The Leadership Question Behind the AI Boom
AI has quickly gone from an emerging technology to a daily leadership conversation.
Leaders are experimenting with new tools, reading headlines about rapid advances, and trying to make sense of what it all means for their organizations.
But in conversations with our clients, we noticed something important. Leaders weren’t just curious about AI. They were asking a deeper question:
What does this actually mean for how I lead?
They weren’t asking for another technology tutorial. They were asking how AI might influence judgment, communication, decision-making, and the way leaders guide their teams.
At ADVISA, helping leaders navigate moments of change is central to what we do. So when we began hearing these questions consistently, we saw an opportunity to step in and help.
The opportunity we saw in the marketplace
Across industries, leaders are already experimenting with AI.
Some are using it to explore ideas. Others are refining communication, analyzing information, or using it as a thinking partner when working through complex challenges.
But most leaders are doing this individually. They are figuring it out on their own.
Technology is evolving quickly, but guidance on how leaders should lead with AI is still catching up.
That gap showed up again and again in our client conversations.
Leaders wanted a space to explore the role AI might play in their leadership without feeling like they needed to become technical experts overnight.
That insight shaped our goal.
We didn’t want to build another AI productivity class. Leaders already have plenty of resources explaining tools, technical applications, and shortcuts.
What leaders needed was an experience that explored how AI intersects with leadership thinking, communication, and culture.
That became the foundation for our program: Leading with AI
Designing a leadership experience for the AI era
Once we committed to developing the program, we knew the experience needed to feel practical and grounded in real leadership challenges.
To make that possible, we partnered with an AI development expert who brings deep technical knowledge and understands the way ADVISA works with leaders and organizations.
Together, we created something we call the Leadership and Culture Studio. This is a closed, private, and safe instance of an AI workspace.
The studio gives leaders a secure environment where they can experiment with AI, explore ideas, and apply the technology to real leadership situations. It’s linked to the LLM that will best serve your question so you have access to the world’s largest library without putting your data at risk.
That environment matters.
Right now, many leaders are experimenting with AI in public tools without clear guardrails. The studio creates a space where leaders can explore thoughtfully – trying ideas, reflecting, and learning alongside other leaders.
But even with the studio built and the program framework in place, we still had an important question to answer.
How might this learning resonate with leaders?
Ensuring the learning hit the mark
We knew from the start that bringing AI into leadership development required a different approach. If this work was going to resonate with today’s leaders, the experience had to be practical, relevant, and immediately applicable in the real world.
That meant designing a program built around hands-on practice. Leaders needed the opportunity to experiment with AI as a thinking partner—using it as a sparring partner for real leadership challenges and decisions they face every day. Just as importantly, there needed to be shared alignment around how people use AI to expand their thinking rather than replace it.
We also knew the learning had to translate directly into each leader’s context. Participants needed to work with real situations from their own teams and organizations, with plenty of time to apply the tools, test ideas, and refine how they use AI in practice.
Above all, we wanted leaders to walk away able to do something different immediately—to think in new ways, experiment with new approaches, and meet the moment with agility.
And the practice shouldn’t stop when the workshop ends. Through our Leadership + Culture Studio, leaders would have the ability to continue practicing on demand, strengthening their confidence and applying AI to the leadership challenges that matter most.
What happened in the pilot cohort
We launched a pilot cohort with leaders from a range of organizations.
The response confirmed what we had been hearing in the marketplace.
Leaders are eager to explore AI, but they want guidance on how to use it thoughtfully in their leadership.
Participants quickly moved beyond basic questions about tools and began exploring bigger leadership questions:
- How can I use AI to challenge my assumptions before making a decision?
- How can AI help me pressure-test ideas before difficult conversations?
- How can I use AI to think more creatively through complex situations?
- How do I use AI to strengthen my judgment rather than replace it?
The response from the pilot cohort was overwhelmingly positive.
“As someone who is passionate about human connection, I walked into this hungry for an AI perspective that wasn’t just about replacing jobs and executing tasks – but leaning into the opportunities it provides us to catapult our intrinsic strengths and leadership.
Pilot attendee K Bowen
I undoubtedly walked out of this experience more empowered to use AI as strategic thought partner, not just in the day to day leading of my department but in the scaling of our business.
I feel genuinely excited about putting these learnings into action!”
What stood out most was the level of engagement. Leaders were energized by the chance to experiment, reflect, and discuss what AI means for their leadership in a collaborative setting.
What we learned about leadership and AI
Developing this program reinforced something we’ve long believed at ADVISA:
The most meaningful learning experiences invite curiosity, hands-on experimentation, and the chance to apply new thinking to real challenges.
AI is a powerful tool. But like any tool, its impact depends on how thoughtfully leaders use it.
Our goal with Leading with AI is to help leaders approach this moment with both confidence and intention – not simply adopting a new technology, but understanding how it can strengthen their thinking, communication, and leadership effectiveness. Using AI in leadership isn’t about simplifying easy work. It’s about challenging leaders to think more deeply about complex problems.
This experience helps leaders move beyond using AI as a tool and learn how to use it as a thought partner to strengthen their thinking, challenge assumptions, and make better leadership decisions.
Key leadership insights from building a new AI training program for leaders
Developing Leading with AI reinforced several lessons about leadership and technology. These insights shaped the program we ultimately brought to market:
- Leaders don’t need another AI tutorial.
They need space to practice using AI as a thinking partner—applying it to real leadership situations and strengthening how they think, communicate, and make decisions. - Technology adoption is moving faster than leadership guidance.
Most leaders are already experimenting with AI. What organizations need now is alignment—shared language, clear practices, and opportunities for leaders to apply AI to real leadership situations. - Safe environments accelerate learning.
Providing leaders with a private and safe environment to experiment with AI allows them to learn faster and more thoughtfully than experimenting alone. That is one of the reasons we created the Leadership + Culture Studio as part of the program experience. - AI works best as a thinking partner for leaders.
Leaders who treat AI as a collaborator – helping clarify thinking, explore ideas, and improve communication – tend to unlock the most value from the technology.
These shaped how we designed Leading with AI – and how we continue to evolve the program for future cohorts.
An invitation to explore what’s next
AI will continue to evolve quickly. That much is clear.
What many organizations are still figuring out is how leaders should adapt alongside it.
Leading with AI was created to give leaders a space to explore that question – experimenting with AI, strengthening leadership thinking, and learning alongside other leaders navigating similar challenges.
Participants move from “AI makes work faster” to “AI helps me think better before I act.”
If you are curious about how AI might shape your leadership – or the leadership culture inside your organization – we invite you to join an upcoming cohort.
Learn more about the Leading with AI program and upcoming sessions here.
Related resources about AI and Leadership Development
If you are exploring how AI is changing expectations for leaders, you may also find Heather Haas’s perspective helpful in “We are asking the wrong questions when implementing AI.” In that article, Heather shares why leadership capability matters more than ever as organizations begin integrating AI into everyday work. Here’s a link to that article, plus a couple of other pieces of thought leadership you might find insightful: