More Human by Rasmus Hougaard & Jacqueline Carter posits that AI represents a critical inflection point for leadership. The central thesis is that AI, if approached with foresight, can catalyze a renaissance in leadership, making leaders paradoxically more human. This is achieved by delegating tactical tasks to AI, thereby freeing up time and cognitive space for leaders to focus on innately human skills. The future of leadership is not a choice between human or machine, but a “both/and” approach of augmentation, where leaders who leverage AI will replace those who do not.

The framework for this new paradigm rests on three core human qualities that leaders must cultivate to effectively partner with AI:

1. Awareness: The ability to provide uniquely human context to the vast content generated by AI.
2. Wisdom: The capacity to ask insightful human questions to guide and critically evaluate the answers provided by AI.
3. Compassion: The skill of combining the human heart with the analytical power of AI algorithms to do hard things in a human way.

Cultivating these qualities begins with understanding and managing one’s own mind, which is the foundation of effective leadership. The document outlines actionable mindsets and practices to develop these core qualities. Research data consistently shows that leaders who embody high levels of awareness, wisdom, and compassion create significantly better work experiences, fostering greater trust, commitment, psychological safety, and job satisfaction while reducing burnout and turnover. The imperative for leaders is a dual commitment: to double down on inner development and to proactively integrate AI into every facet of their work to unleash this new, more human potential.

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I. The Dawn of Augmented Leadership

The introduction of generative AI has brought leadership to a crucial crossroads. The choice is between creating an era of impersonal, mechanical efficiency or catalyzing a golden age of human-centered leadership. The research presented argues that by strategically delegating tasks and augmenting skills with AI, leaders can enhance organizational performance while unlocking a more fulfilling human experience at work.

The Three Promises of AI for Leadership

The analysis identifies three primary ways AI can transform leadership:

1. Save Time for Human Connection: AI can automate and simplify tactical and administrative leadership activities. As Ellyn Shook of Accenture notes, an AI tool that summarizes performance data reduced her prep time from 45 minutes to 5, allowing her to spend the saved time preparing “how to make the performance conversation a positive experience for the team member.” The key is to reinvest this saved time not in more tasks, but in elevating the human experience for employees.
2. Enable Ultra-Personalized Leadership: AI’s processing power allows leaders to gain unprecedented insight into employees’ unique needs, preferences, and well-being. Francine Katsoudas of Cisco states, “with AI, leaders have the potential to gain better insight into the key elements of an employee’s well-being and better support their individual needs.” This enables a shift from generalized management to a highly tailored approach that respects individual complexity.
3. Elevate the Best of Our Humanness: AI can act as an “exoskeleton for the mind and heart,” strengthening a leader’s cognitive, emotional, and social capacities. It can enhance decision-making, deepen understanding of team dynamics, and help leaders be more consistent with their values. However, this potential is only unlocked when paired with a commitment to human development; relying on the tool without improving the driver is ineffective.

II. The “Both/And” Paradigm: The Art of the Toggle

The core principle for effective leadership in the AI era is augmentation—adopting a “both/and” mindset that leverages the complementary strengths of humans and machines. This requires mastering the “art of the toggle,” a dynamic process of moving between human and AI capabilities.

Human Strengths	Human Limitations	AI Strengths	AI Limitations
Context, Intuition, Care, Vision	Emotions, Biases, Inconsistency	Data, Analysis, Speed, Scale	Mechanical, Biased, No Ethics
Asking “Why,” Critical Judgment	Limited Processing Capacity	Generating Content, Finding Patterns	Lacks “Common Sense,” Context
Empathy, Connection, Morality	Subjectivity, Fatigue	Personalization, Unemotional Logic	“Black Box” Problem, No Heart

Employee Preference for the “Imperfect Human”

Despite AI’s capabilities, research reveals a strong employee preference for human leaders, especially in emotionally resonant areas.

• Trust: 57% of employees do not trust AI to understand human behavior better than a human leader.
• Emotional Analysis: 60% are concerned about AI analyzing and leveraging employee emotions for decisions.
• Hiring & Promotions: 69% have concerns about AI making decisions about hiring, promotions, and work assignments.
• Negative Feedback: Only 25% would be comfortable receiving negative performance feedback from AI, while 55% would be uncomfortable.

