It’s easy to assume that today’s leaders are confidently embracing AI, but behind many polished titles and strategic goals is a quieter truth: uncertainty. Beneath the surface, even the most accomplished executives are wrestling with questions they’ve never had to answer before.
What does it mean to lead in a world where intelligence is automated? Where insight is generated in seconds? Where new tools appear faster than most leaders can absorb?
The truth is, AI isn’t just challenging systems—it’s challenging self-perception. In my work with high-performing leaders around the world, I’ve seen this fear surface more often than they’ll admit: a quiet sense of inadequacy, a hesitation to speak up, a fear of being exposed as unprepared. The shift from impostor to innovator isn’t technical—it’s deeply personal. And I’ve guided countless leaders through it.
In a 2025 Korn Ferry Global Workforce Survey, 43% of senior leaders admitted they don’t feel confident navigating AI conversations, even when they’re expected to lead them. That number doesn’t reflect incompetence. It reflects discomfort—and it’s time we talk about it. Here are six ways to lead through AI anxiety with strength and self-awareness:
Begin Before You’re Confident
You don’t need to be tech-savvy to be AI-ready. You need to be willing to learn. Pick one tool. One prompt. One use case. That’s how confidence begins.
Speak the Fear Before It Silences You
Fear grows in silence. Great leaders normalize the discomfort and invite their teams into the learning process. You don’t have to pretend to know it all. As a leader, you have to model what learning looks like.
Mastery Isn’t the Starting Point—Engagement Is
You didn’t become the leader you are by knowing everything—you became it by staying curious, resourceful, and willing to try before you were ready. Mastery isn’t how you began. It won’t be how you move forward with AI either. The leaders who wait until they feel fully prepared will find themselves behind those who are already experimenting, applying, and learning in real time. AI rewards those who engage, not those who hesitate. Explore it. Test it. Apply it. But above all, use it. That’s how expertise is built.
Stop Blaming the Tool—Start Mastering the Ask
If you don’t like the answers AI gives you, it’s not the tool—it’s your input. What you put in is a direct reflection of what you’ll get back. Engaging with a language model requires clarity, structure, and intent. You must know how to frame the question in a way that guides the response toward relevance and depth. Effective leaders understand that the quality of the question determines the quality of the insight.
Own the Value AI Will Never Replace
AI can process. It can predict. But it cannot lead. It cannot connect. Your leadership—your wisdom, your insight, your discernment—is the differentiator. AI needs direction. Without leadership, AI is an empty engine—powerful but aimless. The value of leadership isn’t diminished by AI. It’s defined by it.
Lead Forward—Even When It’s Uncomfortable
The goal isn’t to master AI—it’s to move with it, even when it feels unfamiliar. Any new innovation will stir discomfort. That’s not a weakness, it’s a signal. The most exceptional leaders don’t wait for certainty—they act through uncertainty. What you choose to do in those moments will either set you apart or leave you behind.
And it’s in those very moments of hesitation, discomfort, and uncertainty that true leadership reveals itself.When you feel unsure, it doesn’t mean you don’t belong. It means you’re being invited to grow. After decades of coaching leaders at the highest levels, I know this moment well it’s the moment when fear can either shrink your leadership or expand your impact.
AI Leadership Edge Tip: The leaders who move forward are never the ones who feel fully ready. They’re the ones willing to lead themselves forward.
If you’re ready to explore this shift in a deeper, more meaningful way, join The AI Leadership Edge Mastermind.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
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Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.