How AI Can Strengthen Workplace Performance (Without Replacing Good Leadership)
AI isn't the future of work. It's already here.
Every week, I hear another prediction about how artificial intelligence is going to replace jobs, transform industries, or completely reinvent the workplace. While there's no question AI will continue to change how we work, I think many organizations are asking the wrong question.
Instead of asking, "How can we use AI?" leaders should be asking, "How can AI help strengthen the conditions that already drive performance?"
I'm an AI optimist, and I use it almost every day. Not because it does my thinking for me, but because it helps me think better, organize information faster, and spend more time on work that actually requires human judgment.
The six JL³ Performance Levers provide a useful framework for thinking about where AI can add real value.
Shared Capacity
AI gives people more time for work that matters.
One of the biggest performance barriers I see isn't a lack of effort. It's simply too much work competing for people's attention.
AI has become one of my favorite tools for reducing that administrative load. I've used it to:
Turn pages of brainstorming notes into organized action plans.
Build detailed project plans from rough ideas.
Summarize meetings and conversations.
Draft first versions of presentations and documents.
None of those tasks require less thinking.
They require less organizing.
When AI removes some of the administrative burden, people gain more capacity for coaching employees, solving customer problems, improving processes, and making thoughtful decisions.
Skill Readiness
AI can become an on-demand learning partner.
Learning shouldn't stop when training ends.
One of the ways I use AI most often is as a second set of eyes. Before sending an important email, I'll ask it to analyze the tone or point out areas that could be misunderstood. When I'm exploring a new topic, I'll ask it to explain concepts in different ways or challenge my assumptions.
That doesn't replace expertise.
It accelerates learning.
Used responsibly, AI gives employees immediate support while they're actually doing the work.
Peer Norms
Better collaboration starts with better knowledge sharing.
High-performing teams don't make everyone reinvent the wheel.
AI makes it easier to capture meeting notes, summarize discussions, organize decisions, and document processes in ways that everyone can understand.
It won't build trust between coworkers.
But it removes many of the small frustrations that make collaboration harder than it needs to be.
Tool Support
AI helps organizations make better use of the information they already have.
Most organizations aren't suffering from a lack of data.
They're overwhelmed by it.
One area where I've found AI especially valuable is analyzing large amounts of qualitative information. Whether it's employee surveys, assessment results, customer comments, or open-ended feedback, AI can identify recurring themes in minutes that might otherwise take hours to uncover.
Instead of spending your time organizing information, you can spend your time deciding what to do about it.
System Cues
AI reveals patterns—but leaders decide what matters.
One of AI's greatest strengths is recognizing patterns.
It can identify recurring customer complaints, summarize workflow bottlenecks, compare trends across departments, or surface issues leaders may not notice on their own.
That's incredibly valuable.
But AI doesn't determine priorities.
Leaders still have to ask the harder questions:
Are we rewarding the right behaviors?
Are our systems helping or hurting performance?
Are we solving the right problem?
Technology can provide better evidence.
Leadership still provides better judgment.
Mindset Alignment
AI can improve communication—but it can't create purpose.
Clear communication has always mattered.
AI simply makes it easier.
I've found it especially useful for improving my own writing. Sometimes I know exactly what I want to say, but my first draft isn't as clear as I'd like. AI helps me tighten the message, organize ideas, and make sure my intent matches my words.
That's a powerful use of technology.
But AI can't explain why people should care.
Only leaders can create meaning, build trust, and connect people to a shared purpose.
The Leaders Who Benefit Most From AI Will Be the Ones Who Lead Better
I don't believe AI replaces leadership.
I believe it gives leaders the opportunity to spend less time organizing information and more time improving the workplace conditions that drive performance.
If AI saves you five hours a week, don't simply fill those hours with more meetings.
Use them to coach your people. Improve your systems. Strengthen collaboration. Remove barriers. Clarify expectations.
Technology will continue to evolve.
The conditions that drive human performance have remained remarkably consistent.
That's where leaders should continue investing their attention.
Ready to Strengthen Your Team's Performance?
AI can help people work faster, but speed alone doesn't create high-performing teams.
If you want to understand which workplace conditions are helping—or holding back—your team, start with the JL³ Performance Pulse™. In just a few minutes, you'll identify the performance conditions most likely affecting your team and receive practical insights to help you move forward.
Start your free Performance Pulse today and begin designing performance with intention.