The discourse around artificial intelligence in the workplace is full of dystopian predictions and utopian promises. Will it eradicate jobs or usher in a new era of human creativity? For managers and leaders, the question is more pointed: will advances in AI make my role obsolete? The answer is a definite no. AI will not replace managers. It will, however, act as a great accelerator, eliminating the administrative crutches that many have relied on for decades and exposing a critical deficit in our organizations: the inability to truly manage people.
For over a century, the dominant management model has been that of command and control. Managers were expected to be the center of knowledge, the primary problem solvers and arbiters of work. Promotion to management was typically a reward for acquiring technical skills in a particular area, creating a legion of what the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) called “accidental managers” – individuals promoted for their knowledge but completely unprepared for the human complexities of leadership. In the United Kingdom alone, the CMI estimates that 82 percent of managers do not receive any formal preparation or training to carry out the people management aspects of their role.
It is for this category of manager that AI is aimed. The manager whose primary value lies in holding information, creating reports, assigning tasks, and solving routine problems is standing in front of a trapdoor. Generative AI and advanced analytics can now perform these functions with unprecedented speed and efficiency. Knowledge is no longer power because knowledge is omnipresent. A recent MIT Sloan study found that access to AI tools increased productivity for knowledge workers by more than 40 percent, largely due to the automation of information synthesis and retrieval, the very tasks that once occupied a manager’s day. When the “what” and “how” of a task are automated, what is left for the manager to do?
The answer is all that really matters: the “who” and the “why”. What remains are deeply human skills that AI cannot replicate. These include fostering psychological safety, building trust, inspiring motivation, managing conflict, and cultivating an employee’s innate potential. In this new landscape, the role of the manager is shifting from that of primary problem solver to that of primary facilitator. Success will no longer be measured by the solutions proposed by a manager, but by the problem-solving skills he develops within his teams.
This is where the management crisis becomes painfully obvious. Despite decades of investment worldwide in leadership development programs, with everyone striving to invent their own version of a management wheel, employee engagement levels remain stubbornly low. Gallup reports that only 10 percent of workers in the UK., for example, feel involved in their work. Globally, the proportion of employees facing high daily stress has steadily increased over the past 20 years to 41 percent, and almost 60 percent for those working under poor management. Together, disengagement and stress are estimated to cost the global economy $8.9 trillion per year, or about 9% of global GDP.
Traditional management approaches, which focus on telling, directing and correcting, don’t match how people learn and perform. By removing autonomy and short-circuiting learning, they unintentionally fuel disengagement and burnout, precisely the outcomes that organizations can least afford in an AI-accelerated environment.
The solution requires a fundamental reboot of our management operating system. For years, organizations have attempted to tailor coaching skills to managers through formal session-based models like GROW. These models, although effective in executive coaching contexts, are poorly adapted to the dynamic and fast-paced reality of front-line management. Managers pressed for time rarely have the capacity to hold scheduled hour-long coaching conversations, nor the psychological distance to coach their direct reports while holding them accountable for their performance.
What is needed instead is a more integrated behavioral approach that weaves coaching into the fabric of daily interactions. This means moving from reflective problem solving to facilitating better thinking in others and integrating development into the workflow.
At its core, this approach can be distilled into a simple behavioral sequence summarized as STAR.
Stop: The first and hardest step is to resist the instinct to immediately resolve the issue when an employee raises an issue. Instead of responding quickly, the manager pauses and takes a step back.
Think: During this break, the manager assesses whether it is a good time for coaching. Isn’t the situation urgent? Is there an opportunity for learning rather than saving?
Ask: Rather than telling, the manager takes an inquiry-based approach, using questions to spark reflection and ownership. A subtle but effective change is letting go of the “why?” » focused on blame. solution-focused questions: “what?” ” questions. For example, replacing “Why is it late?” “” with “What obstacles have arisen and what options do we have now?” » changes the tone from accusation to collaboration.
Result: The interaction ends with clear next steps and follow-up, reinforcing accountability while ensuring the employee takes ownership of the outcome and there will be an opportunity for appropriate feedback.
This is not coaching as a formal, scheduled meeting. It’s a 90-second interaction in the hallway or a two-minute exchange on a video call. This is coaching as an ongoing micro-practice. The cumulative impact, however, is macro. Government-funded research carried out by the London School of Economics showed that managers trained in this approach increased the duration they spent 70 percent on workflow coaching. The benefits ripple outward: managers save time as their teams become more empowered, employees feel more valued and confident, and the organization develops a resilient, adaptive, and highly engaged culture.
AI is an era technology that will automate complexity and democratize access to knowledge. This transition will be uncomfortable for managers who have built their authority on being the subject matter expert. But for those who recognize that the future of leadership lies in human relationships, judgment and the search for meaning, this represents the greatest opportunity in a generation.
The challenge is clear: evolve from a task manager to a people developer. AI will increasingly handle tasks. Leaders must manage the meaning and conditions under which people can think best. AI will not replace those who fail to make this change, but it will make them increasingly irrelevant by revealing a new, higher level of leadership.
Dominic Ashley-Timms is the CEO of performance consultancy Notion and co-author of the bestselling book, The answer is a question: the missing superpower that changes everything and will transform your impact as a manager and leader.