This indicates that the most crucial leadership moments require an authentic human touch that AI cannot replicate. The value proposition for human leaders lies in the messy, emotional, and relational aspects of work.

III. The Foundation: Leadership Starts with the Mind

The ability to cultivate awareness, wisdom, and compassion begins with the leader’s own mind. In an age of increasing information overload and distraction, managing one’s inner state is no longer a soft skill but a critical capacity. The “Human Leader Compass” is a model where leadership starts with the mind, which then enables the development of the three core qualities, each supported by five actionable mindsets.

Techniques for Mind Management

To counter the “tsunami of information,” leaders must proactively cultivate a clear and spacious mind. Three primary practices are recommended:

1. Working with the Mind (Meditation): The practice of familiarizing oneself with the mind to observe thoughts and emotions without being controlled by them. This rewires the brain to operate more from the prefrontal cortex (System 2 thinking), enhancing executive function, emotional regulation, and clarity.
2. Working with the Breath (Breath Work): Ancient techniques like pranayama that modulate the autonomic nervous system, shifting it from a “fight-or-flight” state to a “rest-and-digest” state, thereby promoting calm and balance.
3. Working with the Body (Mind-Body Practices): Practices like yoga that integrate the mind and body, enhancing mental clarity, emotional stability, and inner calm.

IV. The Three Core Qualities of the AI-Augmented Leader

A. Awareness: Context + Content

Awareness is the perceptual capacity to observe internal and external experiences to cultivate clarity and presence. The AI-augmented leader uses this quality to provide essential human context to the vast content generated by AI.

• How AI Enhances Awareness:
  • Self-Awareness: Creating an “AI proxy” of oneself to uncover personal biases and blind spots.
  • Relational Awareness: Using AI to analyze team dynamics, communication patterns, and non-verbal cues in meetings to “see the unseen.”
  • Situational Awareness: Leveraging AI to analyze big data on employee retention, market trends, and other environmental factors.
• Key Mindsets for Awareness:
  • Equanimity: Maintaining mental balance and composure, avoiding attachment or aversion.
  • Self-Mastery: Monitoring and regulating emotions and thoughts to align actions with values.
  • Presence: Being fully attentive to the present moment, task, and people.
  • Clarity: Eliminating mental clutter to maintain a clear, focused mind.
  • Adaptability: Adjusting to the diverse needs of people and evolving circumstances.

B. Wisdom: Questions + Answers

Wisdom is the discerning capacity to form sound judgment by understanding reality as it is, free from the limitations of the ego. It involves seeing interdependence and impermanence. The AI-augmented leader’s role is not to have all the answers, but to ask the right questions and apply critical judgment to AI’s outputs.

• How AI Enhances Wisdom:
  • Data-Driven Insights: Utilizing people analytics for more objective talent management decisions.
  • Enhancing Creativity: Using AI as a brainstorming partner to generate novel ideas and explore “what if” scenarios.
  • Challenging Thinking: Employing AI as an objective partner to challenge assumptions and simulate outcomes from diverse perspectives, free from organizational politics.
• Key Mindsets for Wisdom:
  • Integrity: Demonstrating strong moral principles and ethical behavior.
  • Beginner’s Mind: Approaching situations with curiosity and openness, free from preconceptions.
  • Critical Thinking: Evaluating information objectively, questioning assumptions and biases.
  • Humility: Recognizing one’s limitations and being open to learning from others.
  • Selflessness: Prioritizing the needs of the team and organization over personal gain.

C. Compassion: Heart + Algorithm

Compassion is the responsive capacity to provide genuine care with the intention of benefiting others. It is about doing hard things in a human way. The AI-augmented leader combines the authentic human heart with insights from AI algorithms to lead with care and strength.

• How AI Enhances Compassion:
  • Tailoring Leadership: Using AI insights from personality assessments (e.g., Enneagram) to personalize communication and motivation for each team member.
  • Boosting Communication: Employing sentiment analysis to understand employee concerns and craft more empathetic and effective messages.
  • Personalized Coaching: Leveraging AI as a “coach in your pocket” to provide real-time feedback and development support.
• Key Mindsets for Compassion:
  • Courage: The inner strength to overcome fear and take necessary, often difficult, action.
  • Presilience: Proactively preparing to face challenges without getting knocked off balance.
  • Emotional Intelligence: Recognizing, understanding, and managing one’s own emotions and those of others.
  • Purpose: Aligning work with core values in the pursuit of a greater good.
  • Trust: Creating a psychologically safe environment where people feel valued and secure.

