7 essential leadership traits for a world of AI
Summary
This opinion piece by Campbell Macpherson argues that as AI automates routine tasks, leaders should double down on the human skills machines cannot replicate. The article identifies seven traits leaders must develop to remain relevant and to help their organisations thrive: embracing and leading change, easing fears about AI, fostering curiosity, encouraging ‘what if?’ thinking, practising healthy scepticism, sharpening emotional intelligence (EQ), and adopting stewardship focused on upskilling teams.
Key Points
- Embrace the change and lead it: use AI to boost productivity and surface new opportunities rather than resisting it.
- Soothe fears about AI: create psychological safety so people can voice concerns and learn without blame.
- Unleash curiosity: encourage continuous exploration of AI tools, their limits and potential applications.
- Champion ‘What If?’ thinking: allocate time for experimentation and radical innovation enabled by AI.
- Encourage healthy scepticism: treat AI outputs as a starting point, not unquestionable truth.
- Hone emotional intelligence (EQ): focus on empathy, relationship-building and motivation – human strengths machines lack.
- Adopt stewardship: leave the business and people better than you found them by upskilling staff and building AI-capable leaders.
Why should I read this?
Quick and useful. If you lead people, this article tells you exactly what to stop doing (manual busywork) and what to double-down on (human stuff). It’s a short checklist of behaviours to make sure you don’t get outpaced by someone who knows how to use AI better than you do.
Author style
Punchy and practical. Macpherson cuts through the hype: don’t try to out-robot a robot — focus on the human advantages. If you care about staying relevant as a leader, these seven traits are worth acting on now.
Source
Source: https://ceoworld.biz/2025/11/24/7-essential-leadership-traits-for-a-world-of-ai/