What’s Essential? Author, CEO, Founder on What Leaders Need To Do Now
Christie Smith, author and CEO, founder of The Humanity Studio, at a recent talk.
“The pace of change is greater than ever,” says Christie Smith, Ph.D., founder and CEO of The Humanity Studio, and co-author with Kelly Monahan of Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI and Global Shifts Arte Creating A New Human-Powered Leadership,
“Technology is outpacing leader capabilities. The paradign has shifted dramatically. There is a skills scarcity,” says Smith, whose more than three-decade career including leader Global Talent & Organization consulting at Accenture, after her role as Managing Principal of Deloitte Consulting, and developer of the Deloitte University Centers for Inclusion and Community Impact.
“This is not our mother’s and father’s leadership,” says Smith, whose co-author, Monahan, is managing director at Upwork and creator of the Upwork Research Institute.
Read more in Take The Lead on AI
“We need to be human-centered. The book is a blueprint for how to lead in this complex world fueled by technology.”
“We need to be #human-centered. The book is a #blueprint for how to lead in this #complex world fueled by #technology. — Christie Smith of The Humanity Studio”
Indeed, the growing economic impact of AI is mind-boggling. A recent PWC report states, “AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion1 to the global economy in 2030, more than the current output of China and India combined. Of this, $6.6 trillion is likely to come from increased productivity and $9.1 trillion is likely to come from consumption-side effects.”
Yes, many leaders in different industry sectors are sounding an alarm about its effects. According to a recent report from Brookings Institute, “Existing generative AI technology already has the potential to significantly disrupt a wide range of jobs. We find that more than 30% of all workers could see at least 50% of their occupation’s tasks disrupted by generative AI.”
“Many #leaders in different industry #sectors are sounding an alarm about #AI and its effects on their #industries. #artificialintelligence #chatgpt”
Read more on Gloria Feldt’s digital twin
The report continues, “Despite the high stakes for workers, we are not prepared for the potential risks and opportunities that generative AI is poised to bring.”
Smith completely agrees.
“AI can be a very powerful tool. I think we have a culture of magic bullets and immediate gratification. But AI is dependent on the human intelligence that surrounds it. Leaders need contextual competency about what solution might AI bring forward. What is the governance around AI, so you have to teach people how to use it and the impact it will have.”
Leaders in the U.S. are poised to gain the most from successful adoption of AI and strategic understanding of the tools and their relationship to individuals.
“Leaders in the U.S. are #poised to gain the most from #successful adoption of #AI and #strategic understanding of the tools and their relationship to #individuals. ”
Read more in Take The Lead on leading with AI
According to the Center for Global Development,” In 2023, the United States alone secured $67.2 billion in AI-related private investments, which was 8.7 times more than China, the second-highest country in this regard.” The report continues, “AI could reinforce the dominance of wealthier nations in high-value sectors like finance, pharmaceuticals, advance manufacturing, and defense.” Additionally, “AI is poised to primarily disrupt skill-intensive jobs more prevalent in advanced economies, it can also undermine lower-cost labor in developing countries.”
With the enormous potential impact of AI, Smith adds, “We need to equip leadership to understand the technology. We’re in a perfect storm. The book is both for employees and rising leaders looking for tools and aspirations to do something differently to engage their workforce and engage those communities.”
Read more in Take The Lead on AI
With her background in inclusive leadership at a time of tenuous global culture, Smith is the ideal source to convey that information.
Following undergraduate work at Loyola University Maryland, Smith earned a masters in social work from Rutgers University, and later in 1995, a doctorate from New York University in clinical social work with a concentration on the effects of corporate culture on relationships, focused on women. This background led her to work in a hospital system, then move to consultancy.
“I loved system thinking, and helping people solve problems,” Smith says. “I have curiosity about what makes people tick and what blocks then.” As a leader, she explains, you can say, “’We can do this you can do beyond what you think you can do.’”