V. Key Research Findings

The book’s recommendations are supported by quantitative research from four studies involving over 2,500 leaders and employees. The data reveals a powerful correlation between the core human qualities and both leadership effectiveness and readiness for an AI-augmented future.

Impact of Leaders High in Awareness, Wisdom, and Compassion (vs. Low)	% Improvement
Employee Trust in Leadership	+97%
Employee Commitment to the Organization	+65%
Psychological Safety	+61%
Job Satisfaction	+49%
Likelihood to Quit (Reduction)	-37%
Job Burnout (Reduction)	-31%

Furthermore, leaders rated high in these human qualities are perceived as far more capable of leveraging AI effectively:

Observer Perception of Leaders High in Awareness, Wisdom, & Compassion	% Agreement
Excels at providing context	88%
Adept at identifying relevant content	87%
Asks thought-provoking questions	78%
Demonstrates leading with their heart	82%
Good at interpreting AI-generated answers	49%
Effectively leverages AI algorithms	39%

VI. Conclusion: The Imperative to Become More Human

The age of AI will not make human leadership obsolete; it will make it more essential than ever. Leaders who fail to embrace AI will be left behind, not by AI itself, but by AI-augmented leaders who can operate on a higher level of human engagement. As Dimitra Manis of S&P Global stated, AI will change expectations: “There will be no such thing as ‘I don’t have time to lead my people.’”

The path forward requires a dual commitment:

1. Double Down on Inner Development: Proactively invest time in understanding and managing the mind to build the foundational capacity for awareness, wisdom, and compassion.
2. Integrate and Embrace AI: Actively explore and apply AI tools in all leadership activities—not as a replacement, but as a partner to augment and elevate human capabilities.

The future belongs to leaders who can master this synergy, leveraging technology not to become more like machines, but to become profoundly and effectively more human.

Contact Factoring Specialist, Chris Lehnes

Study Guide for More Human

Quiz: Short-Answer Questions

Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences each, based on the provided source context.

1. What is the central paradox the authors discovered about the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence on leadership?
2. The text introduces the “age of augmentation.” What does this term mean, and what is the key mindset leaders must adopt to thrive in it?
3. What are the three core human qualities of AI-augmented leadership, and what fundamental neurological processes do they correspond to?
4. Explain the concept of “toggling” as it applies to the AI-augmented leader. Provide a brief example of how it works in practice.
5. According to the authors, why must leadership start with the mind, and why is this focus particularly critical in the age of AI?
6. Describe the “human leader compass” model. What are its primary components and its purpose?
7. How can a leader create and use an “AI proxy” to enhance their self-awareness?
8. In the context of wisdom, what is the critical role of a human leader when interacting with AI systems that can provide vast amounts of answers instantly?
9. What is the neurological difference between empathy and compassion, and why is this distinction important for effective leadership?
10. According to the text, will AI replace human leaders? Explain the authors’ conclusion on this matter.

