The rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping how businesses think, build, and lead. In many ways, AI offers clarity, speed, and scale like never before. But as leadership expert Peter Knight emphasised in a recent episode of On The Up, great leadership in the age of AI doesn’t mean replacing people – it means knowing when to lean on the machine, and when not to.
In this blog, we explore Peter’s perspective on how AI is shifting the leadership landscape, and the core human traits that remain essential, no matter how clever the tech becomes.
Leadership, as Peter defines it, is not about control – it’s about inspiration and alignment. It’s about attracting people to a cause and enabling them to fulfil their potential.
This becomes even more critical as AI enters the workplace. The best leaders aren’t the ones trying to out-compute the machine. They’re the ones asking:
Throughout the conversation, Peter reflects on moments where AI can offer immense value – like processing contracts faster than any associate ever could. But he warns against letting that efficiency creep into areas where creative thinking and emotional intelligence matter most.
“You can’t hold people responsible for outcomes if you supervise their methods.”
This insight hits especially hard in a world of AI prompts and quick answers. If leaders want their teams to grow, fail, and innovate, they need to resist the urge to ‘shortcut’ the thinking with pre-generated solutions. Leadership today means protecting space for exploration – even if it’s slower.
One of the most compelling themes Peter raises is the risk of limiting creative discovery. When an AI system suggests the top 10 product ideas in seconds, the temptation is to skip the brainstorming. But that process – the people, the discussion, the unexpected connections – is often where the real breakthroughs happen.
“Even if it’s just to enable a new relationship to nurture – that’s worth it in itself.”
This point resonates in a world where efficiency is prized, but originality is what creates lasting value. A leader’s role is to protect the messiness of innovation, not just tidy it up.
Alongside technology, Peter highlights another transformation: the cultural shift in how we work. The emergence of remote work, generational differences, and new tools like AI all demand a fresh kind of leadership – one rooted in clarity of purpose, behavioural alignment, and emotional intelligence.
Where younger employees may thrive with AI tools, older generations might bring context, caution, and long-term thinking. Great leaders bridge these gaps – not by enforcing sameness, but by uniting diverse people around shared behaviours and a clear objective.
Peter offers a nuanced view:
The real trick? Knowing the difference – and training your team to think that way too.
One of the most powerful leadership models Peter shares is deceptively simple:
AI can handle the middle – the routine tasks, the repetitive workflows. Leaders should focus on direction and enablement. That’s where the real value lies.
AI is changing the game, but it hasn’t changed the rules of great leadership. Hunger, humility, creativity, and courage are still the traits that inspire people to follow. The leaders of tomorrow are those who know how to blend the power of machines with the nuance of human connection.
“You don’t need to be responsible for everything – just available to everyone.”
Let that be your leadership mantra in the AI age.
Listen now to the full episode with Peter Knight as he reveals more insights about building lasting leadership capabilities and creating organisations that can thrive beyond any individual leader.
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