Copyright Forbes
There was a time when leaders were expected to have all the answers, but that has changed. Today, anyone can ask AI and find information faster than their boss. It is an odd shift that can feel uncomfortable for people who have built their reputation on being experts. I was fortunate to interview author, Kevin Kruse, many years ago. He wrote a Forbes article back then about leading people with more experience, but AI has added a new layer since then. Now, the challenge is not only about expertise. It is about how leaders handle authority when knowledge is everywhere. Leaders used to earn trust because they usually had the most experience. Now, even the newest team member can ask a tool like ChatGPT and find data or insights the leader has not seen. It's like how patients can look up their medications and know just as much or sometimes more than their doctors. The power dynamic has shifted. It can feel intimidating when information is so widely available. The leader’s value no longer comes from what they know but from how they guide others to use what they know. Why AI Changed How Leadership Works AI changed the knowledge hierarchy. Leadership used to be about having access to information. Now, if everyone has it, the problem is not access anymore. It is understanding what to do with all that knowledge. Leaders who rely on authority built on information alone are finding that it no longer works. Like the doctor whose patient shows up with a printout of what they read online, the leader must adapt from being the expert who knows, to the coach who helps others make sense of what they find. Leaders who ignore this shift risk losing credibility. The people who work for them can sense insecurity quickly. They can also tell when someone is confident enough to admit they do not know everything. The best leaders today are not the ones who pretend to be the smartest person in the room, but the ones who create an environment where everyone feels safe asking questions, testing ideas, and sharing what they learn from AI. MORE FOR YOU Why Insecurity About AI Makes Leaders Less Effective The emotional impact of AI on leaders is real. Many feel they are supposed to have answers at a time when those answers change every day. That pressure creates fear, which can lead to control. When leaders micromanage or shut down new ideas, it often comes from insecurity. My research on curiosity has shown that fear is one of the biggest inhibitors of learning. If leaders are afraid to look uninformed, they stop asking questions. When they stop asking questions, curiosity disappears, and once curiosity is gone, innovation goes with it. This is not a criticism of leaders. It is human nature. Nobody wants to feel replaced by a tool or outsmarted by their own team. Yet AI is not the enemy. It is an opportunity to strengthen leadership by shifting focus from what we know to how we think. Leaders who can model curiosity about AI, rather than fear, will have more engaged and innovative teams. How Great Leaders Respond When Their Team Knows More About AI Kevin Kruse told me great leaders focus on growth, recognition, trust, and communication. Those same principles apply here. Growth means encouraging people to learn about AI and share what they discover. Recognition means giving credit to team members who teach others something new. Trust means allowing people to experiment with AI without fear of punishment for mistakes. Communication means creating a two-way exchange where leaders learn as much as they teach. Great leaders also know how to admit when they are unsure. They say things like, “That is interesting, tell me more about how you found it,” instead of pretending to understand something they do not. That vulnerability builds respect, shows confidence, and creates space for learning. When leaders show curiosity about AI, they send a signal that it is safe for others to do the same, and that builds trust. How To Stay Relevant When AI Moves Faster Than You Can Learn Information will always move faster than any leader can keep up with. The goal is not to know everything about AI but to stay open enough to keep learning. Leaders can build learning circles where team members share new AI tools or insights they have found useful. They can ask questions in meetings like, “What new idea did you explore this week?” or “What surprised you about what AI showed you?” These simple actions make curiosity a habit. The smartest leaders do not try to compete with AI. They use it to enhance judgment because they know it is impossible to outthink a machine. They are learning to ask better questions and develop prompts that get them the best information. They know that leadership now means guiding teams through the challenges of learning how AI can best serve the company. That shift requires humility and courage, but it also creates stronger connections within teams. The New Meaning Of Leadership Due To AI