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Answer Key

1. The central paradox is that, contrary to fears of a robotic work reality, AI can actually make leaders more human. By delegating tactical tasks to AI and using it to augment their skills, leaders can save time and redirect their focus toward creating positive human experiences, thereby mining and maximizing the best of human potential.
2. The “age of augmentation” is an era where tools like AI actively interact with us, changing how we perceive and engage with the world. To thrive, leaders must adopt a “both/and mindset,” which means leveraging both the analytical power of AI and their most authentic human qualities in a synergistic relationship.
3. The three core human qualities are awareness, wisdom, and compassion. These leadership qualities correspond to the fundamental neurological processes of perception (observing experiences), discernment (forming sound judgment), and response (acting with intention).
4. “Toggling” is the practice of fluidly moving between human strengths (like intuition and context-setting) and AI’s capabilities (like data analysis and content generation). A leader preparing for a difficult conversation might first use human intuition to set the context, then use AI to analyze the situation and role-play, before finally applying human critical thought to the AI’s suggestions.
5. Leadership starts with the mind because a leader’s mind creates their thoughts, which in turn create their actions and shape the reality of their employees. This focus is critical in the age of AI because the human mind is not naturally equipped to handle the relentless onslaught of information from technology, which risks making leaders overwhelmed, overworked, and mentally exhausted.
6. The human leader compass is a model showing that leadership starts with the mind. By understanding and managing the mind, a leader can cultivate the three core qualities of awareness, wisdom, and compassion. The model further shows that each of these qualities is accelerated by adopting five specific, scientifically validated mindsets.
7. A leader can create an AI proxy by providing a secure AI tool with extensive personal information, such as their personality type, writing samples, and opinions. This enhances self-awareness by acting as an objective mirror, helping the leader uncover personal biases and blind spots by analyzing how they might respond in challenging situations.
8. While AI excels at providing answers based on enormous amounts of data, it lacks wisdom and cannot discern right from wrong. The critical role of the human leader is to ask good questions, apply critical thinking, and wisely deliberate on the answers provided by AI, ensuring that decisions are not just smart but also ethical and aligned with human values.
9. Neurologically, empathy originates from the emotional centers of the brain, allowing us to feel what others feel. Compassion, however, is an intention activated in the executive functioning areas of the brain that drives us to take appropriate action for the greater good. The distinction is crucial because leaders must connect with empathy but lead with compassion to do hard things in a human way.
10. The authors conclude that AI will not replace human leaders. Instead, leaders who fail to leverage AI to augment their leadership will be replaced by those who do. This is because AI lacks authentic emotional engagement, wisdom, and the ability to provide context—uniquely human qualities that employees prefer and which are essential for the most important elements of leadership.

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Essay Questions

The following questions are designed for longer, essay-style responses to encourage deeper reflection on the book’s central themes. Answers are not provided.

1. The authors argue that AI presents a “major inflection point” for leadership. Discuss the two potential paths leaders can take—a “renaissance” of human leadership versus an era of “mechanical, impersonal efficiency.” Analyze the key choices, practices, and mindsets that will determine which path an organization follows.
2. Analyze the concept of the “AI-Augmented Leader” by explaining the complementary relationship between human qualities (context, questions, heart) and AI capabilities (content, answers, algorithm). Use examples from the text to illustrate how this synergy works in practice for each of the three core qualities: awareness, wisdom, and compassion.
3. The text outlines numerous risks and benefits of AI for the “mind of the leader,” including the dualities of supercharged intelligence versus cognitive laziness and data-driven insights versus inherent bias. Evaluate these risks and explain how the practices of mind-training and “thinking slowly” can help leaders mitigate them while maximizing the benefits.
4. The “human leader compass” is presented as a roadmap for leadership, starting with the mind. Explain the relationship between managing the mind and cultivating the three core qualities. Choose one of the core qualities (awareness, wisdom, or compassion) and discuss in detail how its five associated mindsets help a leader operationalize that quality in their daily work.
5. The book’s central argument is that to succeed in the age of AI, leaders must become “more human.” Discuss this apparent paradox. How does leveraging a machine enhance a leader’s humanity, and why is this enhancement a critical new standard for leadership in the future?

