What it is all about

I need to start somewhere with this podcast, so why not just by telling you what it is about? 

Transcript

Welcome to ‘101 stories to cement your AI leadership’, a podcast where I explore the vital reflexes for AI in business, one story at a time. This is in fact the “episode 0” of the podcast, that explains how this podcast will provide those essential stories that teach us about AI – and why you, as an AI leader, really need to master the art of telling good stories. However, if you are in a hurry, feel free to just skip ahead to the first episode.

Now, if you ask a successful leader how to move a mountain, they might just answer ‘one story at a time’. Think of spiritual leaders like Jesus Christ or business leaders like Steve Jobs - they sem to have one common ability: the ability to use compelling stories, stories that were simply irresistible to large masses of people. And perhaps it doesn’t even matter if their messages had any substance or not, there are plenty of examples where that wasn’t the case, because it were the stories that moved and herded those masses, for better or worse - thàt is the power of a good story.

This power of stories also holds true in traditional businesses and organizations, so when addressing a fundamental challenge like Artificial Intelligence, or AI, true leaders are best to get their stories straight first. The rise of AI calls into question the status quo at every level of an organization, from the simplest day-to-day tasks to the core strategy and structure of the organization. If done well, it can touch everything and everyone, but at the same time many people are wary of change. To mobilize the entire organization around their AI cause, leaders need to explain, inspire, show vision, convince, and again, explain. Through stories, AI leaders can clarify the why and how of changes in a way that is more memorable than any dry powerpoint could ever be. Through stories, leaders can establish a direct emotional connection with individual colleagues, building the trust that is necessary for collaborating on changing job fundamentals. And by creating shared stories coworkers are invited to join a common movement, leading to deeper engagement in collectively and actively addressing the challenges ahead.

On the other hand, failing to provide a clear believable vision, ignoring essential misunderstandings, and not demonstrating that uncertainties are known and controlled will undermine the buy-in an AI leader gets within their organization. For widespread and effective adoption of AI, the AI leader has to continuously live and breathe a clear vision, stripped from technical wizardry, unexplained mystery, and overstated promises, and this is where stories are a formidable weapon. This is especially true at a time where AI is moving into the mainstream. Where leadership in AI used to be taken up by hardcore experts, today more often AI is managed by people with a background in traditional IT, or perhaps with more typical management experience. Having strong stories ready gives the AI leader mental rest: all a true leader needs in their ‘go bag’ is a comprehensive set of stories, and the ability to deliver them convincingly. Perhaps think of it in this way: if your vision consists of the messages that you want everyone to see, every day again, stories are the glue that sticks those post-its to their bed post.

In this podcast, I will use stories to deliver some essential truths about developing an AI  reflex within a traditional company. Not every company is a Google or a Facebook, and that changes the practical reality of AI: what makes sense, what the opportunities and headaches really are, and which of the screamy headlines about AI are worth paying attention to. Unlike other podcasts, this one will not try to be a course on AI, it will not be a comprehensive field guide, and it will also not be some recipe book for AI leadership. Stripped from all technicalities, I’ll share insights based on broader  narratives, each time starting from one story I personally use when speaking to organizations, and then moving on to the one practical learning about AI that is attached to it. And don't worry, no one likes a long and boring podcast, so I hope to clock in every episode at well under 10 minutes. 

You can use these stories directly when speaking to your organization, or they can just serve as a starting point to come up with your own narrative. Some of the stories will be more literary, some more straightforward, some will aim to inspire an ambition, some will aim to instill a vital reflex – these are a 101 stories to cement your AI leadership. I am Bart Van Rompaye.