We’re in a moment unlike anything most leaders have ever experienced. Technology, especially AI, is moving faster than our structures, our policies, and honestly… our comfort zones.
Organizations are racing to capture the benefits of efficiency, insights, and productivity. CEOs are pushing for acceleration, eager to stay competitive. Teams are ready to experiment, innovate, and learn.
And then there’s the leader who unintentionally slows everything down.
Not because they want to, and not because they don’t see the opportunity. More often, it’s because their leadership instincts were built for a different era, one that valued certainty, caution, and control. Those instincts once made them effective. Today, they can hold leaders back at the exact moment their organizations need momentum.
This tension is real, and I see it in many rooms I work in. Leaders are being asked to empower their teams and unleash new technology, while also protecting the business from risks we’re still trying to understand.
It’s a delicate balance and a harsh reality that everything around us is changing, and leaders must change too. The leadership behaviors that once made us successful are not the behaviors that will carry us forward.
And that’s where unlearning comes in.
Insights from the Stanford Digital Economy Lab’s Canaries in the Coal Mine highlight just how much the ground beneath us is shifting. For the first time in a long time, workers in their 40s and beyond are being hired at faster rates than early-career talent.
This trend is emerging because AI is absorbing the task-heavy, entry-level responsibilities that used to serve as foundational training grounds. Organizations now need people with judgment, critical thinking, and the capacity to navigate complexity—skills that come from real-world experience.
But, here’s the nuance … experience only creates impact when leaders are willing to rethink and relearn. Those who cling tightly to the leadership patterns that once defined their success may find themselves unintentionally creating friction where momentum is needed most.
I worked with a leader recently who faced this head-on. For years, she was known for her ability to anticipate risks, manage details meticulously, and ensure everything was buttoned up before moving forward. Her teams trusted her. Her results were strong. But as her company adopted AI-driven processes and began moving faster, those same strengths began slowing her team down. They hesitated to bring her ideas. They waited for her approval. They matched their pace to her comfort level rather than the pace the business needed.
In one coaching conversation, she said shared:
“I realized I was protecting the organization from risks that no longer mattered—and exposing us to risks I didn’t even see.”
That was the moment she began unlearning. Not her wisdom, not her experience—but the beliefs that no longer supported the leader she was becoming. As she let go, her team stepped up. They moved faster. They innovated more. They felt trusted and empowered.
That’s the shift unlearning makes possible.
As leaders, we must learn to hold two truths at once:
On one side, we have a responsibility to manage risk thoughtfully.
AI does raise questions about governance, accuracy, bias, legality, and ethics. Leaders cannot ignore these concerns.
On the other side, we must move quickly enough that our organizations—and our people—don’t fall behind.
The greater risk now is standing still.
Leading today means balancing these two forces, not choosing one over the other. And that balance requires unlearning old habits, old rules, and old beliefs about what “good leadership” looks like.
The leadership playbook that worked even five years ago no longer fits the world we’re operating in. A few old rules you may recognize include:
Old Rule: Wait for perfect information before deciding.
New Reality: Perfect information doesn’t exist in a landscape that evolves daily.
Old Rule: Protect your team by avoiding risk.
New Reality: Protect them by empowering thoughtful experimentation.
Old Rule: Leaders should have the answers.
New Reality: Leaders must create environments where the best answers can emerge.
Old Rule: Slow and steady keeps you safe.
New Reality: Slow and steady can mean falling behind.
Unlearning isn’t about discarding wisdom—it’s about updating it for the world we’re leading in now.
Here are three practical steps leaders can take to begin unlearning in a productive and confidence-building way:
As AI accelerates and organizations adapt, the leaders who succeed will be those who can let go of outdated patterns, embrace new ways of working, and create environments where teams feel empowered to learn, experiment, and grow.
Experience still matters—but only when paired with adaptability.
Confidence still matters—but only when paired with curiosity.
Leadership still matters—but it must evolve.
AI is reshaping how we work. Unlearning is reshaping how we lead. And in the coming years, the leaders who can do both—thoughtfully and intentionally—will set the pace for everyone else.
Let’s explore how unlearning old patterns, empowering your teams, and leading with intention can help you navigate change with clarity and confidence.
Book time with me here and let’s talk about what’s possible.
AI is no longer just a concept of the future—it’s here, reshaping how we work, innovate, and grow. According to the 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report from Microsoft and LinkedIn, 75% of employees are now using AI at work, with nearly half adopting it in the past six months. That pace of change is remarkable and organizations are rushing to answer critical questions like:
But as leaders grapple with these questions, there’s one that often gets overlooked:
How are we leading the people side of this transformation?
This question is at the heart of successful change leadership. And it’s one I’ve seen ignored far too often, both in my corporate career and in the work I do today with leadership teams navigating transformational change.
Let me take you back to the early 2010s when I was part of a leadership team tasked with driving a digital transformation at a large company. By the time I joined, the initiative had been ongoing for more than five years without measurable success. Our private equity firm was frustrated, our CEO was under pressure, and consultants from Bain were brought in to diagnose the issue.
I’ll never forget the day Bain presented their findings to the executive leadership team. They told us bluntly:
“The problem isn’t your digital roadmap, your go-to-market strategy, or your products. The problem is right here in this room.”
Their message was clear—we would continue to fail until we focused on engaging the hearts and minds of the people executing the change. As I looked around the room, I realized they were right. We weren’t aligned as a leadership team and I wasn’t convinced we could rise to the challenge.
Shortly after that meeting, I left the company and 11 months later, it filed for bankruptcy.
That experience taught me a profound lesson: Transformation is about people. It starts with an aligned leadership team that models the behaviors they want to see throughout the organization. When leaders fail to engage their people, focusing only on systems, processes and outcomes, the change is doomed before it begins.
Fast-forward to today and I see echoes of this lesson in my work with a leadership team driving their own transformation. They’re integrating data and AI into their strategy—critical enablers for long-term growth. At a recent offsite, the head of this team used the word “collectively” seven times in a 15-minute kickoff.
He wasn’t just throwing out corporate jargon. He was intentional, using the word to paint a vision of a future where silos are broken, alignment is strong and friction is replaced with seamless collaboration.
Transformation, whether AI or any other major shift drives it, requires more than technical skills and strategic plans. It demands relationships built on trust, respect and shared purpose. It’s not just about what gets done; it’s about how it gets done.
AI represents one of the most significant shifts in how work gets done. It’s a game-changer for efficiency and growth—but its potential will only be realized if leaders prioritize the people behind the change.
In a recent panel discussion I facilitated, technology thought leader Peter High with Metis Strategy shared a powerful insight: 80% of focus should be on the people and process aspect of AI.
It’s not just about implementing AI tools, it’s about helping people understand them, use them effectively and embrace the change. That requires intentional leadership and it requires engaging hearts and minds.
Every major change initiative hinges on how leaders guide their teams. If you’ve ever been part of a failed change effort, you’ve likely heard these sentiments:
These are symptoms of a lack of intentional leadership. When leaders focus solely on what they want to achieve—efficiency, cost savings, or productivity—they miss the opportunity to inspire their teams to fully buy-in and execute the change.
By contrast, when leaders focus on how they lead—fostering alignment, building trust, and engaging their people—the change becomes achievable and sustainable.
AI is here to stay. It’s transforming how we work, but its success depends on how well leaders navigate the people side of change. So, as you think about AI at work and its role in your organization, ask yourself:
The biggest ROI in the AI equation isn’t just about the tools—it’s about the people.
Want to measure your own intentionality as a leader? Take my Heart Leader Assessment to discover how your leadership style supports transformational change and connects the “how” with the “why.”
