Over the last couple years, I’ve found myself pondering an unsettling question: Could we be on the brink of the emergence of “Skynet”1 of the leadership advisory realm (my professional world)?
Rather than stick my head in the sand, I experiment with different AI tools to test their capability. Most recently, I tried Marshall Bot - a coaching chatbot trained on custom knowledge from “one of the Top Ten Business Thinkers in the World and the top-rated executive coach” - Marshall Goldsmith.2
Leadership Principle: Identify and sharpen you and your team’s AI-proof strengths.
In one example, I asked “Marshall Bot” a pretty nuanced question (based on an issue I’ve seen multiple flavors of before): I have a toxic boss who is more of a dreamer than a doer and fails to provide necessary resources or direction to deliver on my mandate. What should I do?
Here’s the response:
That's a solid starting point.
This experience with Marshall Bot was enlightening, showcasing AI's potential to democratize coaching access (even more so than cost-effective platforms like Better Up).3
Furthermore, these tools raise the bar for advisors and coaches of all walks.
Over time, advisors and coaches who rely on academic intelligence, analytical reasoning, formulaic techniques and even experience-based intuition will eventually be benched in favor AI tools.
So what do I think it will take to stay in the starting lineup?
I’m still formulating my thinking. For now, five distinctive capabilities seem to be required in order for premium advisors and coaches to remain relevant in the age of increasingly sophisticated AI coaches:
Rapid trust building with influential leaders: The ability to quickly build and sustain rapport and trust with high status / influential leaders.4
Connecting the context dots: Spot and retain a broad and deep understanding of highly complex context including the “human,” the “system,” the “business” and the “macro.”
Savvy emotional & motivational navigation5: Correctly reading, navigating and directing complex human emotions, motivations and values.
Creative idea generation: Creativity6 that stems from the combination of deep expertise, dot connecting (#2) and savvy navigating (#3).
Intuition and courage to “dance in the moment”: Knowing when to tell a story, ask a question, give options or give directive advice AND choosing the right story, question, options or advice.7
For me, these observations beg three questions:
What can I do to further develop my personal edge in these five areas?
How can I systematically apprentice others to accelerate the acquisition of skills in these five areas?
What are opportunities to rely more heavily on technology / AI so I can direct more of my attention toward these five areas?
If you are sketching out your own offense in the context of AI’s blitzkrieg, I encourage similar reflection, planning AND taking action with respect to your role or industry.
Take Action: Practical and Proven Steps
Try Marshall Bot. While it is still in beta testing, the example at the beginning of this reflection demonstrates that it can give you a solid starting point for navigating specific issues in the complex world of work. Take the guidance as thought starters. You’ll need to further tailor for your context and specific situation.
Seek to understand what’s uniquely human about your role, industry or skillset. This requires you to stay abreast of what AI is (and will be) capable of in general and how that might play out for your industry. You’ll need to tap your strategic network to integrate their view as well.
Double-down on honing your uniquely human strengths AND experiment with using AI and other technologies to do other aspects of your work, so that as the technology advances you’ll be ready.
Reflect: Some Questions to Consider
What are the latest developments in AI / technology in your industry and how might these impact how you create value in the future?
What are the capabilities in your role and industry that will be most difficult for AI to replicate?
What can you do to keep your edge in these areas?
If this week’s Friday Reflection was practical or enjoyable (or maybe even both!), please share it with your colleagues and friends.
Skynet is the artificial intelligence network that coordinated all the military robots (Terminators) and systems in the Terminator movie sage. Cyberdyne Systems is the fictional military technology company that built Skynet.
Though all the films have their entertainment value, Terminator 1 and 2 are really the only ones worth re-watching. Hasta la vista baby!
Marshall’s work has really influenced me as a coach and as a human. Several of my colleagues and other coaches that I respect attribute his thought leadership, the network he’s built and his direct mentorship as one of their most important influences.
I also experimented with Better Up. The tools, app and technology are really slick and their mission to bring coaching to the masses is admirable; however, I found the quality of coaches to be inconsistent. The approach felt formulaic and devoid of context.
This is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of my work. I feel immensely grateful to support the leaders I do.
I intentionally did not use the word emotional intelligence, because 1) that term is a commonly used and ill-defined pop psychology term and 2) understanding and tapping into motivations requires deep insight into models of motivation as well as skill at uncovering what actually matters to others.
Creativity has MANY aspects to it. I’ve been going down the rabbit hole of Scott Barry Kaufman’s work on the topic including his book Ungifted: Redefining Intelligence that covers multiple forms of intelligence including creative intelligence. One aspect of creativity that I see in excellent coaches and advisors is what cognitive science calls low latent inhibition, the ability to see connections between two seemingly unrelated and even conflicting things.
I wrote this piece on developing “thought partner muscles” that provides some tips and a mental heuristic on how to get stronger here.