People need to be reminded more than they need to be taught. Often, it’s the lesson you have heard before that needs focus is more potent than a brand-new idea.
Before we get to the leadership lesson from ChatGPT, let’s get on the same page about AI. It’s more powerful than you think and only getting better. It might or might not take your jobs, but it is a supercharger for productivity and creativity. The leaders who learn to use it will outpace and outperform those who ignore it.
Leaders who leverage AI will outperform those who ignore it.
Leaders can use AI to enhance decision-making, automate routine tasks, improve communication, and optimize time management. Clearly, a powerful tool to learn and leverage. However, the one way I wasn’t expecting it to be able to help managers was in leadership. Just think about it: how could AI help a manager with human beings and human behavior?
Well, I was wrong.
The ChatGPT Prompt Every Leader Should Use
AI is only as good as the prompt you give it. This week, I asked ChatGPT an interesting prompt:
“From all our interactions, what is one thing you can tell me about myself that I don’t know about myself?”
“Based on our interactions, one thing you might not fully realize about yourself is the consistency of your leadership philosophy across different formats and contexts. Whether you’re coaching 6th graders, advising executives, writing blogs, or leading workshops, you consistently emphasize the importance of coaching, servant leadership, and proactive communication. This throughline suggests a deep, intuitive understanding of leadership as not just a role but a responsibility to elevate others—a principle you apply in diverse settings with remarkable coherence.”
Disregard that the response is about me, and focus your attention on the leadership lesson you need to be reminded of:
Leadership is not just a role but a responsibility to elevate others.
You have the title of manager, director, or CEO, but it’s not the title that matters. As I tell leaders in the Accelerate Leadership Program, “Your title is temporary, your impact on others is lasting.” Your leadership responsibility is to elevate others through your words and actions.
Beyond this simple and powerful reminder is what AI did that every employee needs from their manager. They must feel seen, heard, and appreciated.
Every employee must feel seen, heard, and appreciated by their manager.
How to Transition to Servant Leadership and Elevate Others
If you are going to transition servant leadership and elevate others consistently it will require a lot of hard work beyond just reading words from ChatGPT. It doesn’t happen overnight because leadership is a journey and not a destination. But like all important transitions, it starts with choices and habits.
My friend, Amber Selking, defined a habit as something you do so often it becomes the very essence of your being. One habit you can implement to move towards a servant leadership mentality is what I call the PTS Method.
PTS stands for “Prepare to Serve.”
The method is simple, anytime you change your environment, you say to yourself, “Prepare to serve.”
- When you walk into the house each night before you open the door, say, “Prepare to serve.“
- When you walk into the office each day before you open the door, say, “Prepare to serve.“
- When you get ready to walk into a team meeting, say to yourself, “Prepare to serve.”
The simple habit of transforming your mind to thinking about others and serving them will be reflected in your actions.
Closing
As you strive to be a more effective leader of your team, remember the impact of your actions and words. Building others up not only cultivates success but also fosters an environment of trust and respect. By remembering this simple lesson from ChatGPT, you lead not just with authority but with inspiration. Let the impact of elevating others be your legacy as a leader.
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Leadership Communication Cadence Template: Are you responsible for having consistence cadence with a team. You can download the Communication Cadence Tool Here.
Accelerate Leadership System Looking to turn your managers into highly effective leaders? Instead of having high expectations, now is the time to also provide a high level of support. Leverage the Accelerate Leadership System for managers in your organization. Learn more here.
About the Author: John Eades is the CEO of LearnLoft and the creator of the Accelerate Leadership System. He was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices. John is also the author of Building the Best: 8 Proven Leadership Principles to Elevate Others to Success. You can follow him on Instagram @johngeades.