The New Leadership Playbook for the Age of AI

Lead your organisation into the AI era.

If you’re still leading your team like it’s 2015, we need to talk. The Age of AI isn’t coming—it’s already here. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that yesterday’s leadership playbook won’t cut it anymore.

At a recent IIA conference at the MIT Media Lab, thought leaders across the tech and business spectrum agreed: great leaders in this AI-disrupted era aren’t the ones with all the answers. They’re the ones asking better questions—faster.

So what does leadership look like in the AI age? Let’s dive into the essentials of a modern playbook.

Start With Purpose, Not Tools

It’s tempting to open your team meeting with, “Let’s all start using ChatGPT.” But according to futurist Jamie Metzl, that’s missing the point.

The better question is: Who are we? What do we stand for? What are we trying to achieve?

Once you answer that, only then should you ask how AI can help you get there.

Strategic Prompt: How does our AI adoption align with our mission and values?

Make AI Adoption an Invitation, Not a Directive

Top-down mandates don’t create transformation—psychological safety does. Harvard’s Amy Edmondson reminds us that change sticks when people feel they’re part of something meaningful and exploratory.

Create a culture where AI experimentation is welcomed, not weaponized. Frame your team’s evolution as a learning journey. Invite them in.

Try this: “We don’t have all the answers—but we want to explore them together.”

Set Cultural Norms, Not Just Guidelines

Johnny Ho from Perplexity put it bluntly: “If we do something more than three times, we should automate it.”

But here’s the kicker—many employees are already using AI…and hiding it. Fear of reprimand is real. The fix? Normalise AI use with clear, compassionate frameworks. Tell your team when to use AI, how to do it responsibly, and just as importantly, when not to.

Action Step: Publish an AI usage playbook tailored to your team’s workflows.

Embrace the Lab Coat, Not the Power Suit

At the frontier of the unknown, perfection is a myth. Leaders who thrive here think like researchers. That means experiments, misfires, and second drafts.

Encourage your team to test, tweak, and iterate. Frame AI engagement as research—not results. This mindset shift is key to building momentum, not burnout.

Think Like Founders, Not Functionaries

Process-followers won’t thrive in an AI-first world. Strategists will.

Jeremy Wertheimer points out that strategic thinking and initiative-taking are the future. Help your teams think like intrapreneurs. Create spaces where people aren’t just delivering outputs—they’re shaping outcomes.

Practical Tip: Introduce “strategic sprints” where small teams solve a problem using AI tools over two weeks.

Curiosity: The Underrated Superpower

Still unsure how to lead through all this disruption? Start by asking better questions.

“What did we try that didn’t work?”, “What should we unlearn?”, “Where are our assumptions outdated?”

Curiosity fuels innovation. It also models a growth mindset for your team. When you’re curious, your team is more likely to explore—and explore wisely.

Don’t Forget the ‘Why’

Finally, remember this: AI doesn’t erase meaning. But it can obscure it if leaders aren’t intentional. People want to know their work matters—even when it’s augmented by machines.

Tie tasks to vision. Connect AI initiatives to purpose. When people see how they fit into the future, they’re more likely to help build it.

Final Thought: Leadership in the AI era isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being prepared, perceptive, and profoundly human. This is your call to upgrade—not just your tools, but your mindset.

Your Move: If you’re a senior leader ready to move from theory to strategy, our Executive Insights briefing and Strategic Momentum Workshop are designed to guide you through the AI transition—with heart, purpose, and precision.