AI sometimes reminds me of the game peek-a-boo. Every time you open your eyes, it has moved closer, and much faster than you think.
As a leadership coach and trainer, I’m very interested in AI and its implications for leadership. That’s why I attended the D2 collective’s “Leading the Next Generation of Work” event at the Prosus office this week, listening to senior leaders from companies like Microsoft and Prosus. Again, I’m amazed by how fast things are moving.
Especially around the role of agents: pieces of software you can program using natural language through tools like ChatGPT or Gemini. They execute tasks and work autonomously.
For example, you can say: “When a customer emails about a refund, pull up the customer data, decide whether to approve it based on these criteria. If approved, initiate the refund and reply with a confirmation”.
Without human intervention. Some companies have up to 30,000 different agents. Whatever one learns, others pick up immediately. The speed of learning is tremendous.
In the coming years, most of us will be managing agents. This sounds either amazing or dystopian, depending on your perspective. But the predictions go further: many of us will be managed by an AI agent. We also expect the first billion-dollar company run by a single human, assisted by agents, within the next few years.
This will significantly impact the job market. Technical knowledge on an individual level will become less valuable and companies will likely need fewer employees. We are already seeing this trend.
As agents take on more and more tasks, a human will need to be accountable for the outcome. Job descriptions will shift from a focus on tasks to a focus on accountability.
The traditional role of middle management has been to relay information from the floor to leadership. AI can do this more efficiently, making traditional middle management either obsolete or frees them to focus on coaching and support.
In general, I expect companies to need fewer managers. Because typical managerial tasks can be automated, time is freed up for leadership work like coaching.
My advice to all managers: start developing those human skills now.
We are not powerless. Certain skills will become increasingly relevant to staying valuable in the job market:
• Judgment and critical thinking: A human remains responsible for the outcome. AI can make mistakes.
• Curiosity: Having powerful AI without knowing asking the right questions is like owning a Ferrari you cannot drive. “Garbage in, garbage out” still applies.
• Emotional intelligence: As technical work is automated, what remains are interpersonal tasks like coaching, communication, and brainstorming.
How to start? If you’re not using AI yet, start practicing with LLMs like ChatGPT or Gemini. If you already do, practice creating better prompts or try building your first agent for a simple task.
In my leadership coaching and management training, I help my clients to stay relevant over the coming years.
Interested? Let’s talk. Schedule your free introduction here.
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