Danny Ceballos – 3 Leadership Shifts for Using AI Effectively

Most leaders approach AI as a tool for efficiency—but that mindset limits its impact. In this episode, Danny reframes AI as something far more powerful: a way to expand your leadership capacity.

He walks you through three practical shifts you need to make—personally engaging with AI, creating psychological safety, and making clear decisions—so your team can move forward with confidence instead of hesitation.

Key Takeaways:

• AI doesn’t just save time—it expands the depth and quality of your thinking
• Leaders must engage with AI themselves before expecting others to adopt it
• Psychological safety is essential for honest conversations about AI use
• Silence around AI creates confusion and hidden behaviors within teams
• Clear decisions—even imperfect ones—are more valuable than waiting for certainty

Connect with host Danny Ceballos:

• Website: https://unleashedconsult.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyceballos/

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The Best Boss Whisperer is a leadership podcast for individuals who want to lead effectively without burning out or becoming the bottleneck that stifles their team’s decisions, momentum, and productivity.

© 2026 Danny Ceballos / Unleashed Consulting

Transcript

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Hello and welcome back to the Best Boss Whisperer podcast. This is Nanny Sabaios. This is part two of our AI series for leaders. And if you haven't listened to part one yet, I'd encourage you to go back and start there. We tackled four misconceptions that keep senior leaders like you stuck. And you're going to want that context for what we're about to dig into. Today we are shifting gears. We're done with what's getting in the way. And now we're talking about what you can actually do. Here's going to be three things your team needs from you as a leader right now in this AI moment. Let's get into it. All right. So before we get into the three things that I want to share with you, I want to introduce a concept to you that reframes everything about how you as a leader should think about AI. And it comes directly from the work I do with executives and senior leaders. You see, most people think of AI as a time saver. Like, I'll use AI to get this done faster so I can get home earlier. And honestly, that's the wrong frame. Because what I'm seeing is this AI doesn't save you time. It expands what you can do with your time. Here's what I mean. When you start using AI as a real thought partner, not a vending machine, but an actual thinking partner, it makes you more nuanced. It asks you questions you hadn't thought to ask yourself. It surfaces complexity you hadn't considered. And so instead of doing less work, you end up doing better work, deeper work, work that actually moves the needle. So the leaders who are winning with AI aren't the ones who are trying to work less. They're the ones who are doing more, more strategic thinking, more creative problem solving, more comprehensive planning. And they're doing that in the same amount of time. That's the frame I want you to carry into these three things. This isn't about your shortcuts, it's about expanding your leadership capacity. Okay, let's go. Thing number one get into it yourself before you lead others through it. All right. Here's the number one mistake I see senior leaders making with AI. They delegate it. They say, we're going to form an AI task force, or let's have IT look into this. Or our communications team is going to figure out how we can use AI. And then they step back and they wait for the report. And that doesn't work. Here's why. You cannot lead your organization through something you don't understand yourself, not well, not with credibility. Your team is watching you. They're taking cues from you about whether AI is something to lean into or something to be afraid of. And if your posture is, well, I've tasked someone else with figuring this out. Well, what they hear is this isn't a priority, or worse, this is something I'm not willing to engage with personally. So the first thing your team needs from you is this: get in there yourself. Open an account. Start having real conversations with AI. You don't have to do this about work at first. Talk to it about a problem you're thinking through, a decision you're wrestling with. Get a feel for what it actually does. Make some mistakes and figure out what works. Because here's what happens when you do that. You stop talking about AI in the abstract, and you start talking about it from experience. And that changes everything about how you show up as a leader on this topic. Look, you don't need to become a technical expert. You need to become a thoughtful practitioner. There's a big difference, and your team needs to see that you're in it with them. All right, how about thing number two? Thing number two is create psychological safety around AI use. This one is huge, and almost nobody is talking about it. Here's what's happening in a lot of organizations right now. People are using AI quietly without telling anyone because they're not sure if it's allowed or if it looks like cheating or if their boss is going to think they're cutting corners. And that's a leadership problem. If your team doesn't feel safe talking openly about how they're using AI, you know, what's working, what's not, where they're uncertain, well, then you're flying blind. You're missing critical information about what's actually happening in your organization. And you're creating an underground culture around something that really should be a shared resource. So the second thing your team needs from you is explicit permission and an open conversation. That means you say out loud in a staff meeting or a leadership team meeting, we are going to talk about AI openly here. I want to know how you're using it. I want to know what's helping and what's concerning you. There are no stupid questions and there are no wrong answers. And then you actually have that conversation. You model it. You share how you are using AI. You talk about where you're uncertain. In healthcare and nonprofit settings, especially, there are real and legitimate concerns about what's appropriate. And those conversations need to happen in the open, with leadership setting the tone, not in whispers. You perhaps have heard me mention my favorite leadership quote before by Max Dupree. And Max Dupree says, the first job of a leader is to define reality. And then he goes on to say, this the last job of a leader is to say thank you, and in between to be both a debtor and a servant. So, how are you going to define reality? And when you create that psychological safety by defining reality and saying what's expected and what's okay, something really interesting happens. Your team will start to innovate. They bring you ideas, they tell you where AI is genuinely helping them serve your mission better. And you get smarter as an organization together. All right, how about thing number three? Thing number three is make decisions. Don't just observe. All right. So this is the one that separates the leaders who are actually moving forward from the ones who are still stuck in observation mode. AI is not a topic to just watch and think about. It requires decisions. What are those decisions? Things like what tools are we going to use and what tools are off limits? Or what's our policy on AI-generated content? Or who owns AI governance in our organization? How do we think about AI when it comes to our most vulnerable populations? Our patients, our clients, and the communities that we serve. These are not IT questions. These are leadership questions. They touch your mission, your values, your culture, your risk tolerance. And if you're not making them, then someone else is making them for you. Or worse, nobody is making them, and you've got a free-for-all. Look, I'm not saying you need a 50-page AI policy. I'm not saying that at all. I'm just saying you need a point of view. You need to be able to walk into a room and say, here's what we believe about AI, and here's how we're approaching it, and here's what we're not going to do. That's leadership. And that's what your team is waiting for. The leaders who are getting this right aren't the ones with the most sophisticated AI strategy. They're the ones who made a call, communicated it clearly, and created a framework their teams could actually work within. Imperfect decisions made thoughtfully are far more valuable than perfect answers that never come. So there it is. Three things your team needs from you right now when it comes to AI. Get into it yourself before you lead others through it. Create psychological safety so your team can be honest about how they're using AI and where they're uncertain. And make decisions. Don't just observe. None of this requires you to be a tech expert. None of this requires a massive budget or a new department. What it requires is the same thing that great leadership has always required. Your courage, your curiosity, and a genuine commitment to showing up for your team. AI is here. It's not going away. And your team is looking to you to help them navigate it. The good news is you already have what it takes. You just have to decide to lead. All right, that's it for our two part AI series. Thank you so much for spending this time with me. If this was helpful, share it with another leader who needs to hear it. And I'll see you on our next episode of The Best Boss Whisperer. This is Danny Sebayos. Thanks so much. Bye now.