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6 essential skills for leaders who want to thrive in the age of AI

AI is forcing every founder and leader to rethink how they build, decide, and stay relevant. You can’t coast on old habits, everything’s changing, fast.

After nine months interviewing modern founders on Millennial Masters, one thing’s clear: most leadership advice doesn’t cut it when you’re building from scratch.

Joel Salinas, who writes the Leadership in Change newsletter and has worked with organisations navigating AI transformation, knows what it takes to adapt when the ground keeps shifting.

That’s why I asked him to spell out what really works. In this guest feature, Joel gets specific: six skills that actually matter if you want to lead, adapt, and stay ahead as AI rewrites the rules + the prompts to help you get there. 👇🏻

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— Millennial Masters is sponsored by Jolt ⚡️ Reliable hosting for modern builders

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Six leadership skills for the AI era

87% of executives believe AI will significantly change their leadership role within three years, yet only 23% feel prepared for that change.

Leading the new orchestra: Blending human insight and AI precision is the new leadership challenge. Illustration: ImageFX/MM

Picture yourself as a symphony conductor, used to bringing together talented human musicians, each with their own strengths.

Now, imagine new AI “musicians” joining your orchestra every few months: unmatched in capability, but missing the judgement and wisdom that make music matter.

The most beautiful performances happen when technology amplifies rather than replaces human artistry. But that requires a conductor who understands both the power of the new instruments and the irreplaceable value of human creativity.

So what should leaders actually focus on? These six skills will help you keep pace, make better calls, and stay human as AI accelerates.

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1️⃣ Emotional intelligence amplification

AI excels at data processing and pattern recognition, but it can't read the room, sense team morale, or navigate the complex emotional landscape of organisational change.

While your AI tools can tell you productivity is down 15%, they can't tell you it's because your team feels like they're being replaced rather than empowered.

The skill in action:

• Emotional data literacy: Learn to interpret the emotional signals that AI misses. When your team seems disengaged during AI implementation, dig deeper than productivity metrics.

• Human-centric change communication: Before rolling out AI tools, address the fears, concerns, and aspirations your team hasn't voiced. Create psychological safety around AI adoption.

• Empathy at scale: Use AI to identify patterns in team sentiment, but rely on human connection to address what you find.

Your leadership prompt:

Help me design an 'AI Impact Emotional Check-in' for my team. Create 5 open-ended questions that will help me understand not just what my team thinks about our AI initiatives, but how they feel about them and what support they need. Include questions that address career concerns, daily work changes, and personal growth opportunities. Format this as a conversation guide I can use in one-on-one meetings. Start with asking me any questions you need to tailor this for me.

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2️⃣ Ethical decision-making under pressure

AI decisions happen at machine speed, but ethical implications unfold at human timescales.

Leaders must make rapid decisions about AI deployment while considering long-term consequences for people, communities, and society.

The pressure to move fast with AI can override the patience needed for ethical consideration.

The skill in action:

• Ethical AI frameworks: Establish clear principles before you need them. What are your non-negotiables around privacy, bias, and human dignity?

• Stakeholder impact mapping: Before implementing AI solutions, map who will be affected and how. Include voices often overlooked in tech decisions.

• Bias auditing protocols: Create systems for regular check-ins on how AI systems affect different groups. If your AI hiring tool shows bias against certain demographics, you need to know immediately.

Your leadership prompt:

Create an 'AI Ethics Emergency Decision Framework' for my organisation. Include: 1) A rapid assessment checklist for evaluating AI initiatives under pressure, 2) Key stakeholder groups to consider, 3) Red flag indicators that require immediate pause, 4) A decision tree for different scenarios, and 5) Template language for communicating ethical AI decisions to teams. Make this actionable for leaders who need to make fast decisions without compromising ethics. Start with asking me any questions you need to tailor this for me.

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3️⃣ Adaptive change leadership

The next critical skill involves mastering change itself in an AI-driven environment.

Traditional change management assumes you can plan, execute, and measure change in linear stages.

AI evolution makes this approach obsolete: the technology shifts faster than most change processes can accommodate.

The skill in action:

• Iterative implementation: Instead of massive AI rollouts, implement in small cycles with constant feedback loops.

• Change resilience building: Help your team develop comfort with ongoing uncertainty rather than waiting for "stable" AI solutions.

• Future-back planning: Start with where AI trends are heading in 3-5 years, then work backward to today's decisions.