That spark comes from her upbringing as the youngest of eight children in Westfield, N.J. with her mother working as a school teacher and her father an executive in fashion.
“Our family disease was overachievement,” Smith says, as her parents told all of them, “Follow your dreams and what you are passionate about.”
Her passion early on was sports. Smith wanted to be an athlete and with field hockey, basketball and softball, she says, “You brand yourself early.” So much so, she made the U.S. Olympic Team in 1986 for field hockey, but couldn’t go due to an injury. So she turned to professional golf from 1987 to 1989, where she learned about the gender pay gap in professional sports first hand.
After earning her degrees and her switch to consultancy, Smith landed leadership roles at Accenture, Apple and later Deloitte in inclusion.
Read more in Take The Lead on DEI
The recent and ongoing pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion in the corporate workforce is alarming, Smith says, but can be addressed.
“The recent and ongoing #pushback against #diversity, #equity and #inclusion in the corporate workforce is #alarming but can be #addressed. — Christie Smith”
Recently, in The Grio, author Barron Witherspoon, Sr. writes, “Diversity and inclusion are so critical to the educational and economic foundations of this country that the board of directors of Costco—which employs 330,000 people nationwide– recently unanimously recommended its shareholders vote against a proposal by the National Center for Public Policy Research to dissolve Costco’s DEI goals.”
Read more from Gloria Feldt on DEI
He writes, “Meanwhile, in a letter sent to franchise owners/operators, employees, and suppliers, McDonald’s leaders announced they are retiring both ‘setting aspirational representation goals’ and ‘supply Chain’s Mutual Commitment to DEI pledge,’ as well as ‘pausing external surveys,” and renaming the “diversity team which will now be the Global Inclusion Team.’”
This corporate cultural shift is one reason Smith and Monahan wrote this book. “It is a lack of imagination and courage to walk away from these ideas and innovations that fueled the economy.”
Smith adds, “I am very troubled with the changes taking place; verbal, physical, and legal bullying happens as a result. We need diversity of thinking, we need to focus very hard. By 2030 companies are not going to have the talent and skills they need to grow and survive.”
Read more in Take The Lead on DEI
According to Smith, “Not to focus on promises of diversity in the workforce is a crisis.”
“Not to focus on #promises of #diversity in the #workforce is a #crisis. — Christie Smith of The Humanity Studio”
Her work for the past year following her retirement from Accenture, was researching and co-writing this book. “It was a blessing to write about the things that matter,” Smith says. “We acknowledge anecdotally that leadership is hard, with the pace of technology, AI, global shifts and socio-political waves around the world.”
Yes, Smith says, what she intended to do and says she has achieved for leaders and individuals is to offer “an actual blueprint on why you do this and how it needs to be done.” She adds, “It’s a Google map, but you still need to drive.”
With information, instructions, strategies, and insight all backed up by research, experience, anecdotes, and outcomes, Smith says the book moves through the stages of what needs to change from “mindset to behaviors to culture to engagement. How easy it is going to be depends on the individual.” The book informs “how to teach and coach leaders and teams to be an emotionally mature organization.” She adds, “Purpose, agency, wellness, there must be a shift to that.”
The bottom line for the future of excellence in leadership is to be fair and knowledgeable on many levels.
“The bottom line for the #future of #excellence in #leadership is to be #fair and #knowledgeable on many levels. #Equalrepresentation is important.”
“Equal representation is important, full stop,” Smith says. “We need soft skills and hard skills around the table. We need skills around emotional security, self-awareness, empathy, contextual competence, and understanding people where they are. Those skills are not gender specific. Emotional intelligence is one of the greatest gifts we have.”
She adds, “We need leaders to understand the people in their organizations. The idea that this is not about me as a leader, but understanding how I bring that team together. And how do I grow that team.”
Leadership Takeaway of The Week:
“Not to focus on promises of diversity in the workforce is a crisis.”
Christie Smith, Ph.D, co-author of Essential: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI and Global Shifts Are Creating A New Human-Powered Leadership.
