As we are catapulted from the pivotal societal changes of the Digital Revolution into the Intelligence Revolution, the impact of AI dominates conversations across the workplace. At all levels of seniority, AI is changing how we operate, confronting people with existential questions as leaders must predict how to stay ahead of the competitive curve.

In the next decade, the pace of change will transform work in ways we can’t yet imagine. What will set organisations apart is their leaders’ ability to amplify the talents of diverse, adaptive teams to profit from emerging opportunities and solve problems of increasing complexity. Success won’t be determined simply by an ability to keep up with technology—but by leaders who can harness human skills beyond the scope of AI.

Leadership Strengths for the Future

“Neurodiversity may be every bit as crucial for the human race as biodiversity is for life in general. Who can say what form of wiring will be best at any given moment?”  – Harvey Blume, The Atlantic 1998

There is no doubt that the development of AI has led to a machine of incredible linear thinking capability. Its ability to replicate and rearrange our words and ideas synthesising humanity’s most creative endeavours is astonishing. However, human capability will remain beyond the grasp of AI if we create the environment required for diverse strengths to flourish.

Empathy, objectivity, relationship management, coaching, adaptability, and teamwork along with critical and creative thinking are qualities that will stand out in the Intelligence Revolution.

While AI is proficient at linear thinking beyond human capability, the importance of lateral thinking, more prevalent with neurodivergent individuals, is predicted to rise as we seek leaders who can give us a competitive edge. For example, dyslexic individuals often show enhanced creative abilities, particularly in areas requiring novel thinking with an ability to combine ideas in unique ways.

With spikey profiles, many neurodivergent individuals will have been overlooked by those seeking a “well-rounded leader” but as we have seen through notable leaders like Richard Branson and Ikea’s Ingvar Kamprad, neurodivergent individuals can steer organisations in bold new directions.

Cognitive diversity enriches leadership teams by enabling individuals to draw on their unique life experiences, generating innovative solutions that may not have been considered by others. Diversity, equity, and inclusion isn’t simply an issue of morality. It’s undeniably what’s best for business, as Gartner’s 2022 research found gender-diverse and inclusive teams outperformed gender-homogeneous, less inclusive teams by 50% on average.

Being able to identify, develop, and recruit for human-centred strengths within inclusive teams that are accepting of the whole individual will allow more of those quintessentially human qualities to guide us through the challenges ahead.

Enhancing Objectivity in Recruitment

Recruiting and developing our leadership teams to encourage a climate that supports these strengths requires excellent judgment.

We have, at our fingertips, new tools for recruitment with AI able to sift through CVs and compile data at previously unfathomable speed. The recruiting and hiring sector now make up 28% of the global generative AI in the HR market. While AI can gather data and make decisions, the data is only as good as its source and can be influenced by historical bias within organisations.

For example, Amazon discovered a gendered bias within its algorithm that had identified male dominance and interpreted this as a factor for success. Rather than the algorithm attributing this to the low proportion of women working in the company, this led to a pattern of sexism against female candidates.

Similarly, the brain’s tendency to conserve energy means we can be equally biased to similarity effects. It takes vigilance to ensure objectivity, but with human reasoning and empathy we can learn to recognise and overcome our biases, something AI can’t yet do.

We can also employ psychometrics to mitigate the risk of bias in recruitment and leadership development decisions but only when the right tools are in qualified hands.

Using Psychometrics Responsibly

Organisations frequently employ psychometric tools beyond their intended scope, placing excessive emphasis on data. Despite guidance from test publishers, adherence to best practices remains inconsistent. This can lead to oversimplified definitions of potential with cavalier disregard for the impact on individuals’ career prospects along with their self-belief.

At Zircon, we’ve heard shocking stories of people who were told they don’t have leadership potential simply due to the data revealed by a personality questionnaire. Countless more have fallen victim to those who let go of accountability when making decisions, blindly following what the “data says”, relying on oversimplified psychometrics.

Jignesh Ramji, Chief Talent Officer reflects: Over the years in my senior roles within Talent or HR, organisations have been very keen on deploying a data-driven approach to assess short and long-term capability – using a vast range of psychometric tools (usually trait-based).

In a previous technology organisation, senior hiring was limited as the organisation had a great track record of growing internal talent. However, when an external hire was to be brought in, the organisation was keen to take a data-driven approach. After several hires didn’t work out, it became evident that the tools and approach lacked organisational and cultural context.

In particular, our research found that strengths better predicted long-term success at the organisation rather than traits. This led to a 12-month study to test this hypothesis and ensure validity and reliability across levels and geographies. We arrived at a new talent philosophy focused on strengths-based assessment for selection, promotion, and development.

This new global framework provided a much stronger predictor and resulted in a number of successful senior hires. With insight into individual strengths, our approach also predicted an improved employee experience for those new to the organisation.

With it, we were able to create a new model of potential across the organisation, a strengths-based tool that helped to define a new range of leadership possibilities rather than providing a binary yes or no.

Inclusive Human Centred Assessment

True cognitively diverse teams are inclusive of people with not only different life experiences but also those whose brains experience life differently. However, many psychometric tests were developed without accommodation for neurodivergence like autism, dyslexia, and ADHD.

As many neurodivergent thinkers process information and deviate from neurotypical norms when solving problems, standard tests may not account for these variations, resulting in an inaccurate assessment of their strengths.

It is therefore crucial to adapt testing methods to accommodate neurodivergence, such as providing extended time and alternative formats, or considering alternative assessment approaches that better capture the diverse ways individuals think and perform.

Jignesh cites creating and deploying a strengths-based model of potential as one of the biggest learnings in his career. His desire to develop a human-centred talent philosophy for all brought us together and is undeniably the way forward for building the cognitively diverse teams so vital for our future.

As we endeavour to find innovative solutions to the big problems we currently face, the Intelligence Revolution may allow us to expand the criteria for what makes a great leader even further. The organisations inviting everyone to bring their whole selves to the table will be able to stay ahead of the curve in this era of continuous change.

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