Your leadership prompt:

Design a 'Continuous AI Change Management System' for my organisation. Include: 1) A framework for breaking large AI initiatives into small, reversible experiments, 2) Regular feedback loop structures, 3) Metrics for measuring change adaptability (not just outcomes), 4) Communication templates for ongoing uncertainty, and 5) A process for rapid pivoting when AI capabilities evolve. Focus on sustainable change practices that work with AI's rapid evolution rather than against it. Start with asking me any questions you need to tailor this for me.

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4️⃣ Creative problem-solving

As we develop our capacity for adaptive change, we must also enhance our creative problem-solving abilities.

As AI handles routine problem-solving, leaders must focus on problems that require uniquely human creativity: those involving ambiguity, conflicting values, and novel situations.

The skill in action:

• Question framing mastery: The quality of AI output depends heavily on input. Master the art of asking the right questions of both humans and machines.

• Cross-pollination thinking: Connect insights across industries, disciplines, and cultures in ways that AI pattern recognition might miss.

• Constraints as creativity catalysts: Use AI guardrails and ethical boundaries as creative constraints that force innovative solutions.

Your leadership prompt:

Help me develop 'Human-AI Creative Problem-Solving Sessions' for my team. Create: 1) A structure for framing problems that leverage both human creativity and AI capabilities, 2) Question frameworks that generate insights AI might miss, 3) Techniques for combining AI-generated options with human intuition, 4) Methods for using constraints (ethical, technical, resource) as creativity catalysts, and 5) A process for validating creative solutions through both human judgement and AI analysis. Start with asking me any questions you need to tailor this for me.

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5️⃣ Authentic communication

As we solve problems creatively, we must communicate our solutions and vision with authenticity that cuts through AI-generated noise.

In an era of AI-generated content and deep fakes, authentic human communication becomes both more valuable and more difficult to achieve and recognise.

The skill in action:

• Transparency about AI use: Be explicit when you're using AI assistance in communications. Trust builds through disclosure, not deception.

• Human story prioritisation: Share the human stories behind AI transformations—the learning journeys, the mistakes, the unexpected discoveries.

• Values-driven messaging: Ground all communication in clear human values that AI can support but not replace.

Your leadership prompt:

Create an 'Authentic AI-Era Communication Strategy' for my leadership team. Include: 1) Guidelines for transparent AI use disclosure in various communication types, 2) Templates for sharing human stories behind AI transformations, 3) A framework for values-based messaging that differentiates human insight from AI assistance, 4) Strategies for building trust when using AI communication tools, and 5) Methods for maintaining personal connection while leveraging AI efficiency. Focus on authenticity that builds rather than breaks trust. Start with asking me any questions you need to tailor this for me.

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6️⃣ Systems thinking for human-AI integration

Finally, effective AI-era leadership requires a systems-level perspective that integrates all these skills into a cohesive approach.

Most leaders think about AI as individual tools rather than as part of complex systems that include humans, processes, culture, and external stakeholders.

The skill in action:

• Feedback loop design: Create systems where human insights improve AI performance and AI insights enhance human decision-making.

• Ecosystem impact assessment: Consider how your AI implementations affect suppliers, customers, communities, and competitors.

• Human-in-the-loop architecture: Design AI systems that enhance human capabilities rather than replacing human judgment in critical decisions.

Your leadership prompt:

Design a 'Human-AI Systems Integration Assessment' for my organisation. Create: 1) A mapping tool for visualising all stakeholders affected by AI implementations, 2) Framework for designing feedback loops between humans and AI systems, 3) Assessment criteria for human-in-the-loop decision points, 4) Methods for measuring system-wide impact beyond individual AI tool performance, and 5) Templates for stakeholder communication about AI system changes. Focus on creating value greater than the sum of parts. Start with asking me any questions you need to tailor this for me.

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The integration imperative

These six skills connect to form a complete approach to modern leadership.

AI-era leaders build them over time, combining emotional intelligence, ethical judgement, creativity, and systems thinking as the situation demands.

You don’t need to be superhuman or chase some ideal. The aim is to stay human as you work with AI: leading with clarity, adapting with purpose, and creating value that lasts.

Your next move

Choose one skill that resonates most with your current leadership challenges.

Use the corresponding prompt to create your first implementation tool.

Commit to developing it over the next 30 days through deliberate practice, measurement, and iteration.

Nobody’s asking for perfect. Growth and action count more.

Are you willing to take the next step?

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Want more stories at the intersection of leadership and AI? 👉🏻 Subscribe to Joel Salinas’ Leadership In Change 📥

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More AI insights from Millennial Masters:

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