This is my 12th post on A.I. since April alone. If there’s one theme that has run through them, it’s the future: how A.I. will change business, how A.I. will change leadership, skills we will need for A.I., potential pitfalls of A.I., potential rewards of A.I., getting organizations ready for A.I., and so on.
Well, the future of A.I. has come upon us so fast – faster than any other innovation, not tomention that it’s the most far-reaching in history – that some of that future is already here, even in the rear-view mirror.
What have you already done with A.I.?
So I conducted a very informal survey of 10 heads of organizations that range in size from a sole practitioner to the CEO of a $2 billion firm. I asked one question: What have you already done to introduce and integrate A.I. into your business?
See my September 12 post on Forbes.com – “How A.I. Will Change Leadership: 13 Ways”
For perspective, I refer you to my September 12 post here on Forbes.com – “How A.I. Will Change Leadership: 13 Ways,” the background for this post.
Here are the results of the most recent discussion, anecdotally, what some leaders have already done.
1. Focus on Creativity
A.I. is going to demand the most creative thinking ever, as it will change everything we do at every level: mission-critical, leadership, managerial, strategic, operational, administrative, and cultural. Alvin Toffler said, in his landmark prophetic 1970 book Future Shock, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write; it will be those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Leaders are focusing not just on creativity, but on hiring the new kinds of employees who can deal with the kind of disruptions that creativity brings – who can relearn, in Toffler’s terms.
2. Decentralization and Autonomy
Leaders are shedding and – in some cases, bulldozing – their bureaucracies. Decisions will need to be made more quickly, but just as carefully. By nature, that will mean placing greater responsibility and authority on smaller, autonomous teams.
3. Team Building: Confidence and Trust
As more things will be done in new ways, everyone is now out of their comfort zone, and this is the time for everyone who says they’re OK with that to prove it. Leaders will just have to summon the guts to enable it.
4. Corner Office Involvement With Data Science
There’s no limit on available intelligence. A.I. can not only find it, A.I. can generate it. But this is way more than number crunching, more than spreadsheets, more than sales graphs. In the vast world of data that A.I. brings, there are new relevancies, new meanings.
5. Make Internal Learning and Development More Prominent
No choice. Either keep up with or ahead of the crowd – or bust. Learning and development must become a higher priority (read: budget), more mission oriented, more routine, and more robust.
6. Be Bold
Whenever you see someone who is wildly successful, you’re looking at someone you can be sure made at least one bold decision along the way. Any leader wannabe who doesn’t see that – and do that – is not the leader for the future. Anyone who does, is.
7. Build Different Strategies / Different Operational Advantages
There was a time when IT went from being a strategic to an operational advantage – and we’re at that inflection point again, but this time with far bigger changes and more risk/reward outcomes.
8. Leadership Behavior: Setting Examples
True colors show through when you can’t hide them. Tomorrow’s leaders will have to be much more “what-you-see-is-what-you-get.” Said one CEO, “If we’re going to lead differently and hire differently, we’re going to have to behave differently. Otherwise, just throw your oars in the water right now and start swimming to shore.”
9. New Jobs, New Titles, New Functions, New Org Charts
“Things will change so dramatically, that we think 25% of jobs in our company by end of 2025 do not exist today,” said one CEO. “Understanding this is one of our HR SVP’s top priorities.” Please see my August 24 post: A,I. Jobs Of The Future NOW and my August 19 post: 17 Critical Skills For The A.I. “Techie”
10. Make A Strong Commitment To Ethics
Throughout history, every new discovery or invention – from stone tools to AI – has led us humans to making good and bad decisions with them. Everyone, without fail. It’s not only the same thing with A.I. It’s much, much bigger with A.I. “We could advance civilization like never before,” said one. “Or we could destroy it. The choice is ours and it starts with Ethics.”
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