I'm excited about what AI is making possible for my business. Work I'd put off because I thought I needed more time or outside help is suddenly moving forward.
I also understand why a conversation about AI can land differently for someone who's wondering what it means for their role. I can be excited about what I’m able to build and still make room for someone else's uncertainty. Both experiences deserve to be understood.
That sounds straightforward until you're the one leading the meeting. You've thought through the decision. You're ready to explain why it makes sense. Then someone raises a concern you didn't expect, and you start preparing your response before they've finished telling you what they're worried about.
Notice what you're bringing into the conversation
This is where I come back to my OAQ Method™: Own Your Emotion. Assess Your Tone. Question to Understand.
Own Your Emotion. Notice what comes up when someone challenges your perspective. Excitement, fear, frustration and certainty can all shape what you're willing to hear.
Assess Your Tone. Are you making room for someone to tell you how they see it? Or does your tone tell them you've already heard enough?
Question to Understand. Ask yourself: “What am I not considering because I’m so focused on what I already know?”
You can be confident in your perspective and still have something to learn from someone else's.
Try a Two-Truth Check before your next meeting
Take 60 seconds to answer three questions:
What do I know? What's true from where I'm standing?
What else may be true? What might someone experiencing this differently know that I don't?
What do I need to understand? What's one question I can ask before drawing my conclusion?
Say you expect a new AI tool to make a recurring task easier. Someone on your team is wondering what that change means for their role. Instead of giving them another explanation of why the tool makes sense, try asking: “What concerns or consequences haven't we accounted for in our plans?”
Then give people time to answer. You may hear something that changes how you implement the decision, communicate it or support the people affected. That's worth knowing before you move forward.
If your leadership team needs space to work through a difficult change together, explore Life Editor's executive offsites.
