Softer qualities like emotional intelligence and empathy will be more important for human workers as the workplace becomes more automated. And it makes sense that leaders should act in this way if we want the workplaces of the future to value these human skills.

Future workplaces will be considerably more diverse, international, and dispersed than those of the present. Effective leaders will be able to respect and get along with people from various walks of life, even when they have different worldviews. They will also be able to recognize and capitalize on the differences that people bring to the table.

Although confidence will continue to be a crucial quality in leaders, those who succeed will be able to strike a balance between confidence and humility. They won’t view themselves as crucial success factors, but rather as collaborators and facilitators. To put it another way, they will motivate others to excel.

Organizations will become more transparent and collaborative as a result of flatter organizational structures, more project-based teams, and partnership working. As a result, leaders will need to be more accountable and open. Additionally, their behaviors must be blatantly in line with the objectives of the business.

Leaders in the intelligence revolution will require that broad perspective to comprehend how AI will affect the business and all of its stakeholders. How will artificial intelligence (AI) change the company and create new commercial opportunities? Leaders must make this decision while skillfully balancing the needs of all stakeholders.

Leaders will need the bravery to face the unpredictable, the fortitude to fail quickly, and the courage to alter direction when the situation demands a new approach because we have only just begun to scratch the surface of what AI is capable of.

Without a question, data-driven decision-making is the way of the future, but this does not mean that intuition and instinct will go out of style; quite the contrary. Leaders will still need that uniquely human ability of intuition, of being able to “read” what is not being spoken, especially as workplaces go through rapid change.

Any new technology introduces ethical and abuse concerns, in addition, to change management concerns. Therefore, leaders in the intelligence revolution will need to be able to establish trust with clients, team members, and other stakeholders, which requires coming off as genuine. Particularly during periods of uncertainty, change, or failure, this will become crucial.

Finally, future leaders will need to have a laser-like focus on the strategic goals of the business given the rapid pace of change and the constant need to adapt. They will need to be able to sort through the confusion and hype to determine what matters most, notably the programs and tools that will assist the business to achieve its objectives.

The most essential lesson from this is that, if not more so, human leadership abilities will be crucial in the intelligence revolution. People are and always will be a company’s most valuable asset. But what we view as essential leadership traits in the future can seem very different from what we regard as those traits today.