Artificial intelligence is now an integral part of everyday leadership – not as a pilot project, but as a permanent teammate in daily operations.
Over the past months, I have worked closely with executives, managing directors, and HR leaders across industry, financial services, and technology. One central question keeps coming up:
How do we lead people when AI is continuously collaborating in the team?
Answers vary. In some boards, the focus is on efficiency gains. In others, concerns revolve around loss of control, liability, and team acceptance. This tension currently shapes much of my consulting and training work.
The World Economic Forum also emphasizes that successful AI organizations are defined less by technology and more by leadership, culture, and communication skills (World Economic Forum, 2025). This aligns perfectly with my practical experience:
It’s not the tools that matter most – it’s how they are contextualized and communicated.
From these conversations and our work on the book “Wir sind Fake”, three concrete communication principles can be derived that leaders can implement immediately.
1. Treat AI as an assistant, not an authority
In discussions with executives, I often hear phrases like:
“The AI says we should …”
or
“The algorithm recommends …”
This is exactly where leadership challenges begin.
Organizations that successfully leverage AI do not give it authority. They use it as an assistance system. Tasks are clearly defined, results critically reviewed, and decisions consciously made by humans (DevStark Media, 2025). In practice, this is often one of the biggest learning steps for leaders.
Practical Leadership Tip:
Frame AI tasks as if you were assigning them to a new team member:
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Define a clear goal
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Provide relevant context
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Establish quality criteria
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Review outcomes critically
And: always request sources.
Neglecting this opens the door to hallucinations, errors, and manipulations – exactly the risks we warn against in “Wir sind Fake”.
2. Communicate about AI in human terms, not technical ones
Many CHRO discussions reveal a recurring pattern:
Leaders inform about AI – employees hear uncertainty and replaceability.
Where AI insights are communicated openly, personally, and in dialogue, perception shifts significantly. Studies show that transparent communication by leaders measurably increases acceptance and engagement (eLearning Industry, 2025). This is exactly what we see in several client projects.
Practical Leadership Tip:
Use AI as a conversation starter, not a justification tool:
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What does the AI show us – and what does it not?
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What does this mean for our daily work?
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Where is human decision-making indispensable?
This keeps leadership connected and removes the threatening character of AI.
3. Train edge cases, not just ideal scenarios
In executive workshops, we increasingly work with realistic scenarios:
What happens if AI recommends performance evaluations?
If it suggests terminations?
Or proposes conflict solutions that are rationally correct but humanly problematic?
Organizations that intentionally train for these situations increase the communicative confidence of their leaders significantly (eLearning Industry, 2025). For 2026, this is one of the most critical levers.
Practical Leadership Tip:
Establish short reflection formats:
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Where does AI support end for me?
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Which decisions remain human, regardless of efficiency?
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How do I explain these boundaries to my team?
Leadership shows itself precisely in these moments.
Conclusion
Cooperative leadership with AI is not about making faster decisions, but about leading more consciously, clearly, and responsibly.
AI does not relieve leaders of responsibility – it makes it more visible.
This is why attitude, clear communication, and reliable guardrails are essential.
These questions are on the minds of many of my clients—and they will pose even greater challenges for managers in 2026.
Where do you see AI as a real support in leadership—and where as a challenge?
Best regards,
Dr. Nikolai A. Behr
Dr. Nikolai A. Behr of Best of Events in Dortmund on the topic: “Lies have small clicks.”
Sources:
World Economic Forum (2025) “The three common characteristics of successful AI users,” September 8. Available at: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/09/successful-ai-adopters-have-these-attributes/ (accessed January 20, 2026).
DevStark Media (2025) ‘Inside the Fortune 500 AI Revolution: How Giants Turn Data into Knowledge’, 12 October. Available at: https://dev.to/devstark_media/inside-the-fortune-500-ai-revolution-how-giants-turn-data-into-knowledge-5acg (accessed January 20, 2026).
eLearning Industry (2025) ‘Best Strategic Application Of AI In Leadership Development’, 8 December. Available at: https://elearningindustry.com/ai-excellence-awards-best-strategic-application-of-ai-in-leadership-development (accessed January 20, 2026).
Dr. Nikolai A. Behr CSP® ist Keynote Speaker, Kommunikationsexperte und Medientrainer für Führung, Vertrauen und empathische Kommunikation in Zeiten von Wandel und KI.