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Welcome to The Human Factor!
My monthly note on leadership, trust, judgment, and the human side of work.
This month, I’ve been thinking about what leadership will value more as AI raises the floor.
The kind of smart many of us were rewarded for is becoming a commodity.
For years, we treated being good at tests, solving hard problems, and thinking technically as the gold standard of intelligence.
Then AI showed up and went straight for the work we used to put on a pedestal.
I heard Jensen Huang make a point recently that sharpened something I’ve been thinking about for a while.
What struck me was not the novelty of the idea, but the language it gave to something I have seen for years in my work with leaders:
The people who create the most value aren’t just analytically smart.
They’re the ones who sense what’s shifting, in the business, in the culture, in the room, long before everyone else catches up.
The next version of smart is less about solving and more about sensing.
Technical depth still matters.
But it is no longer enough.
It is the ability to:
Sense what has not been said yet.
Read the room when everyone else is reading the slide.
See around corners before the problem is obvious.
Spot the risk before it shows up in the spreadsheet.
Jensen called it “feeling the vibe.” I call it pattern recognition with judgment.
Whatever we call it, it points to a different kind of edge.
The people who will stand out are not just those who can solve a hard problem quickly.
They are the ones who:
Connect data, lived experience, and human behavior.
Pick up on small signs before they become obvious.
Make sound calls in ambiguity.
Sense when something is off before anyone can name it.
So yes, become more technical.
But do not stop there.
Build judgment.
Build empathy.
Strengthen your ability to notice what others miss.
Develop the ability to lead clearly when things are unpredictable.
Learn to make good calls when the data is incomplete.
AI will raise the floor on structured thinking.
Which will raise the ceiling on everything human.
Sensing well.
Deciding well.
Leading well.
That, to me, is the new version of smart.
And it is the shift I care most about helping leaders make:
From being valued for answers to being trusted for their judgment.
A simple way to practice this
This week, pick one meeting, one decision, one moment of tension, or one live question to work through with AI.
In the meeting, ask yourself:
What is happening here that has not been said yet?
In the decision, ask:
What does the data say, and what does it not tell me?
In this tension, ask:
What else is going on here that I need to see?
And with AI, ask:
What can AI accelerate, and what still requires my judgment?
Use AI to help frame the issue, generate options, pressure-test your thinking, or spot risks you may be missing.
That is the work.
Then do the part only you can do:
Add back the context.
Notice the human dynamics.
Check what feels off.
Decide what matters.
Own the call.
AI can accelerate analysis. It cannot replace responsibility.
And leadership, at its core, is still about responsibility.
The Art of Human-Centered Leadership: Coaching Notes
I share insights on human-centered leadership, team dynamics, and workplace culture on LinkedIn. Here are 4 posts from the past month that capture these themes:
Thank you for reading!
Know that I am here for you and your leadership journey.
With love and support, Michelle
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