Last week, I sat down with Chauncey Nartey, one of the brilliant minds behind our evolving AI Leaps program, to talk about why we’re focusing the program on people leaders and what we’ve been learning along the way.

We talked for nearly an hour and there were so many rich nuggets. For this week’s edition, I want to focus on just a few, which more or less answer this question:

Why focus on people leaders when it comes to AI?

Under each theme, you’ll find a condensed excerpt from what Chauncey said (because you’ll probably want to quote him too) and a link to a video clip you can watch and share with your team or on LinkedIn.

Let’s dive in.

1. AI adoption starts (and succeeds) with leaders.

“If you’re not thinking about the people who are on the hook for getting results – i.e., the leaders – then you’re, at the very best, tinkering at the margins.”

Chauncey frames leadership as the key to any sustained change; AI adoption is simply the change of the moment. If AI is going to be adopted systemically across an organization, it has to start with the people who set the tone, expectations, and culture.

He says, there’s so much about AI that isn’t about the tools or the tech. Rather, it’s about the systems, structures, and culture that make value creation possible. And leaders have to be driving those conversations.

2. Good AI leadership is just good leadership.

“One of the most powerful things a leader can do is to walk first, and walk visibly.”

This new era doesn't require leaders to throw out all they know about leading well. Instead, it's applying their tried-and-true ways of leading in a new context. It’s what the best leaders have been doing for decades: Good (AI) leaders are curious. Open. Willing to experiment and learn out loud. They make it safe to try, safe to fail, and safe to reflect.

3. AI requires everyone to learn to lead.

“Everyone is going to need to know how to be a manager.”

Even professionals early in their career and individual contributors will need core management skills: setting clear goals, delegating, giving feedback, and articulating standards. Why? Because that’s how you get the most from AI tools.

So, while we’re starting with people leaders, the skills it takes to manage AI can’t stay at the top. They’ve got to reach everyone.

4. AI makes both bad and good leadership more obvious.

“A few years ago, it was easy for a leader to hide if they weren’t strong in things like communication or delegation. But with AI comes more transparency.”

AI is raising the standard for leaders within their organization. Because when you implement AI tools, you’re forced to get really specific about things like ownership, workflows, responsibilities, and standards. Which means that poor delegation shows. Lack of follow-through shows. A fuzzy vision becomes glaringly obvious.

One Chauncey quote I haven’t stopped thinking about:

“You can’t automate what you can’t articulate.”

In other words, leaders who struggle to communicate clearly will be exposed. But, the upside? Those who can will stand out even more.

5. It’s not AI first. It’s value first.

Chauncey and I ended our conversation on a note that felt both hopeful and urgent. It’s the reminder I want to leave you with this week:

“Lots of companies talk about being ‘AI first.’ It’s not about AI first. It’s about value first. It’s about people first. That, to me, is the exciting opportunity: to really center humans. To center the value that people, when they’re organized and working together, can have—in exciting, untapped ways.”

As we continue delivering AI Leaps with a focus on people leaders, we’re keeping humans at the center of this whole AI experiment and eager to see what becomes possible when we do.

Want to hear more? Our Director of Programs, Amelia, is speaking next week at the From Day One virtual conference on a panel titled: Activating Learning in the Age of AI: Practical Approaches and Tools That Make an Impact

If you'd like to attend free as our guest, just reply to this email and we’ll send you a special link.