AI, Discernment & True Leadership: A Lead True Perspective
In college, I had a professor who often said:
“Measuring is knowing — if you know what you measure.”
That line lodged itself deep inside me. And recently, it resurfaced in a way my younger self could never have imagined. As part of a 14-day AI challenge with CAI Joep Scheele, I fed an old personal astrology report into NotebookLM — one of Google’s new AI-powered knowledge tools. What happened next startled me. Within minutes, the system produced a podcast-style conversation between two AI-generated voices analyzing my life report. They summarized, reflected, drew conclusions, and — chillingly — ended with a provocative question for me to consider. It felt like overhearing two strangers coach me using my own history — fast, nuanced, and oddly confident. For a moment, I was both fascinated and deeply unsettled.
What the * bleep * am I creating and consuming here?
This is Not Just Play
AI tools like this are dazzling. The magic feels real. But their implications are far more profound than many of us fully grasp. Yes — we play with these tools. But they are not toys.
When algorithms analyze deeply personal archives and repurpose them into seemingly insightful reflections, new leadership questions emerge:
What am I feeding into this machine?
How does it influence my own perception?
What judgments is it quietly making for me?
Mo Gawdat (former Chief Business Officer at Google X) offers a sobering reminder:
“The genie is out. There is no putting it back in the bottle.”
We will not regulate our way backward.
There is no safe retreat.
The only way forward is through — with discernment, reflection, and responsibility.
The Lead True Lens: Meeting AI with Conscious Leadership
As I reflected on this experience, I recognized how directly it maps into the Lead True Model for True Leadership. The very core of conscious leadership is being amplified and tested by the rise of AI. Here’s how:
I — Personal Mastery: Radical Ownership in the Mirror of AI
AI can feel like an accelerated mirror. It reflects back what we feed it — sometimes with surprising coherence. But the meaning it generates is not wisdom. That still belongs to us.
At Lead True, Personal Mastery requires:
Radical self-awareness
Ownership of personal patterns and blind spots
A willingness to meet even uncomfortable reflections
AI sharpens the need for inner anchoring. The danger is that AI-generated feedback may feel insightful while bypassing true internal processing. The real mastery lies not in what AI shows us, but in how we meet it.
We — Relational Integrity: Conversations Beyond the Simulation
AI can simulate conversations, but it cannot replicate human relational depth.
True leadership is built on:
Emotional presence
Genuine vulnerability
Live, emergent dialogue
In a world increasingly filled with synthetic dialogue, relational leadership becomes even more vital. The depth of trust, empathy, and co-creation remains distinctly human.
It — Systemic Awareness: Ethical Responsibility in an Emerging Ecosystem
Every AI interaction participates in shaping a broader system.
The data we provide becomes training material.
The patterns we reinforce shape future outputs.
The systemic consequences multiply quickly.
At Lead True, systemic leadership requires:
Ethical responsibility for the data ecosystems we fuel
Awareness of unintended consequences
A long view on how today’s choices build tomorrow’s realities
We are not merely AI users — we are co-creators of the systems we are building.
Context-Time: Navigating Emergent Complexity
AI exemplifies the Context-Time challenge. The context is shifting faster than most of our previous leadership models can keep up with. In such conditions, leadership is not about waiting for certainty.
It’s about:
Entering uncertainty with humility
Learning as we move
Practicing discernment under pressure
AI leadership demands not only technical literacy but existential courage.
The Essence of True Leadership: Conscious Co-Creation
At its core, the Lead True model invites leaders into a stance of conscious co-creation. As I experienced firsthand, AI can serve as a powerful creative partner — but only if we remain awake in how we engage it. The wisdom isn’t in the tool. The wisdom is in how we meet it. We don’t need more frantic speed. We need discernment at speed — the ability to pause, reflect, and lead with grounded integrity even as complexity accelerates.
The Only Way Is Through
I am still recovering from the strangeness of hearing my own life interpreted back to me by AI. The magic is real. The responsibility is ours. The only way forward… is through.
An Invitation
As AI continues to evolve, every leader will face their own version of this crossroads.
How do you meet your own reflection in this mirror?
Where do you locate your wisdom?
What helps you stay grounded while navigating uncharted territory?
These are no longer theoretical questions. They are the daily work of True Leadership.
About the Author
Lead True Global Leader Andrea Henning’s vision is that when people discover their authenticity and dare to follow their bliss they are happier and more successful in their lives while serving as an inspiration to their communities.
Read more from Andrea Henning below.
