There’s no question that the definition of ‘good leadership’ has evolved dramatically over time.
Driven by the latest leadership theories, economic changes, societal shifts, and even rapid technological developments, our understanding of what makes a great leader has remained fluid.
Once, it was believed that control, authority, and rigid hierarchy were key ingredients for strong leadership. More recently, collaboration, emotional intelligence, and adaptability have played a greater role.
Now, in an increasingly AI-driven world, how might our perception of great leadership continue to change?
With over twenty years of experience in elite level sport, education, and business, Drew Povey answers this question, outlining how team managers and CEOs alike can adjust their skillset to stay relevant and effective in the age of AI.
Moving from control to connection
A good leader was previously thought of as someone who dictated every move and handled every process.
With AI technology now excelling in efficiency and automation, it can do all the heavy lifting when it comes to optimising workflows and carrying out execution at scale.
But there’s still room for modern leaders to flex their managerial muscles. Instead of simply managing systems, today’s leaders should turn their attention to driving team direction, meaning, and human connection.
By creating purpose, cultivating trust, and inspiring a shared vision, the most effective leaders will be those who can help people see how their work contributes to the bigger picture.
In essence, good leadership amid the rise of AI is far less about command and control, and more about coach and connect.
Leveraging the power of emotional intelligence
As AI makes light work of logic-based tasks, emotional intelligence will become the key differentiator. Because empathy, awareness, and emotional agility can’t be automated or replicated.
Even attempts at prompting AI to take an empathetic approach feel disingenuous and hollow. Let’s consider a situation where a leader must make redundancies:
An automated, AI-generated email sent to the affected individuals would certainly be efficient and clear, but would this be the most compassionate, understanding, and respectful approach? Hardly.
The best leaders? They’ll be the ones who use tech for insight, but emotional intelligence for determining impact and sensitivity.
Focusing on upskilling and human growth
Autonomous tools are taking more and more routine tasks off leaders’ plates. But by doing so, they create sought-after space.
And the way in which leaders fill this space is where they can demonstrate their true value. One such activity involves driving team development.
By encouraging learning, curiosity, and cross-functional skills, they can turn freed-up time into future value, supporting greater capability, confidence, and creativity across their team.
Multiplying creativity
With automation removing time-consuming repetition, creativity becomes an increasingly valuable currency. And if leaders want to create an environment that fosters creativity and innovation, they must champion experimentation and psychological safety.
This means rewarding curiosity, treating setbacks as feedback rather than failure, and allowing ideas the time and space they need to fully develop.
The leaders who recognise this distinct shift and are able to respond accordingly will turn automation into amplification, multiplying the uniquely human, creative potential of their people.
Offering purpose as the north star
AI will follow instructions flawlessly (or at least most of the time, with the right prompting) but it can’t choose the best direction. That’s where good leadership comes in.
Leaders act as the compass, defining the ‘why’ (the purpose, principles, and perspective) behind a certain move or decision.
By leveraging AI to augment human judgement, rather than replace it entirely, these leaders will ensure technology serves people, not the other way around.
A crucial leadership skill now will be integrating machine intelligence with human wisdom, knowing when to listen to the algorithm and when to trust intuition.
The new leadership equation: AI + HI (Human Intelligence)
Since the advent of the science-fiction genre, there’s been endless literature that fans the flames of AI versus humanity.
But the conversation about the future is far too focused on who will win the war between artificial and human intelligence – rather than who will master how to combine them.
The leaders who will thrive in this new era will be those who can balance technological capability with timeless human character.
They’ll understand how to harness the precision, speed, and scale of AI while grounding decisions in empathy, ethics, and emotional intelligence.