How EI Helps with Adopting AI
The AI wave has already begun to change the nature of work, and emotional intelligence will play a key role in adjusting to the changes this wave brings. Here’s how.
Once your workplace begins to adopt AI, some jobs will vanish as AI takes over simpler tasks. Many people will find they now use an AI assistant in their work, which will itself change. And other people – particularly leaders – will find little or no difference from AI in their work.
There are many ways emotional intelligence (or EI) competencies can help in adapting to this new scenario--and my thanks for his insights to Michael Stern who facilitates the Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence program. Here’s a rundown of the self-mastery EI competencies of outstanding performers and how each might help with AI in coming days:
Knowing Our Emotions Helps Us Manage Them Well
Self-Awareness: This fundamental ability means we know what we’re feeling and how those emotions shape our perceptions, thoughts, and impulse to act regarding AI. We are in touch with our guiding values as they pertain to AI.
At its best, self-awareness shows us our blindspots, too, so we can avoid them interfering with our openness to AI.
Focus: Being able to keep your attention on what matters most in the moment is key to productivity. Many people will need to rethink their work, taking advantage of AI to reinvent what they do.
In learning how to use Ai in your job and applying it wisely focus will make the difference between an excellent and mediocre adjustment.
Emotional Balance: This ability means we can keep strong negative emotions – like fears about AI – from determining what we do. We can take a mindful moment and respond nimbly rather than from a knee-jerk reaction.
We can move beyond blind reactivity to learning how best to collaborate with AI.
Adaptability: This may be the key Ei competence in becoming part of an AI workplace. Along with emotional balance, our adaptability lets us adjust to any massive transformation. The AI future will be different from the present in ways we can’t know in advance.
Adaptability means we can pivot to use AI as needed – not just react with fear or anger.
Goal Achievement: Usually achieving goals has meant keeping our eye on what matters despite the distractions and crises of the day. But in the future we may be able to increase what we’re capable of achieving, using AI as a partner.
This could mean being better able to achieve not just your personal goals, but also organizational and societal improvements as well.
Positive Outlook: Staying optimistic means we can engage openly to create the new AI world.
And we can do so without being anxiously defensive or reactive on the one hand, nor unrealistically optimistic on the other.
Relationship Skills
Empathy: There are three kinds of empathy, and AI can duplicate some but not all. AI is brilliant at cognitive empathy, knowing how people think. And AI can imitate emotional empathy. But unless it has been programmed to be ethical (and sadly most such programs are not), AI will never replace genuine empathic concern.
This human ability helps us see our shared humanity and highlights a key difference between AI and being human.
Organizational Awareness: This understanding of the power dynamics , information flow, and decision-making in your organization matter greatly for the smooth implementation of AI.
How do influencers in your workplace feel about AI? That will ripple through the system for better or worse.
In my next newsletter I’ll explore how relationship abilities will help leaders and organizations adjust to the new AI reality.
But for now...
Buyer Beware!
There are many programs being offered these days for developing emotional intelligence. Some work better than others. A few may not do much at all, while a others may have outstanding results.
The problem: there is no independent, third-party assessment of how well (or badly) a given development program works.
There is only one program I endorse: The Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence courses at KeyStepMedia. To take a look, click here.
