How Artificial Intelligence Improves Healthy Accountability

AI is the inescapable buzzword in business these days. Pessimists see AI as a threat to their jobs. Optimists (like me) see AI as a strategy to make us better leaders. It’s a reasonable question to ask: How so?

Here’s my thinking, informed by recent experiences: Good leaders effectively scan marketplace information to create a compelling plan to win in the marketplace. They also effectively summarize important discussions to keep the right people informed, and to remind the right people about deadlines. And they continually build on the body of knowledge that’s embedded in the people and systems of the business. AI can advance all of these fine points of good leadership, all of which improves upon healthy accountability. Here’s how: 

• Elevate meeting efficiency: The most effective meetings begin by reviewing the notes from the last meeting to ensure the right things are getting done, by the right people. Now, AI-powered notetakers can join your team meetings, capture action items, and produce comprehensive notes that get sent to all attendees of the meeting almost instantly after it adjourns. This doesn’t just save time—it reinforces accountability by ensuring that everyone knows their responsibilities and the timelines. With clear, AI-generated records, there is less room for misunderstandings, and follow-ups are more aligned and focused.

• Supporting accountability beyond strengths: We all have areas of strength, and we all struggle with some of the simplest tasks related to good leadership and healthy accountability. If writing isn’t your strong suit, tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can help craft a first draft of a team charter, an email, agenda, report – almost anything that needs a first draft. By removing the barriers to action, AI ensures that tasks aren’t delayed or avoided due to personal limitations. This allows you to be accountable for tasks that aren’t in your strengths, without needless suffering. 

• Outside-in Thinking: An all-too-often disease that infects executive teams is becoming internally focused. Your team is at its best when they are united by fighting back its most credible external threat. One client coined the phrase “swords out,” which is a clever way to remind their leaders not to fight one another. AI can scan 1,000 news headlines in the time that it takes you to open a news app. Good leaders are training their AI tools to do the competitive intelligence that keeps the strategy sharp, and decision-making based on outside-in thinking. When everyone in the organization embraces outside-in thinking, healthy accountability thrives because their actions are directly tied to the organization’s success in the marketplace.

AI isn’t a threat to high-performing leaders – it’s an ally. Leadership was never about doing everything ourselves – it’s about the satisfying team relationships and the structure to help everyone thrive and win together. Learning to use AI effectively will help you create better results, faster and easier.