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Leadership Intelligence – in the age of AI

The following blog, written by Garry Honey, SAMI Associate, was previously published on Board Agenda at https://boardagenda.com/2025/01/13/leadership-intelligence-in-the-age-of-ai/ and he has kindly allowed us to republish it here.


Artificial intelligence or AI is a game changer that we are just beginning to understand. Using Large Language Models or LLMs we can access vast amounts of data in an instant, the benefits and risks of this are unfolding. The biggest risk is thinking this is a panacea for corporate decision making. All data comes from the past, so is of limited use for leaders seeking creative or innovative solutions, it is here where leadership intelligence remains distinct from artificial intelligence.


What makes Leadership intelligence distinct? Imagination and emotion cannot yet be replicated using AI, and the human brain can make decisions based on more than just data. There are three aspects I consider essential in Leadership Intelligence that make decision making uniquely human: Judgement, intuition and urgency.


Judgement is the ability to choose from a selection of alternatives and make the right call. Good judgement is what separates great leaders from the merely good. People will follow and trust a great leader because their judgement is respected. Good judgement is about making the right choices and this requires wisdom and foresight. Knowledge alone is not enough: knowledge is knowing that the tomato is a fruit, but wisdom is recognising it doesn’t belong in a fruit salad.


Judgement is a learned skill and creates the difference between a welcome or unwelcome outcome. There are known enemies of judgement like ignorance or what we don’t know and bias which is what we think we know but is simply prejudice or opinion. Good judgement is achieved through combatting these enemies and constant vigilance. It is not easy making the right choices all the time, but judgement can and should be taught as a key management skill.


Intuition is our sixth sense, it is what some people call gut-feel, and it comes from instinctive rather than rational thought. It is technically a bias but a useful learned heuristic designed for self- preservation by our ancestors faced with the choice of fight or flight. In business it is a reactionary response to a challenge that draws on experience and expertise. It is often called knowing without thinking. Intuition can be emotional rather than rational, but intuitive decisions often result in good outcomes because they draw on knowledge from a deep level we didn’t know existed.


Much has been written on the significance of intuition in decision making, as both an aid and risk in human judgement. Intuitive decisions can save time where time matters but they can also breed false confidence and a sense of infallibility in hubristic leaders. Boards and senior teams need to be aware of how they use intuition in collective decision making. Intuition can be a personal matter of perception not shared by the whole team because experience and expertise vary.


Urgency matters because for any decision the biggest question is – Do you need to make it now, today? Nobody would choose to make a rushed decision unless they had to, so we convince ourselves that urgency is due to ‘force majeure’ or factors beyond our control. However, much of this perceived urgency is misdiagnosed due to cultural constraints: a need to meet internal goals like sales targets, shareholder dividend, investor relations or agenda timetable.


Executives who claim not to have enough time are often making excuses for their poor time management, insufficient time allocated for a decision. The time available to reach a decision is only brief if we make it so. There is much to be gained in deferral, discussion and deliberation. The classic phrase ‘Festina Lente’ comes to mind - more haste less speed. Conversely first responders in the emergency services are training to act quickly to save lives, they have to make urgent decisions and are trained in making good decisions under time pressure.


Leadership intelligence cannot be replicated by AI and it is important for boards to appreciate where their collective experience and understanding makes a difference in decisions about a future outcome. Judgement, intuition and urgency all play a part, some transactional decisions are irreversible but many policy decisions are revisable and could be adjusted. Boards need to create capacity to reflect or amend decisions as events unfold.


Written by Garry Honey, SAMI Associate, member of the visiting faculty at Henley business school, and author of ‘Navigating Uncertainty - securing better judgement’.  


The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily of SAMI Consulting.


Achieve more by understanding what the future may bring. We bring skills developed over thirty years of international and national projects to create actionable, transformative strategy. Futures, foresight and scenario planning to make robust decisions in uncertain times. Find out more at www.samiconsulting.co.uk


Image by Mango Matter from Pixabay


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