AI is a big deal; it is moving fast and is and will have huge impacts on work and business. And most leaders are getting it wrong.
They don’t get it wrong on purpose or intentionally, and yet there are four mistakes I see consistently. And once leaders see these mistakes for themselves, they have a chance to change course and lead far more effectively. Here are the mistakes and how to adjust to overcome them.
How Leaders are Getting AI Wrong
- Mistake #1: Overreacting to the impact of AI. AI has risks. Some see it as an existential threat to humankind. Others see unlimited possibilities and marvel at what is possible. There is truth in both worldviews, yet holding either as the sole truth is shortsighted and unhelpful. The mistake is leaning too closely to either of these viewpoints. Leaders must acknowledge both and act in the best interests of the organization by working with this tension, not trying to avoid it.
- Mistake #2: Keeping Personal Learning on the Surface. Lots of leaders have dabbled with tools, be they Copilot, Claude, ChatGPT and others. The mistake is staying at the cursory level, or even if they dive in a bit more, not really understanding how the tools work and applying their usefulness other than “it will do x for me.” The mistake is staying too shallow and too intellectual about the tools. You only learn them as you use them and if you want your team to use them (see the next mistake), they need to see you using them too.
- Mistake #3: Thinking It Is for Someone Else. Too many leaders think AI tools will help other people in other roles but isn’t for them in their leadership role. Some people see it this way because they are blinded as to what is possible for them, while others use this as a strawman argument to shield them from learning new things.
- Mistake #4: Waiting for a Sign. Many leaders are in a wait-and-see mode. They are waiting for the organization to create policies. They are waiting for training. They are waiting for some kind of external sign that says we need to take action. Total inaction (whether waiting or ignoring) is a mistake. Maybe you will get a sign from the organization or your boss. But doing nothing at all (see the other three mistakes) when things are changing so quickly is no longer a wise decision.
How to Overcome the Mistakes
Because the mistakes are interconnected, the solutions aren’t tied directly to just one of the mistakes. Rather take these solutions as a group, because the more leaders implement all of these, the more effective they will become.
- Grant yourself grace. AI Adoption is important and it involves plenty of change. If you are frustrated, confused, worried or have any other emotion, you aren’t alone. Having these emotions is fine. Not trying to understand, resolve and move past them isn’t.
- Look at the bigger picture. Leaders need to be able to do more than write a good prompt or pick a model. They need to understand both the opportunities and limitations of the technology. That means getting beyond the hype and mainstream broad media to understand use cases and possibilities, as well as risks.
- Invest more personally. This means investing time to see the big picture but also trying stuff. Intellectual knowledge isn’t enough in this situation. Leaders (and everyone) need to try things and see what works. Then determine how to apply it in projects and uses that make a difference for them and their team.
- Get started or keep going. Wherever you are, you can take the next step. This article will help you see where you are in the Stages of AI Adoption of Leaders.
What Organizations Must Do
If organizations want successful AI implementation, whatever they want that to look like, they must enlist the help and support of their leaders. But they can’t just mandate that support. They must support their leaders through the changes themselves and help them avoid the mistakes listed here (and any others happening in their organizations) and provide dialogue, training and set clear expectations too.
Organizations that do these things will accelerate the value of AI far more effectively and with fewer bumps and obstacles than organizations that don’t.
Want to accelerate your AI adoption as a leader? Join me June 30th for a free webinar in partnership with the Training Magazine Network titled: How AI Makes the Best Leaders More Human (Not Less).
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