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Six Ways For Leaders To Stay Agile In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence

Forbes Coaches Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Yamini Virani

Over the next decade, artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to impact all kinds of industries and fundamentally shift the way we work. In an article by former McKinsey consultant Pedro Uria Recio, “More than 80% of process-oriented tasks will be done by AI systems ... while humans will continue to do more than 80% of cross-functional reasoning tasks.” Furthermore, in a survey conducted by The Economist Intelligence Unit, 75% of executives say "AI will be 'actively implemented' in companies within the next three years.”

The impact of AI on our work is not something in the distant future. It is here already. Leaders will have to shift into roles that require them to think strategically, operate in uncertain environments and learn quickly.

Here are six ways leaders can prepare themselves to lead more effectively in the age of AI and stay agile so they can adapt to the new environment.

1. Build your own learning agility.

Your learning agility, or your ability to learn quickly and adapt in a complex and uncertain environment, is fast becoming the currency for success. The capacity to contextualize and solve problems becomes more important than being a purveyor of information, as is the ability to ask deeper questions and merge multiple perspectives. Consider the mindset you bring to unlearning the skills that have made you successful.

Where should you begin? Take an inventory of your skills in the above context. If the fear of AI holds you back, maybe admitting and tackling that is a first step. Deepen your understanding of AI so that you can lead your team with confidence and figure out how to fill in the knowledge gaps within your teams. For example, Microsoft offers a free online program for leaders to learn about AI. Design thinking or coaching may be other areas to help you hone your strategic thinking skills and incorporating multiple perspectives to problem-solving.

2. Become a developer of people.

Trying to align old leadership thinking and behaviors with new technology is like inserting a floppy disk in your MacBook and expecting it to work. Whether your leadership approach is directional or more collaborative, adopt an approach conducive to creating agility. An agile culture only works when leaders at every level clearly understand the purpose of your business and are empowered with the right information to make the best decision possible quickly to serve your customer.

What does this mean for you as the leader of the company? Think and plan beyond processes; focus as deeply on setting a clear purpose that's understood at all levels and communicate constantly for total alignment. Present the "why" more often in the communication than just the "how" and "what" to drive engagement. The only way to overcome the fear of losing control is constantly being the "driver" and "clarifier" of purpose. Check in to see if your leadership approach needs updating to a newer version.

3. Make failure an essential part of succeeding.

Mission Mangal is an interesting movie on how India sent the Mangalyaan satellite to Mars in the first attempt. In the movie, as some members of the space agency advocate playing safe instead of risking failure, the lead scientist makes a profound statement: "We can’t call ourselves scientists if we don’t accept that failure is part of the mission to succeed."

Uncertain environments mean that there are no guarantees your strategies will work and yield the results you desire. Accept that failure is probable and experimentation is necessary to keep the entire organization agile. Get the message out loud and clear to your teams.

One company I work with has incorporated an interesting way to build experimentation into regular practice. Each department, be it sales, customer service or operations, takes on an "experiment" that they believe will propel them further. By deliberately creating an environment where risk-taking and failure are acceptable, they’re solving real-life problems faster and more effectively.

 4. Democratize information.

Agility depends on access to relevant data to drive decision making and finding solutions. Information asymmetry, where leaders hold power over information to get ahead and maintain control, will be quickly outdated.

Check the culture in your organization. How open is the process of information sharing? Companies like Munich Re that are at the forefront of adopting AI are already using concepts like a shared data lake that gives all employees in the company access to the right data sources and technology to help them analyze and manage new risks better instead of relying on a few selected experts.

5. Develop social skills in your people.

According to a survey of 1,770 front-line, middle and executive-level managers in Harvard Business Review, the importance of social skills is deeply undervalued in being successful. Creative thinking, strategy development, and data interpretation are all critical skills your leaders will need to develop. But the overall success rests on mastering social skills like coaching, networking, and collaborating to help leaders blend multiple perspectives, ideas and experiences within their teams to problem solve, innovate and move quickly.

Consider these skills in your talent management and development process. What kind of training or coaching would be relevant to develop leaders and emerging leaders in these areas?

6. Step beyond the internal organizational environment.

Collaboration just within internal teams isn’t good enough for becoming agile. Extend wider to include your suppliers and customers in creating products or services or designing your processes to serve your customers better. Embrace different perspectives early in the process of product design and delivery, test it in small phases, and get feedback immediately so the ultimate product or service meets the purpose.

Become an early adopter and stay ahead of the curve by building agility into your own leadership style and into the cultural DNA of your organization now. We are on the cusp of the fourth industrial revolution, and before you know it, you will find yourself right in the middle of it.

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