AI took center stage in 2025, with 94% of directors using AI at work, according to monday.com’s AI at Work Report. But as we move into 2026, something interesting is happening: some leaders aren’t just using AI to sharpen their strategy – but to hone their people skills.
Harvard Business Review predicts that soft skills like communication will only grow in importance as AI becomes more common. This means leadership will likely require greater empathy, stronger listening skills, and more personalized career paths – all areas in which AI can play a surprisingly helpful role. Beyond the dashboards and data, it can help you think through tough conversations, clarify your message, and communicate with more empathy.
Strategy is important, but your ability to effectively encourage, support, and challenge your team is what puts your plans in motion. And instead of replacing the human side of leadership, AI can actually help you show up with more of it.
So how can you use AI to become a better people leader?
Listen better
Strong leadership starts and ends with deep listening. But listening isn't always easy when you’re running a meeting and trying to give direction. Using AI tools like transcribers or meeting intelligence platforms can help you focus on people rather than notes, while also providing a helpful reality check. If your transcript shows you talked through 70–90% of the meeting, that’s a sign your team may not be getting the space they need. Use that insight to help you learn when to listen more.
Key question: “How can you use AI insights to listen more?”
Understand your team
In a brainstorm, it’s natural to walk away remembering the parts that stood out to you personally. But that can unintentionally skew how you interpret what your team actually said. AI can give you a more balanced view of your team’s real thoughts and feelings, not just your impression of them. Try using AI to transcribe your notes, then ask it to pull out the main themes, challenges, or concerns. If you’re trying to set priorities, prompt it to group those ideas and translate them into next steps or even an early roadmap. This is a simple way to listen more deeply, honor the input you receive, and turn conversations into meaningful action.
Key question: “What recent conversation could benefit from being distilled into clear themes, priorities, or next steps?”
Think through challenging conversations
Leadership comes with conversations that aren’t always easy, especially during performance reviews. You may know exactly what needs to be said, but finding the right way to say it honestly and constructively is tricky. AI can help you think through your approach by drafting example scripts, suggesting different ways to frame your message, or even role-playing the conversation so you can hear how various tones might land. Think about using it to think through your approach and refine it before you step into the room. With this more grounded approach, you stand to have the most constructive conversation.
Key question: “How will you use AI to have better conversations?”
Personalize your support
Every team member needs something a little different to do their best work, and a personalized approach to your one-on-ones can make a big difference. AI can help you tune into individual needs by analyzing patterns in project updates, check-in notes, or even the questions employees ask most often. For example, if an employee thrives on stretch goals, AI can help you brainstorm development opportunities tailored to their strengths. This shouldn't replace your judgment, but it will give you a clearer picture so you can show up for each person in the way that matters most.
Key question: “How could AI help you offer more personalized support to each member of your team?”
Clarify expectations
Setting clear expectations is one of the best ways to drive individual and team performance. These expectations are, unfortunately, very easy to miscommunicate. So think about drafting a goal, a project brief, or a piece of feedback, then ask AI to highlight anything that feels vague or open to interpretation. You can even prompt it to rewrite your message so that expectations are easier to understand or more motivating to receive. The clearer your communication becomes, the more confident and supported your team feels, and the fewer misunderstandings you’ll have to untangle later.
Key question: “Where could clearer expectations help your team feel more confident moving forward?”
