Leaders face an unprecedented tidal wave of digital disruption. And, yet, despite the rapid growth and adoption of a multitude of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, we are only at the beginning of what promises to be a period of intense transformational change prompted by technology. Just as technology is evolving rapidly, so are employees’ sentiments and opinions about AI’s influence.

Employees feel both excitement and caution about AI’s potential impact, and they view their leaders as essential to its successful integration. In fact, according to research by GP Strategies, 76% of employees say leadership is important to the successful implementation of AI. The challenge lies in the fact that only 48% of employees think their leaders are prepared to support widespread adoption of AI initiatives. If widespread adoption is to take hold in organizations — and the signs are that most want it to — it will take more than excitement about what the tech has to offer. It will require leaders who can demonstrate their ability to integrate technology, inspire confidence and increase trust.

To inspire confidence in their ability to lead a human plus AI team, leaders need IQ, TQ, EQ and CQ (see Figure 1). They need the knowledge and experience (IQ) that earned them a leadership role. They will also need to demonstrate tech savvy (TQ). At the same time, leaders lead humans and need to possess emotional self-awareness and empathy (EQ). Finally, culture awareness (CQ) acknowledges the growing importance of cultural differences and sensitivities. Balancing these four critical competencies is challenging, but multiple types of intelligence are essential to leader success in a complex, interconnected world.

Figure 1.

IQ: Cognitive Intelligence

The need for knowledge and experience doesn’t disappear with the advent of tech tools that quickly provide answers, but it does call upon leaders to use their knowledge in different ways. AI and digital tools provide rapid analysis and quick access to answers. When leaders integrate technology into their work and the work of their teams, they undoubtedly increase the efficiency and precision of data analytics. Any number of tech tools can do sentiment analysis, scenario planning or predictive modeling. AI tools can visualize data or efficiently handle routine activities like meeting notes or task planning. AI tools can provide a head start, but it’s the leader, using higher-order skills, who realizes the full benefit of AI’s power.

The increased efficiency of AI affords leaders the opportunity to reallocate time and effort to validating information and assessing it with a critical eye. It is the leader’s perspective that makes sense of the information, puts it in context and provides the opportunity for them to coach to good decisions. Critical, strategic and systems thinking are where leaders can build upon the massive head start tech solutions provide, adding value to their work and the work of their teams. The leader’s cognitive acumen is needed to make sense of AI output and use that output to make smart decisions, change course or take an idea to the next level and innovate. AI brings intelligence; leaders bring wisdom and context.

TQ: Technological Intelligence

While technical skills are critical to success, leaders don’t need to be programmers or memorize highly technical algorithms. However, some tech savviness is a must. That means incorporating new tools into the flow of work and encouraging team members to do the same. Leaders who take a wait-and-see approach toward generative AI risk being left behind. The downside of missing the jumpstart of AI adoption far outweighs the risk of working with imperfect technology. This is not a leaders-of-the-future scenario. Leaders today need to not only embrace technology but support broader digital transformation.

Savvy leaders incorporate tech tools into the work they do and are transparent about it. In doing so, they make it safe for their teams to do the same. They share a clear vision for their technology strategy, further inspiring confidence. What’s more, they create confidence and reduce concerns about lack of tech equity by putting AI tools in the hands of their team members, providing the resources and support to explore what’s possible.

Leaders can extend this savvy by understanding how to use the output of technology to emphasize measurement and the power of data-driven decisions. A leader with TQ does more than ask an AI tool a few questions: A truly tech-savvy leader understands the different dimensions of technology and how to harness it as a tool to augment their work and the work of their teams. What does that look like? Imagine a company with a high turnover rate. A tech-savvy leader might use an AI tool to analyze data and identify patterns, like certain roles or times of the year with higher turnover rates. The tool also highlights that employees who don’t receive early training are more likely to leave. With this information, the leader can adjust onboarding, offer targeted training or increase manager check-ins to reduce turnover.

EQ: Emotional Intelligence

Intelligence is also measured by self-awareness, the ability to identify and express emotions and the ability to form relationships with others.

If IQ gets you a seat at the table of leadership and TQ acknowledges the undeniable influence of digital disruption, EQ bridges these competencies to the critical aspect of human connection. It’s emotional intelligence that’s widely recognized as a predictor of leader success and the secret ingredient in effectively leading human beings. What does that look like? It starts with leaders who are self-aware when it comes to their own thoughts and feelings about AI. And it means working to maintain a growth mindset while using AI, recognizing that tech adoption is a massive exercise in grow-and-learn mentality.

With others, the emotionally intelligent leader expresses cognitive and emotional empathy, allowing them to connect with their teams. There is a great deal for employees to be excited about when it comes to incorporating technology in the work people do. At the same time, fear and anxiety run high. AI is an unknown for many, and employees have concerns about trust and transparency both with the technology and their organization’s equitable use of it. Leaders with EQ recognize both excitement and anxiety and give employees space to express both. Understanding their own emotions, and those of others, helps them build relationships, communicate effectively and make great decisions as new technologies take hold.

A leader with emotional intelligence can maintain a sense of calm in processing data as well as emotion to support smart decisions. Emotionally intelligent leaders engage in dialogue with the people they lead to understand potential hesitancy, fear or mistrust, but they may not be doing so as often as they should. When leaders engage with their team about AI, it lets their people know they are listening and their input matters. AI continues to develop rapidly and the path ahead for its continued development and widespread adoption is unclear. Amidst this uncertainty, leaders with EQ communicate effectively and demonstrate to their people that they matter.

CQ: Cultural Intelligence

Another essential aspect of leadership is cultural intelligence, or CQ. Cultural awareness involves understanding how diverse workforces influence working processes, employee interactions and even leadership styles. A leader with CQ understands the diversity of their teams and effectively communicates one-on-one to promote AI in a way that empowers others to speak up about their excitement and concerns while empowering them to use AI. At the same time, a leader with CQ encourages a broader environment of psychological safety so employees can surface their excitement, and their reservations, with confidence. CQ emphasizes sensitivity to how different cultures may either be excited and open to embracing AI or approach it with caution.

Culturally competent leaders better understand others, allowing them to communicate and collaborate more effectively while encouraging broader experiences with and the adoption of the technology. They recognize individual differences as a positive element of diverse teams and skillfully bring out the best in their teams. They create a safe space for people to be themselves. This awareness serves them well, holding a greater sensitivity to the way diverse workforces express both fear and excitement about AI.

Conclusion

To inspire confidence and seamlessly integrate technology, leaders must embody both competence and connection. Their IQ, EQ, TQ and CQ give them the ability to do so. Competence is in their IQ, including skills, experience and wisdom, and in their TQ, or tech-savviness, a now non-negotiable skill. Connection is in their EQ and CQ, ensuring they understand and lead the human side of change with empathy and insight. In this rapidly evolving landscape, leaders who masterfully blend these elements will empower and motivate and bring out the best of a combined human plus AI team.