The Best Way to Train Leaders for AI-Related Change

Artificial intelligence (AI) buzz is loud right now. Attend any conference, read any magazine or online news outlet, and you’ll find animated experts speculating about the transformations it will bring. In the Ed Tech/SaaS world I live in, it’s hard to find a company that doesn’t have “AI” prominently displayed somewhere on its website. They want to be sure everyone sees they’re on top of this change, they’ve got this, and they’re not being left behind.

But underneath the speculation and the posturing is the reality that nobody knows how this technology shift will play out. Leaders can’t foresee all the impacts for their organization, and no team member knows exactly how their work will be affected. Uncertainty, and the anxiety that comes with it, are human, not technical realities.

Given this fact, it seems clear that the most effective leaders won’t think of AI uncertainty as a technology problem. Instead, they will address difficult AI-related questions as people questions, not tech questions. So, the best training to help leaders grapple with AI-related change is soft skills training, not tech training. This may sound counterintuitive, but walk through the reality with me.

Do you want leaders who can incorporate AI innovatively and successfully into the product or service you provide?

Then don’t set out to build an AI solution. Focus instead on the soft skills that keep you connected to the problem your customer is trying to solve. For example, train leaders how to:

• Create feedback loops that make sure customer input doesn’t get buried.

• Set effective goals that make customer outcomes your top priority.

• Encourage a speak-up culture where fresh perspectives and new ideas get heard. A speak-up culture is an innovative culture.

You can waste a lot of time and effort on a customer-facing “AI solution” that nobody really wanted in the first place. But if you stay connected to your customers, you’re much more likely to find the ways AI can improve their experience.

Do you want leaders who can use AI to create new internal efficiencies and boost your productivity?

Teach them that AI is a tool that’s only as helpful as the people using it. AI can help answer questions, but only people can tell whether they are asking the right questions. Only people can build the relationships needed for cohesive, purposeful, and coordinated teams. So, focus first on the soft skills that lead to effective teams. Train leaders how to:

• Guide effective conversations.

• See staff as human beings, rather than resources to be exploited.

• Support staff dealing with personal problems.

At the end of the day, your people are your most important asset. They are the ones who can see inefficiencies and find a better way. In a healthy organizational culture, people, not AI, will make the decisions, take the risks, run the experiments, and understand what AI may or may not be able to help with.

Every organization exists to address some human need. And only a human leader is capable of helping a team fully recognize what that need is. Organizations that survive big shifts and changes are the ones who understand what need they fill and find a way to do it well enough to compete with other solutions. AI may provide an edge—or it may not. This mindset is the right way to approach the current uncertainty about the future with AI. Soft skills are the most important AI training you can provide.

If this sounds compelling but you need to help your senior leadership draw the connection between soft skills and business outcomes, you may appreciate this webinar on Proving the Value of Soft Skills.