What AI Reveals About Leadership, Culture, and Self-Awareness

AI can give fast answers. But leadership is not just about getting to the answer faster.In this episode of The Inner Game of Leadership, Tony Everett sits down with Anthony K. Lee, author of The Crossing: Hosting Human Intelligence in the Age of AI, for a thoughtful conversation about what it means to stay human in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.Anthony explains why many leaders already treat themselves and their teams like machines — using language like “recharge,” “operating system,” and “burnout” without realizing how those metaphors shape behavior. From there, Tony and Anthony explore the deeper leadership question: if intelligence can be outsourced, automated, and scaled, what is left for us as human beings?This conversation gets into hosting versus managing, the importance of trust, why people need space to become themselves, and why leaders must learn to sit with ambiguity instead of rushing to fixed conclusions. Anthony also shares how AI can be useful as a tool for reflection while reminding leaders that real human growth still requires relationship, self-awareness, patience, and courage.You’ll hear:Why Anthony believes AI is forcing leaders to ask better human questionsThe difference between managing people and hosting human intelligenceWhy efficiency is not always the most human valueHow leaders accidentally reduce people to fixed categoriesWhy culture is revealed through actions, decisions, promotions, and consequencesHow AI can support self-reflection without replacing human connectionWhy leaders need to create the conditions where people can think, disagree, contribute, and come aliveTimestamps:00:00 — Are we becoming more machine-like?00:42 — The metaphors that shape how we treat ourselves02:23 — The better question than “Will AI take our jobs?”03:07 — What is left when intelligence can be automated?04:18 — Why trust and deep conversation are not efficient04:53 — Why human intelligence comes with a body06:02 — Anthony’s personal story behind The Crossing09:19 — Hosting Human Intelligence in the Age of AI09:44 — Hosting vs. managing10:50 — Creating conditions where people can be themselves14:14 — Hosting as subtraction17:27 — Sitting with ambiguity and tension20:22 — The inner work of changing the frame23:03 — AI, hiring, and fixed categories27:26 — What your culture actually promotes30:47 — Using AI as a tool for reflection33:31 — Why crossing silos creates new value36:20 — Closing thoughtAnthony’s book:The Crossing: Hosting Human Intelligence in the Age of AIAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GS586YF1If you are leading under pressure and want a steadier way forward, book a Leadership Clarity Call with Tony:https://calendly.com/tony-mpbc/blueprint-introduction-callLearn more about Tony’s work at MPB Coaching:https://mpbcoaching.com