The pandemic and the new way of working which followed has meant that leaders need to adapt the way they manage their team. Traditionally, leaders employed methods such as walking around the office and engaging in hallway conversations to manage their teams. But this has had to change in the new hybrid workplace. Seckin Secilmis, CEO and Founder, 5fn, discusses how AI can facilitate employee growth, but also assist in the development of leaders.
The evolution of the cell phone, initially met with scepticism and resistance, eventually became an integral part of daily life. Similarly, the integration of AI into leadership practices, although currently faced with scepticism, is crucial for addressing the soft skills gap highlighted by research findings. Traditional management methods, rendered obsolete by the pandemic, need to evolve to prioritise soft skills and adapt to the ‘new normal’ workplace. AI can play a pivotal role in managing and developing teams, providing targeted feedback for individual growth, fostering trust and facilitating effective leadership. The potential of AI lies not only in supporting employee growth but also in guiding leaders to enhance their soft skills and promote human sustainability in the workplace.
What do phones and AI have in common?
When the cell phone was first invented, it took nearly 20 years to adopt this technology into the mainstream. At first, people had difficulty grasping the concept of the cell phone and its potential uses. Many were sceptical or unsure about the practicality and benefits of this new communication technology. People were accustomed to existing modes of communication, such as landline phones and beepers. Some individuals were concerned about the privacy implications of the cell phone, fearing that their conversations could be easily overheard. There was resistance to adopting a new and unfamiliar technology, as it required a shift in behaviour and communication habits.
Today, the cell phone has become an indispensable part of daily lives. Just as cell phones eventually overcame these challenges to become integral to communication, AI has the potential to transform leadership by enhancing soft skills and promoting human sustainability in the workplace. However, we must first overcome initial scepticism and fear about AI to gain its advantages.
The status quo
Research findings from Harvard University, the Carnegie Foundation and the Stanford Research Center collectively found that 85% of job success is attributed to soft skills, and only 15% is attributed to technical skills. While one might expect leaders to prioritise soft skills accordingly, evidence contradicts this assumption. Global estimates put employee engagement at only 36%, company turnover rates in some industries exceed 50% and manager burnout rates surpass 50%, indicating a lack of emphasis on soft skills by leaders.
Traditionally, leaders employed methods such as walking around the office and engaging in hallway conversations to manage their teams. They used productivity metrics such as number of tasks completed per day, phone call quotas or number of hours worked. The pandemic and hybrid work rendered these approaches obsolete, catching some leaders off guard. Rather than adapting to the evolving landscape, some leaders seemed to wait for a ‘return to normal’ that never materialised. In the interim, employees embraced the digitisation of the workforce. Low employee engagement, high turnover rates and high burnout rates all indicate our management practices need to evolve to reflect the new normal. Leaders need to prioritise soft skills and enable human sustainability in the workplace and AI is the key to expediting this process.
Targeted and deliberate, rather than broad and wide
The workplace has changed. The ability to perform work remotely, employee growth expectations and software automation created a workplace where managers are out of touch with their teams. Agile development processes and applications, such as Jira and Monday.com, can manage the day-to-day tasks of team members better than a manager ever could. It’s not about WHAT people are working on anymore; it’s about HOW they work. Managers are completely unprepared to manage soft skills such as promoting problem solving or having a team think analytically about the big picture.
Incorporating AI into management practices will be key to bridging the soft skills gap faced by leaders. Growing team performance will be through motivation, support and promoting problem solving skills, just to name a few. For instance, the process of gathering information on how a person is doing consumed a significant amount of time for managers. AI applications can analyse several parameters and applications in the background within seconds to provide a manager with an assessment of where an employee needs to grow so that interactions with employees are fruitful. As a result, managers can focus on development rather than gathering information. Where one individual might need help with problem solving, another may need to improve their self-awareness. AI can piece together a curated, bespoke growth and development plan for each team member so that leaders can provide feedback that is relevant to each person, maintaining the human touch and connection still needed in the workplace.
Furthermore, delivering specific and pertinent development feedback accelerates the establishment of trust with employees. With each piece of feedback managers provide, they accumulate trust ‘points’, demonstrating genuine interest in their employees’ growth. Critical feedback, when tailored to the individual, is taken to heart, reinforcing the perception that it comes from someone invested in their success, rather than a corporate manager solely focused on extracting more from them.
Old dog, new tricks
AI holds the potential to not only facilitate employee growth, but also assist in the development of leaders. Through AI applications, leaders can receive recommendations for their next steps, receiving support and guidance in areas of soft skills where they may lack experience. For instance, a leader may be unaware of the consistent cancellation of 1:1 meetings with an employee, attributing it to urgent matters each time. Without intervention, this could lead the employee to feel undervalued, potentially prompting them to seek alternative employment. AI applications can preemptively flag such issues, offer recommendations for resolution and even aid in repairing any damage to relationships, thereby addressing the existing soft skills gap in work culture and making human sustainability achievable in the workplace.
Conclusion
In summary, just as the cell phone evolved from scepticism to ubiquity, AI has the potential to reshape leadership practices. Research underscores the need for prioritising soft skills, yet traditional management approaches have faltered, especially amid pandemic-induced changes. The workplace now demands adaptability, and AI emerges as a pivotal tool to bridge the soft skills gap. By leveraging AI applications, leaders can receive tailored guidance, address specific areas of improvement and foster a culture of growth and trust. The potential of AI lies not only in supporting employee growth but also in guiding leaders to enhance their soft skills and promote human sustainability in the workplace.