How Business Leaders Can Preserve Authentic Leadership While Leveraging New Technologies
By Pam Abrahamsson, CEO, PRA Public Relations, delivering global impact for technology, financial services and social good leaders.
The presence of AI in the business world is both ubiquitous and ambiguous. In fact, McKinsey reports that 88% of organizations have incorporated some form of AI into at least one of their business functions. However, things get murky when it comes to how successful these technology adoptions have actually been. An astounding 95% of AI pilots are failing, according to MIT, prompting organizations to question the value that artificial intelligence models truly provide.
Simply adopting AI without fully understanding its functionality is as fruitless as hopping into a car with a set of keys without learning how to drive. You may appreciate that the vehicle can get you from point A to point B, but you’ll never get anywhere.
Nowhere is the importance of understanding AI’s purpose and impact more evident than in communications. As tales of “work slop,” imperfectly drafted memos and misunderstood written communications become more common, this lack of precision and clarity underscores the need for real business leadership, exemplified by clear, authentic and original communications.
In over two decades as a professional communicator, I have seen—and prevented—a fair share of “cut and paste” attempts from company executives trying to streamline their communications with key stakeholders such as employees, partners and the media.
“Cut and paste” shortcuts, including plagiarism, tired repetition of trite stock phrases and over-reliance on AI, are really not shortcuts at all. Instead of leading to engagement, consensus and leadership, these tactics make the communication process longer and more cumbersome.
The goal isn’t to use AI as a substitute for authentic communication; it's to use it as a resource that amplifies your leadership domain. Though it’s an invaluable tool, AI can’t replace your knowledge, inspirational ability and unique perspective as an executive innovator.
Here are some fundamental ways you can preserve your authentic leadership in your communications—without relying heavily on AI.
Embrace Your Irreplaceable Value
Your role as an executive leader is built on your experience, industry knowledge, strategic thinking, trend recognition and the ability to navigate the demands of organizational challenges and change. Don’t expect an algorithm to represent you.
Leverage your unique knowledge to share key insights with your stakeholder audiences. AI has its place—cleaning up a misconfigured prepositional phrase or long-winded sentence, for example—but it can never replace the distinct perspective you bring to the table.
Give Stakeholders A Reason To Skip The AI Summary
Take a look at your writing style in annual report letters, memos, project briefs and investor decks for the three Cs of memorable writing. Are you clear, concise and compelling? Or are you making common mistakes like writing in the passive voice, being long-winded or being unnecessarily dry?
Persuasive writing doesn’t require artistic talent—but it does require concise and engaging writing. You may not be Ernest Hemingway, but straightforward advice and clear-cut prose can make your missive a must-read.
Write Authentically, Think Algorithmically
Don’t use AI for your writing. Instead, think of AI as a digital gatekeeper as you write.
AI depends on trusted, authoritative content, reliable research and authentic answers to key questions across the web. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) are key to standard search engine optimization and the AI-powered realm of answer engine optimization (AEO). Also, E-E-A-T plays a role in generative engine optimization (GEO), which is the discipline of structuring written content for AI search.
It’s not in your best interest to abdicate your content to AI generation because you lose your unique voice, perspective and authority—precisely what you need to get noticed in the world of AI search. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t bring in a qualified expert to help you structure and understand the process.
Writing, Like Trust, Takes Time
None of your meaningful relationships—with loved ones, business partners, employees and colleagues—happened overnight. Trust and visibility in the world of executive leadership and written communications don’t happen overnight, either. Consistency is key. As a business leader, it’s not only essential to keep deadlines and communicate frequently, but it’s also imperative to show up consistently and authentically.
You don’t have to write lengthy letters or emerge as the next William Faulkner, but you do need to be consistent, stay focused on the key themes that are vital to the enterprise's success and remain true to the writing style that best defines you and your company.
While you can certainly ask for human help during the brainstorming and writing process, don’t outsource your writing to AI. If you do, you could lose an important connection with your stakeholders and negatively impact your writing’s digital engagement.
The Takeaway
There’s no doubt that artificial intelligence is a groundbreaking technology that’s transforming business, digital search and human engagement. But like a car, you have to learn how to master AI to remain in the driver’s seat of your digital presence and discover how far these tools can support your enterprise success.
As Seen In Forbes
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