Connecting to Admired Leadership

At The Intersection of AI and Leadership

Episode Summary

A conversation with Alan Nelson, Co-Managing Partner and Executive Coach at CRA | Admired Leadership, exploring the intersection of AI and leadership. Alan shares insights on how generative AI is transforming leadership, discusses the human factors leaders must consider when adopting these technologies, and offers practical guidance on how leaders can begin using AI tools effectively while maintaining authenticity and credibility.

Episode Notes

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Key Highlights

• Understanding AI technologies: - Machine learning (advanced statistics for prediction) - Generative AI (creating new content based on probabilities) - AI agents (specialized tools using large language models)
• Leadership approach to AI adoption: - Presume AI is coming and will be hugely powerful - Anticipate human factors (skill erosion, skill development, judgment) - Welcome AI where it makes teams better - Maintain transparency and authenticity
• Practical applications for leaders: - Use AI as a critic and thought partner - Generate alternative perspectives and explanations - Enhance research capabilities - Improve decision-making processes
• Adoption challenges: - Most leaders have limited experience with AI tools - Confusion about different models and capabilities - Unclear use cases for general purpose technology - Organizational barriers to implementation

Notable Quotes

• "People overestimate the first wave of a technology, and they tend to underestimate the effects of the second wave."
• "Good leadership looks exactly the same in the world of AI as it did before AI."
• "The role of authenticity for leaders is going to be more important in this world."
• "My ability to learn and be facile on ideas is so much more powerful... you can learn anything you want to learn."

Featured Speaker

• Alan Nelson is Co-Managing Partner at CRA | Admired Leadership and spearheads the firm's efforts to integrate generative AI into their client work. With over 30 years of experience advising senior leaders, he brings a unique perspective on how leaders can adapt to technological shifts while staying true to core leadership principles.

Resources Mentioned

• ALEX - Admired Leadership's AI coach built on Claude from Anthropic
• Confluence - Weekly newsletter on AI and communication
• Book recommendation: "Co-intelligence" by Ethan Mollick