI help leaders take themselves to new heights both professionally and personally?
Professionally, AI sharpens leaders’ strategies, amplifies their reach, accelerates innovation and equips them to make data-informed, heart-centered decisions. Personally, it gifts time — time to think deeper, connect stronger and live more authentically by automating the repetitive and surfacing new insights for growth. As Tony Robbins reminds us, “The path to success is to take massive, determined action.” AI enables leaders to take action with greater intelligence, precision and courage.
How can AI help me better understand and serve the needs of my people?
AI can provide insights into the unspoken rhythms of your team — identifying trends in morale, engagement, satisfaction and performance through thoughtful data collection and analysis. It can suggest personalized development plans, predict challenges and uncover opportunities to meet individual needs with greater empathy and foresight. As Maya Angelou said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” AI empowers leaders to see beyond the surface and touch hearts more meaningfully.
In what ways can AI foster greater diversity, inclusion, and belonging in my leadership?
AI, when designed ethically, can help leaders recognize unconscious biases, create more inclusive hiring practices and ensure that decision-making reflects diverse perspectives. By analyzing language, representation and access, AI can offer leaders data-driven pathways to foster environments where everyone feels seen, heard and valued. Diversity is not just a goal; it is the rich soil in which innovation grows.
How can AI help me anticipate future trends and prepare my organization for sustainable success?
AI processes vast amounts of data at speeds impossible for humans alone, spotting emerging patterns, predicting industry shifts and identifying early signals of disruption or opportunity. With AI, leaders can become architects of the future, not merely responders to it. Wayne Gretzky’s advice rings true: “Skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.” AI helps leaders anticipate where the puck — and the possibilities — are heading.
What ethical considerations must guide my use of AI as a leader?
With great power comes great responsibility. Leaders must use AI transparently, protect privacy, ensure fairness, and constantly guard against bias. Ethical use of AI demands humility, vigilance, and a commitment to uplifting humanity, not replacing it. As Aristotle reminds us, “The end of labor is to gain leisure,” and likewise, the end of AI is to gain deeper human flourishing — not greater exploitation.
How can I maintain the irreplaceable human qualities of empathy, wisdom, and love in an AI-enhanced world?
Remember that AI is a tool, but you are the heart. Empathy, compassion, intuition, humor, vulnerability — these are the gifts only human leaders can bring. AI can suggest what is wise; only you can choose what is right. AI can surface information; only you can touch a soul. Wisdom lives not just in answers, but in how those answers are shared and lived. The leader’s heart will forever remain the true north in a world guided by technology.
Be the leader who welcomes the future not with fear, but with inspired mastery. Embrace AI as a trusted companion on your journey, knowing that it is not intelligence alone that changes the world — it is the courage, wisdom and love of the human heart leading it.
The future awaits the bold dreamers who will shape it. Step forward. Lead with light. Change the world!
