Becoming an AI Inspired Leader
/Remember the days when we traveled with a road map? (Many reading this story may be too young to have experienced road maps)
Before leaving on a trip, we would unfold a large paper map, identify our destination, highlight the roads we intended to travel, and hope we didn't make a wrong turn.
And, if we did make a wrong turn, we would pull over, unfold the map again, and figure out where we went wrong. Sometimes, I would actually stop to ask someone.
Then came GPS (Global Positioning System).
Suddenly, we had a voice telling us where to turn, how far to travel, when to exit, and even when we would arrive at our destination.
What an incredible innovation!
But there was one problem.
Sometimes, GPS was wrong!
It might direct us down a closed road, into a traffic jam, or occasionally to a destination nowhere near where we wanted to go.
We quickly learned something important.
GPS could guide us, but we were still responsible for driving the car.
Today, we are experiencing another remarkable technological transformation.
It's called Artificial Intelligence — AI.
And just like GPS changed the way we travel, AI is changing the way we work, think, learn, and lead.
So, what exactly is AI?
Simply stated, Artificial Intelligence is technology that enables computers to perform tasks that ordinarily require human intelligence — understanding language, recognizing patterns, analyzing information, solving problems, and generating ideas.
Think of AI as having a knowledgeable assistant available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
An assistant who can help you:
Research a subject in minutes rather than hours.
Analyze information and identify patterns you might have overlooked.
Challenge your thinking by offering different perspectives.
Develop new ideas, strategies, and solutions.
Improve your writing, communication, and decision-making.
But here's the interesting thing.
Having access to AI does not make you an AI Inspired Leader.
Just as having a GPS doesn't make you a good driver!
Becoming an AI Leader requires curiosity, discipline, judgment, and perhaps most importantly, a willingness to change.
It means moving beyond simply asking AI to do something for you, and beginning to ask AI to help you think more deeply about something.
Consider this example.
You could ask AI:
"How do I become a better leader?"
You will probably receive a reasonable answer.
But what if you asked:
"I lead a team of 2,706 Team Members (my real number). My goals are to improve communication, accountability, Guest Experience, and Team Member Engagement. Identify five specific actions I can take over the next 30 days. Explain why each action matters, provide an example, and suggest how I should measure success."
WOW!
Same technology.
Different question.
Different result.
The quality of the question often determines the quality of the response.
When using AI, remember these five things:
Be Specific. Clearly explain what you want to accomplish.
Provide Context. Describe your situation, audience, objectives, and challenges.
Assign a Role. Ask AI to respond as a teacher, strategist, coach, editor, or subject-matter expert.
Define the Outcome. Explain whether you want a recommendation, analysis, action plan, comparison, or creative idea.
Challenge the Answer. Ask what might be missing, what assumptions were made, what could go wrong, and what other perspectives should be considered.
And don't stop with the first answer!
Ask another question.
Then another.
And another.
The real power of AI may not be found in its first response, but in the conversation that follows.
Now, a word of caution.
Just because AI gives you an answer doesn't mean the answer is correct. AI can make mistakes. It can present inaccurate information with remarkable confidence. It can reflect bias, overlook important context, and produce recommendations that are neither appropriate nor ethical.
And we must never forget the responsibility we have to protect confidential information, respect personal privacy, acknowledge the work of others, and make decisions grounded in honesty and integrity.
AI can help us make decisions.
But AI should never replace our responsibility for those decisions. It does not possess our conscience, our personal experiences, our relationships, or our responsibility to the people we serve. Those remain uniquely human responsibilities.
Which brings me back to our GPS.
Imagine two drivers leaving the same location, traveling to the same destination.
One driver refuses to use GPS, insisting that the old paper map is all that is necessary.
The other embraces the technology, studies the available routes, anticipates obstacles, and adjusts along the way.
Both may eventually reach their destination.
But one may arrive better informed, better prepared, and with opportunities the other never discovered.
I believe we are approaching a similar crossroads with AI.
Those who embrace AI thoughtfully will have new opportunities to become better thinkers, better problem-solvers, and better leaders.
Those who ignore it may someday look around and wonder what happened.
The future will not simply reward those who have access to AI. It will reward those who learn how to use it wisely.
This Friday, I challenge you to do three things.
First, identify one responsibility in your work or personal life where AI could help you become more effective.
Second, ask AI a thoughtful, specific question about that responsibility. Challenge its answer. Ask it to think differently. Discover something you didn't know yesterday.
Third, share what you learned with someone else.
Because becoming an AI Leader isn't simply about using technology to improve ourselves.
It's about using technology to help others become better, too.
And one final thought ...
AI may help us discover the road ahead. But our values must remain the compass that guides us.
So, here's my question for you this Friday.
Will you lead the way into the future with AI, or will you be left holding the map, wondering where you are and where everyone went?
Until Next Friday,
Rob