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Glossary of Key Terms

Term	Definition
AI-Augmented Leader	A leader who develops the three core human qualities of awareness, wisdom, and compassion and embraces the best of both human and AI capabilities. This leader skillfully provides context to AI-generated content, uses wisdom to ask thoughtful questions about AI-provided answers, and leverages algorithmic power to provide an authentic, heartfelt, human experience.
Age of Augmentation	The current era of work where tools, specifically AI, are actively interacting with humans in ways that change how they perceive and engage with the world. It is a shift from the Information Age, where tools were passive, to an age where they actively listen, analyze, learn, and predict.
Awareness	The perceptual capacity of the mind to observe both internal and external experiences with the intention of cultivating mental clarity, agility, and executive presence. It encompasses self-awareness, relational awareness, and situational awareness.
Beginner’s Mind	The ability to see people and situations with fresh eyes, as if for the first time, without letting preexisting beliefs or past experiences color one’s approach. It combines expertise with openness and a lack of assumptions.
Bodhichitta	A concept from Buddhist tradition that can be understood in secular terms as a profound dedication to benefit others. In leadership, it is an authentic commitment to genuinely improve the world through one’s actions and decisions, where the success of the business is intertwined with the welfare of all it touches.
Both/And Mindset	The key principle of augmentation where a leader must leverage both the power of AI and their most human qualities simultaneously. It rejects an “either-or” approach in favor of a synergistic relationship between human and machine.
Compassion	The responsive capacity of the mind to provide genuine care, with the intention of benefiting others and contributing to the greater good. It is the ability to do hard things in a human way, requiring courage and strength rather than being a “soft” or weak skill.
Critical Thinking	The ability to thoroughly evaluate situations and make informed decisions by considering biases, questioning assumptions, analyzing information objectively, and synthesizing insights. It is an essential skill to counter the risk of cognitive laziness when AI provides instant answers.
Emotional Intelligence	The ability to recognize, understand, and manage one’s own emotions as well as those of others. It enables leaders to surface and address underlying emotions and respond with compassion.
Empathy	A neurological process originating from the emotional centers of the brain that allows one to see and feel what others see and feel. It is distinct from compassion, which is an intention activated in the executive functioning areas of the brain.
Equanimity	The ability to balance thoughts and emotions to avoid being swept away by extreme impulses like craving or aversion. It is a mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper in the face of both positive and negative events.
Human Leader Compass	A model depicting that leadership starts with the mind. By managing the mind, a leader can cultivate the three core qualities of awareness, wisdom, and compassion, which are in turn accelerated by adopting fifteen specific, validated mindsets (five for each quality).
Humility	The awareness of one’s limitations and a genuine openness to learning new things, without ego or pretense. It is not about self-deprecation but about having a realistic view of one’s role and recognizing the inherent value in others.
Integrity	Consistently demonstrating ethical behavior and strong moral principles. It involves being honest, transparent, authentic, and accountable, laying the foundation for trust and credibility.
Mindsets	Attitudes or ideas based on underlying beliefs that shape how we see and experience the world. They act as neurological lenses that determine how one perceives situations and approaches obstacles.
Presence	The ability to be fully attentive to oneself, the people one is with, the task at hand, and the surrounding environment. It is the ability to “be here now” and avoid autopilot reactions.
Presilience	A blend of foresight and resilience; the ability to proactively prepare oneself to face challenges without getting knocked off balance. It involves anticipating and better responding to stressors when they arise, rather than just reacting to them.
Prompt Engineering	The art of crafting clear, contextual, and objective queries (prompts) that effectively communicate with AI systems to elicit valuable and relevant insights or actions.
Psychological Safety	A sense of safety that leads to greater employee engagement, better performance, and is a key enabler of team effectiveness. Research shows leaders high in awareness, wisdom, and compassion create significantly more psychological safety.
Purpose	The ability to align one’s work with core values in the pursuit of the greater good. It provides a clear sense of direction and meaning that transcends daily tasks.
Self-Awareness	A form of awareness involving introspection and the ability to assess one’s own capabilities, biases, strengths, limitations, and emotional state.
Self-Mastery	The ability to monitor and regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and experiences, combined with the discipline to make choices in line with one’s values. It is an ongoing journey of continuous learning and personal improvement.
Selflessness	The ability to overcome the limitations of ego and focus on the greater good. It involves prioritizing the needs and well-being of the team and organization over personal gain.
Situational Awareness	A leader’s ability to “read the room,” understand the undercurrents within the organization, and anticipate the implications of external events.
Toggling	The practice of mastering the dance between human and AI qualities, creating a synergy where technology amplifies human potential. It involves fluidly moving between leaning into human strengths (like context-setting) and leveraging AI capabilities (like data analysis).
Trust	An environment where people feel safe, valued, and free to share contrary views without fear of being penalized or judged. It is the currency of high-performing teams.
Wisdom	The discerning capacity of the mind to form sound judgment by understanding reality as it is, free of the limitations of the ego. It involves applying insight, experience, critical thinking, and social and emotional intelligence to ask good questions and make decisions that balance short-term gains with long-term ethical considerations.