Time to Read: 3 mins
Recently, AI and Leadership have been getting a lot of attention in my professional circles.
But there’s one specific aspect that’s not talked about often enough.
🤖 So let’s talk about it.
Yes, AI is getting better and better every day.
You ask a question and it quickly gives you an answer that sounds right.
But here’s what’s worried me for a while now…
The answers are being accepted as gospel, with little to no critical thinking applied.
In the process, critical thinking skills are being diminished.
As a leadership coach, this scares me! 😱
After all, critical thinking is an essential skill for effective leadership… but overuse of AI is chasing it away.
Now, don’t get me wrong.
This isn’t an “AI is bad, avoid it at all costs” message. I myself use it every day.
But it is an acknowledgement that…
The more we rely on AI for answers, the less we engage in the thinking process ourselves.
And while I’ve held this opinion for a while, I’ve had no evidence to back it up…
Until now.
The studies are in, and the research is clear:
AI use is tied to reduced critical thinking, largely because we start “offloading” the thinking to the tool itself.
In fact, researchers have found a growing divide between people who leverage AI to enhance their thinking and those who allow it to think for them.
And here’s the problem…
When you allow it to do the thinking for you, you spend less time:
🔶 sitting in ambiguity
🔶 working through ideas
🔶 challenging our own assumptions
All of which are crucial elements for critical thinking and effective leadership.
Because, thinking is a muscle. It grows with use. 🧠💪
But fail to use it, and it will atrophy and diminish.
And that’s what I’m seeing across the board — both personally and professionally.
As the research shows, letting AI do the heavy lifting is a form of “cognitive offloading”, and the more you rely on AI, the more your own judgment and reasoning start to weaken.
So when I hear people talk about AI and leadership… and how they wonder if AI will replace leaders… I think there’s a more important question to explore:
What kind of leaders are we becoming now that AI is at our fingertips?
True, we may be faster. And perhaps even more efficient.
BUT, are we becoming:
🧠 more thoughtful?
🎯 more intentional?
🔍 more discerning?
This is where self-leadership matters more than ever.
Because… before you ever lead someone else, you’re leading your own thinking.
And if AI is diminishing your ability to think critically, what impact will it have on your leadership?
That’s the tension to resolve.
💡 Practionable Takeaway
The next time you reach for an answer, whether it’s from AI, Google, etc., pause for just a moment, and ask yourself…
How can I use AI to enhance my thinking, instead of allowing it to think for me?
That question alone will engage your critical thinking skills. And applying your answer will take it a step further.
Because the reality is... AI is here. We can’t put the genie back in the lamp.
But we can stay in relationship with our own thinking while using it.
And that’s self-leadership in action.
🎥 Want to Go Deeper?
We may be having the same impact on someone else's thinking that AI is having on ours… without even knowing it!
This week’s video looks at a very specific leadership moment — when someone comes to you with a problem, and how your response shapes their thinking over time.
You can check it out here.👇
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To Your Success,
Laura 💜🧡
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