By Rick Rittmaster | Principal, Leadership Solutions at Strategic Talent Partners
As leaders, we’ve all heard the promise: “AI will change everything.” And in many ways, it already has. But before we get too far into tools and tactics, it’s worth stepping back and asking a few important, guiding questions:
What is the role of AI in leadership? Is it “cheating” to use AI? Are AI and leadership even compatible?
Now, let me be clear – I’m not an AI expert. I’m a leadership expert who uses AI. And what I’ve learned is this: AI is not a replacement for leadership – it’s an opportunity to enhance it.
On its own, AI doesn’t make someone a better leader. It only adds value when it strengthens the craft – the judgment, coaching, communication, and decision-making that define strong leadership.
If it becomes a crutch – something leaders rely on to avoid hard conversations or replace their own thinking – AI won’t just fall short. It may actually cause harm.
That’s why the real question isn’t whether leaders should use AI. Most will. The better question is how to use it in a way that expands impact without diminishing the craft.
I was lucky enough to share these thoughts at a recent TCSHRM conference. Below are three mindset shifts that I previously spoke on, and I believe can help answer that question – along with practical ideas for putting them into action.
1. AI as a Leadership Thought Partner
From Automation Tool to Thinking Companion
Most leaders’ first instinct with AI is automation – and that’s not wrong. There is value in efficiency. Freeing up time matters. But in my experience, the greatest leverage doesn’t come from replacing work. It comes from refining thinking.
AI can be an exceptional thought partner. It helps move an idea from good to great. It allows you to pressure-test assumptions before they reach your executive team. It provides a low-risk environment to explore blind spots before decisions carry real consequences.
Preparing for a difficult conversation with your CEO? Ask AI to assume the CEO’s perspective and challenge your approach. Presenting to your board? Ask for likely objections to your strategy. Communicating a sensitive message to your team? Ask AI to rewrite it as if they’re hearing it for the first time.
Rather than guessing, use AI to test your thinking.
One important reminder: AI is designed to be agreeable. It will often try to please you. If you want rigor, you must ask for it. Invite pushback. Request counterarguments. At the end of the day, leadership judgment still sits with you.
AI doesn’t replace strategic thinking – it sharpens it.
2. Build AI Leadership Habits
From Novel Toy to Eager Helper
Once you begin using AI as a thought partner, the next step is building it into your leadership habits. AI isn’t something you “master” once and move on from. Like leadership itself, it’s a muscle that grows with consistent use.
A helpful frame is to think of AI as an eager intern – available 24/7, fast, organized, and ready to assist. The key question then becomes: what kind of work would you actually delegate to this person?
Likely not ownership of strategy. Not final decisions. But preparation, synthesis, first drafts, and idea generation.
Examples might include:
- Summarizing key takeaways from a long meeting
- Drafting growth-oriented feedback for a direct report
- Designing a discussion guide for your next team offsite
- Brainstorming new approaches to employee engagement
The key is not to treat AI as a gimmick, but as a tool you consistently incorporate into your routines. Small, repeated actions compound over time. The more you practice, the more valuable it becomes.
3. Normalize the Learning Curve
From AI Expert to AI Curious
From my experience coaching leaders at every level, I’ve learned that the biggest barrier to using AI isn’t the technology itself – it’s discomfort.
But we’ve seen this before. Think back to the early days of the internet and the “How to Use the World Wide Web” books. Every major technological shift starts with a learning curve. The leaders who lean into that curve – who experiment, reflect, and keep going – are the ones who will come out ahead.
The goal is to move from “I don’t get this” to “I’m learning in real time,” and to create space for others to do the same.
At your company, that might look like:
- Prompt Swap Fridays: Where leaders share helpful prompts they’ve tried
- 1:1 reflections: Encouraging team members to share how they used AI that week
- Use-case roundtables: Where leaders discuss how they used AI to prep for a hard conversation, clarify a message, or make a better decision
There’s a fear circulating that “AI will replace me.” I believe a more accurate statement is this: those who use AI thoughtfully will replace those who ignore it.
But even then, craftsmanship still exists. Expertise still matters. Judgment still matters. AI is a tool – arguably the most versatile Swiss Army knife most of us have ever used – but it is still just a tool.
Craftsmanship Isn’t Going Away
I once used AI to refine a podcast idea by asking it to interview me as if it were Malcolm Gladwell. It successfully curated themes, challenged assumptions, and clarified the narrative arc.
But here’s the key: it didn’t replace Gladwell’s craftsmanship. It helped me learn from it.
That’s the distinction we all need to keep in mind. AI can curate insights from world-class thinkers. It can accelerate preparation and expand perspectives. But it cannot replicate lived leadership experience, judgment under pressure, or the relational trust built over years.
The responsibility for quality still rests with us.
What’s Next?
At Strategic Talent Partners, we believe great companies deserve great leaders. And AI, used intentionally, can help good leaders become great.
Not by replacing the craft – but by supercharging the leadership habits that matter most.
To begin putting these ideas into practice, ask yourself:
What’s one conversation, decision, or project you’re preparing for right now that could benefit from five minutes of AI-assisted thinking before you move forward?
