The future of business leadership in the age of AI
AI has given us a world where intelligence is available to everyone. If you want to find out pretty much anything, you can do it instantly. You don’t even necessarily need a smart prompt or a paid licence. Just throw the question in ChatGPT and you get an answer. Knowledge has been truly democratised.
So how do businesses set themselves apart if everyone can know everything at the click of a button?
Now more than ever before, it’s about the people. With AI available to everyone, the value of the human in business becomes ever more important. It’s the ability to understand, empathise, and inspire. To succeed, these softer skills will need to be ingrained in your company’s culture – and your customer interactions.
I think the leaders who will shape the future aren’t now necessarily the smartest; they’re the most emotionally connected.
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is your competitive edge – use it
AI is powerful, but it lacks the human touch. To build and run a business infused with AI, in a world where AI is increasingly prevalent, you need to find authentic ways to connect with your people and your customers. This is where those with high EQ will thrive.
Find your leaders with high EQ
Since the start of Covid, we no longer see our teams every day. We don’t have the same office interactions to build rapport. But yet, some teams still thrive. Learn from these teams. What are they doing to build and foster trust across distance that keeps their team cohesive, motivated, and aligned?
Reimagine your recruitment
Technical skills can be learned, and AI can support (or replace) many of them – but emotional intelligence is harder to teach. Look for future team members with adaptability, empathy, and strong interpersonal skills.
When implementing AI, think EQ
As you roll out AI within your own business, emotional intelligence will play a critical role in its successful implementation. Emotional intelligence will enable leaders to navigate the human implications of AI adoption, addressing concerns, and ensuring the well-being and engagement of employees.
Build authentic customer relationships
Today’s consumers care about authentic, empathetic experiences. Understand where AI can improve customer experience, and where it can’t. A bot isn’t always the answer. Build customer-centric strategies to create lasting connections – don’t forget your human side.
The future of leadership isn’t just about thinking – it’s about feeling
The best leaders now know how to use AI to make their businesses more efficient and make data-driven decisions while still inspiring and connecting on a human level.
What are you doing to bring more EQ into your business? I’d love to hear your thoughts. At iwantmore.ai we maximise our use of AI to make sure we have more time to build human relationships with our clients. If you’d like to explore more about AI strategy development or change management when implementing or using AI in your business, connect with us.
Other AI articles you may be interested in:
We recently met a chief executive who despite his team asking for AI tools to help them work smarter, had decided that AI was not for him or his business. He even went as far as calling it ‘artificial unintelligence’. Despite this position, he admitted that competitors were taking market share. They were using AI to do a lot more with less. These were AI forward businesses. But what exactly is an AI forward business?
As AI tools become more widespread, some businesses are putting their money where their strategy is and offering financial rewards to employees who use AI in their work. It’s a bold move. But is it effective or could it backfire? And what message does it send to employees? We’ve taken a look at the pros and cons, including the very real human concerns around job security and why rewarding AI use can be a good move when done correctly.
Vibe marketing is the next big thing in digital marketing. But what is Vibe Marketing? Vibe marketing is a new approach that uses generative AI to translate a brand feeling or essence into marketing assets (images, copy, ads, full campaigns, and even product ideas). Coined from the concept of vibe coding, introduced by AI legend Andrej Karpathy, vibe marketing is all about marketers describing their brand’s feel, audience, and intention in plain English.
AI continues to move forwards at a ridiculous pace. New models are popping up weekly. Things you couldn’t do a week ago now seem second nature. But behind the headlines about innovation, is good old regulation. Whether it’s GDPR or new legal frameworks emerging to tackle foundation models, in the UK, AI won’t remain unregulated for long.
In the world of artificial intelligence, there's a slightly corny phrase that gets repeated a lot: ‘data is the new oil.’ I don’t like it, but it’s catchy. It makes a point. But like all catchy phrases, it oversimplifies reality. Yes, data fuels AI, but does that mean you need to stop everything until your data is pristine? Nope.
At iwantmore.ai, we help businesses navigate the world of AI. One of the persisting challenges we see is the perception by some people that using AI is 'cheating.' Despite AI’s proven advantages, some professionals still feel uneasy about embracing it leading to a culture where employees secretly use AI tools to avoid judgment.
iwantmore.ai – The AI consulting firm that helps you build a smarter business
Wherever you are with your AI implementation initiatives, we have a range of stand-alone AI quick start services to help you fast track the transformative benefits of AI across your business.
