Culture Starts Here, Ep9: To Lead Is Human [podcast video]

April 24, 2026 | General, Intentional Culture, Leadership Development, Leading with AI, Talent Optimization
By The A-Team
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AI isn’t replacing leadership. It’s exposing it.

AI is changing how work gets done. But it’s also revealing who can actually lead.

In this episode – Culture Starts Here LIVE, hosted by Jason Cochran of People Forward Network – ADVISA CEO Heather Haas and leadership consultant BJ McKay double click on the critical importance of people-focused leaders.

Highlights from this episode of Culture Starts Here

Artificial intelligence is changing how work gets done – but it’s also raising a more important question:

What does it actually mean to lead right now?

In this special live episode of Culture Starts Here, Heather Haas and BJ McKay explore how AI is reshaping leadership – and why the most critical capabilities are still deeply human.

Key highlights from the conversation:

Leadership is, and always will be, human

Even as AI accelerates change, leadership itself isn’t being replaced.

The core of leadership has always been rooted in human connection, relationships, and shared experience – and that hasn’t changed. If anything, AI raises the bar, requiring leaders to show up with more empathy, clarity, and presence.

The real challenge right now is lack of clarity

Organizations aren’t aligned yet on how AI should be used.

Some leaders are experimenting aggressively. Others are hesitant. Many are waiting for direction that hasn’t come yet.

This creates a growing gap between:

  • Individual experimentation
  • Organizational strategy

It creates confusion and inconsistency in how AI is applied across teams.

Leaders need a clearer way to apply AI in real decisions – something we’re addressing directly in our Leading with AI program.

AI isn’t reducing the workload – it’s raising the bar

Contrary to expectations, AI isn’t making leadership easier. It’s doing the opposite.

As AI handles more transactional work, what remains is:

  • Setting direction
  • Giving feedback
  • Leading people through change

In other words, the parts of leadership you can’t delegate.

For many leaders, this creates pressure – not relief.

If this is the reality leaders are navigating, the question becomes: how do you actually lead this way in practice?

The skills that matter most are still human

Research continues to reinforce the same pattern:

The fastest-growing leadership skills are:

  • Communication
  • Collaboration
  • Creativity

Not technical AI expertise.

AI may enhance these capabilities – but it doesn’t replace them.

Leaders who double down on these human skills will outperform those who rely solely on tools.

The gap is growing between top performers and everyone else

AI is amplifying existing performance differences.

High-performing leaders:

  • Use AI as a thinking partner
  • Elevate decision-making
  • Move faster with better judgment

Lower-performing leaders:

  • Struggle to use tools effectively
  • Over-rely on outputs
  • Expose gaps in capability

The gap isn’t closing – it’s widening.

Embrace the “premium of inefficiency”

One of the most counterintuitive ideas in the episode:

Great leaders intentionally make time for “inefficiency.”

That means:

  • Being physically present
  • Having unstructured conversations
  • Creating space for real connection

In a world optimized for speed, presence becomes a differentiator.

Over-reliance on AI comes with real risks

There’s a tradeoff leaders need to understand.

As AI takes over tasks, cognitive skills can weaken, critical thinking can decline, and judgment can atrophy.

Leaders must be intentional about what they delegate to AI versus what they continue to do themselves.

Efficiency without awareness creates long-term risk.

Slowing down is a strategic advantage

There’s pressure to move fast – but the best leaders are doing the opposite.

They’re:

  • Asking better questions
  • Evaluating implications
  • Aligning AI with business strategy

Because being first doesn’t guarantee success.

Being thoughtful does.

Trust becomes more complex in an AI-driven world

AI can build competence trust (it produces useful outputs). But it struggles with character, intent, and ethics.

That’s why human oversight is critical.

Leaders must ensure AI aligns with:

  • Organizational values
  • Ethical standards
  • Cultural expectations

The future of leadership development is practice – not content

Content is no longer the bottleneck.

Leaders can access information instantly. The real challenge is applying it, practicing it, and translating it into behavior.

The future of leadership development will focus on simulation, real-world application, and AI as a thought partner – not a replacement.

This is exactly the gap most leaders are trying to close right now.

The most important question leaders should be asking

If there’s one question to take from this episode, it’s this:

What is uniquely human about what we do here?

That question defines:

  • Your leadership
  • Your culture
  • Your competitive advantage

And it’s the foundation for how AI should (and shouldn’t) be used.

Final thought

To lead is human – and that matters more than ever.

For many leaders, the next challenge is learning how to apply that in a world shaped by AI.

AI is changing work, but leadership still requires humans

AI is changing how work gets done. It’s also changing what leadership requires. Leading with AI, a new training experience from ADVISA, helps leaders adapt how they think, decide, and lead in an AI-enabled workplace.

In this one-day workshop, you will:

  • Apply AI to real leadership challenges and problem-solving
  • Learn how to use AI to strengthen judgment – not replace it
  • Leverage AI as a thought partner to solidify decision making and clarify communication

Designed for leaders who are being asked to use AI – but haven’t been shown how.

Learn more about the Leading with AI program and upcoming sessions here.

Explore the AI workshop

About Culture Starts Here

Culture Starts Here on The CultureCon Podcast

Culture can be an organization’s biggest threat to growth – or its greatest opportunity for competitive advantage.

In Culture Starts Here, a special series on the CultureCon podcast, ADVISA CEO Heather Haas and leadership consultant BJ McKay share insights and tactics you can use to jump-start your organization’s optimal culture. This and every episode of Culture Starts Here includes the answer to the most common question ADVISA’s leadership consultants hear: Where do we start?

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