By Tom Emery
As AI and disruption reshape work, people-centred leaders who prioritise trust, empathy, and human connection will be best equipped to guide teams through uncertainty.
Talk of AI and disruption is everywhere. It’s unknown. Uncertain. Faster, cleverer, more concise than I can ever hope to be. Its potential feels unlimited.
I often talk to executives about the disruption they’re observing – AI or otherwise. Every leader says the same thing: their organisation is going through massive change.
We often see change as a threat
I’m excited by change, but also struggle with it. Change surfaces my weaknesses, my fear of the unknown. I feel fear, shame, and defensiveness.
And although change often brings opportunity, we often see it as a threat.
This is where leadership comes in. Not high-charisma, attention-seeking, overly ambitious leadership. A calmer, warmer, and more present kind. One that helps people make sense of uncertainty, build optimism about the future.
AI is often framed as the biggest disruptor we’ve encountered. But hasn’t every generation looked at the future with a mix of fear and possibility?
I was speaking to someone recently who started work in 1989. Instead of computers on the desks, there were ashtrays. Everyone had an ‘in-tray’ and an ‘out-tray’. Her job was to collect the paper memos from the out-trays and deliver them to the in-trays. She was a human email system.
The world of work is changing
When I started work, we had fewer computers than people. Shared email inboxes. We clocked in and out at a machine which manually stamped an attendance card.
The world of work has not just started to change. It’s always been changing. Leadership is the constant.
I was working with a c-suite leader last week who’s struggling with her boss. She spent 45 minutes of our session in tears. We didn’t solve the issue there and then. We couldn’t. For long periods, we stayed silent. We sat in the anxiety of uncertainty, inadequacy injustice.
I listened. When we parted company, we hugged. I told her that whatever happened next, I believed she would be ok. She felt better. Not great. But better.
This is people-centred leadership. Not having all the answers. Just providing connection, steadiness, belonging.
Amy Cuddy, Matthew Kohut and John Neffinger made a related argument in their Harvard Business Review article Connect, Then Lead. They found that effective leadership starts with human connection before authority. Leaders gain influence when they establish warmth and trust first, and only then demonstrate strength and competence.
Digital disruption, and the uncertainty it brings, can only be tackled through connection. This is the foundation of leading through change. We often forget this. We ignore concerns. Leave issues unsurfaced. Rely on the plan. We forget that at the end of change, there are human beings. Messy, beautiful, complex. All unique and reacting in the only way they know how.
Many organisations feel pressure to adopt AI to stay competitive, but this is just the beginning. The most successful firms will humanise the way they do it. Make sense of it for employees. This is where people-centred leadership comes in.
Here are a few areas to focus on:
Recognise this might be scary for some, but that you can’t control how people feel
Disruption creates uncertainty. Uncertainty creates emotion. Emotion shapes behaviour.
We all have our default response to pressure. Mine is action: I want to prove myself. Show everyone ‘I’ve got this’. But responding too quickly can often be damaging. Others go quiet or withdraw. Some become aggressive. Some will ask for reassurance again and again.
Often, I see leaders trying too hard to make people feel good about disruption or challenges. They stay in the conversation too long and try to control the outcome. If a team member is struggling, a better course of action is sometimes to stop talking. Listen. Tell them you’re there if they need you. Agree when you’ll return to the conversation, and leave them to process their thoughts.
Surface the difficult issues
It’s easy to tell ourselves that it’s kinder to avoid difficult topics or protect people from threats. This isn’t kindness, it’s what Kim Scott calls ‘ruinous empathy’.
Our employees are adults. They should be treated as such. By surfacing challenges, talking about difficult topics, and empowering individuals to manage their own response, you will build trust, connection, and safety.
Just make sure that you make yourself available to talk when your team needs you.
Make it easy and accessible
AI and digital disruption are overwhelming for some people. For those that find the digital world intimidating, people-centred leaders make the change simple, easy, and accessible.
They do this by listening to individual needs and making information accessible. They acknowledge people’s fears, but they provide them with a roadmap to move through the disruption.
They tell the story of change, and they help break down action into manageable steps. They allow people to process and get used to change incrementally. They know they can’t control how people respond to change, but also that by moving towards them, listening, and simplifying, people will feel supported.
Create a positive picture of the future
Some of us are instinctively positive, whereas others are better at spotting risks. I can be overly optimistic about people’s ability to manage disruption and change, which means sometimes I can move too fast or become frustrated. Be aware of your preferences.
People-centred leaders are realistic about challenges, but focus on building optimism and confidence about the future. They recognise that disruption usually passes, and that people move on with it.
In conclusion
Leading through disruption isn’t really about tech. It’s about people. All businesses will continue to experience disruption, but what will stay constant is the need to focus on human beings. The best leaders will be the ones who realise this. They stay connected, listen, and make it ok to feel uncertain.
AI and the disruption it’s causing still scare me. The world feels faster, cleverer, more unpredictable. Today’s AI capability is tomorrow’s ashtray on the desk.
But when we prioritise trust, empathy, and courage, we can find our way through and bring others with us.
Tom Emery
