top of page
Search

Leading in the AI Era: How Experienced Leaders Can Stay Relevant and Shape the Future

  • Writer: StevenMiyao
    StevenMiyao
  • Aug 5
  • 5 min read

Executive shaping the AI future
Executive shaping the AI future

Leadership has always involved guiding teams through uncertainty, making tough decisions, choosing priorities, and building on years of experience. Artificial intelligence is transforming how we do this work by changing the pace and tools available. We will always need leaders, but the real question is: which leaders will develop the skills to select the right priorities, understand AI, and leverage it effectively in an AI-driven world?


As an executive coach, I help leaders navigate this transition. Many of my clients want to know how to stay relevant and effective as AI transforms their organizations and roles. Through my coaching, I focus on developing the skills and confidence needed to lead with clarity, trust, and humanity in this new era.


A recent New York Times article, How Do You Teach Computer Science in the A.I. Era?, described how universities are rethinking computer science. Since AI can now write code faster than most students, the focus is shifting to how to think, how to frame problems, and how to design systems where humans and AI work together. The same shift applies to leadership: success will come to those who can ask better questions, guide teams responsibly, and adapt faster than the technology itself.


In this post, we’ll explore how AI is reshaping the fundamentals of leadership, real-world ways it’s already changing how solutions are built and delivered, the four essential skills leaders need to stay relevant, and practical steps you can take to strengthen your leadership in this new era. Whether you’re curious, cautious, or already experimenting with AI, you’ll leave with insights, reflection prompts, and tangible actions to help you lead with clarity, confidence, and humanity in an AI-driven world.


  1. Four Leadership Skills for the AI Era

Experienced leaders already bring judgment, influence, and the ability to navigate complexity. Extending these strengths into an AI-driven world means focusing on:


Framing Problems and Opportunities

AI can execute well-defined tasks, but leadership is required to connect technology to meaningful outcomes.

·       Ask yourself: Am I solving the right problems or just the most obvious ones?


Communicating with Humans and Machines

Good prompting mirrors good leadership communication: providing clear context, setting expectations, and refining until the result is useful.

·       Try this today: Rewrite one of your next instructions to a teammate as if you were prompting an AI. Is it clear enough to get the result you truly want?


Leading Through Experimentation

AI lets you test and learn quickly. Leaders need to create safe conditions for teams to try new ideas, observe results rapidly, and adjust without fear of failure.

·       Reflection prompt: Where can you create a "safe-to-fail" AI pilot this quarter that strengthens your leadership agility?


Guiding the Human Side of AI Adoption

AI adoption relies on trust, understanding, and transparency. Leaders who inspire confidence in AI usage build influence and a "trust premium" that positions them as steady, ethical voices in times of change.

·       Pause and consider: How do you want people to feel about working with AI under your leadership—safe, empowered, or uncertain?


  1. Real-World Example: An AI Coaching App, Built Without Code

In three months, a friend and I built an AI-powered coaching platform using no-code tools. Neither of us is a software engineer. We understood the problem well and used AI to help us create it. AI is enabling non-technical people to design and develop solutions. The key is understanding what matters and guiding others toward it.

Reflection for you: Where in your leadership could you shift from "doing" to "directing," freeing up time for vision-setting while letting AI handle execution?


3.      Future-Proofing Your Leadership in the AI Era

AI isn’t only changing organizations; it’s redefining leadership itself. The leaders who stay relevant are those who use AI to amplify their judgment, influence, and ability to create impact.


Sharpen Your Strategic Edge

·       What you gain: More time for high-value thinking, stronger decision credibility, and a reputation for seeing around corners.

·       Ask yourself: Which decisions do I make today based on instinct or incomplete data that AI could help validate tomorrow?

·       Example: A CRO client began using AI to model market-entry strategies in days instead of weeks, building a reputation for rapid, well-informed calls that boosted confidence in her leadership.


Build a Trust Premium

·       What you gain: Influence beyond your formal authority, a voice in shaping how technology is used, and a personal brand rooted in fairness and foresight.

·       Ask yourself: Do people feel safer and more empowered because I’m guiding AI adoption, or more uncertain?


Future-Proof Your Leadership Role

·       What you gain: A stronger seat at the table, relevance in a fast-changing landscape, and the ability to shape the future of work.

·       Ask yourself: If parts of my job were automated tomorrow, what uniquely human leadership strengths would still make me irreplaceable?

·       Example: A CFO client automated reporting, freeing up time to focus on strategic storytelling with investors, positioning herself as a thought leader in her industry.


  1. Where to Begin: Practical Steps and Resources

You don’t need to be an AI engineer. Still, you do need to build a strong foundation of AI literacy, scenario planning, responsible adoption practices, and uniquely human leadership skills to lead effectively in this era.


These are essential AI lessons for every leader:

These resources are among the most impactful and digestible options for building confidence, foresight, and uniquely human leadership skills that AI cannot replicate.


5.    Closing Thought

AI is transforming the way organizations operate, but the real opportunity is personal. As a leader, you have a choice: to watch technology reshape your role, or to shape how you lead in this new era actively. Staying relevant isn’t about becoming an AI expert; it’s about sharpening your judgment, freeing up time for what matters most, and strengthening the trust others place in you.


Through coaching, I help executives navigate this transition, building the skills, clarity, and presence to lead with confidence in an AI-driven future.


So ask yourself: What kind of leader do I want to become in the age of AI, and what will I do today to make sure that future is mine to lead?


If you found this valuable, sign up for my email list, and I'll send you the new posts as soon as they are published.


                                                                 -------------------


If you are looking for a coach and are interested in working with me, please contact me here.


                                                                 -------------------


If you enjoyed it, please share it with others.

bottom of page