Super-Problems Demand Three Super-Competencies

Recently, some of the biggest names in tech signed their names to a letter urging a halt to AI innovation while we figure out new regulatory frameworks.

The concern, the tech bigwigs explained, is that AI is hurtling forward at such an incredible pace that it’s hard to know where things will lead — and while AI is powerful, it’s also potentially dangerous.

I’m all for putting guardrails in place to shape the development of AI. But as leaders, we can’t rely only on external rules and regulations to keep things on track.

In addition, we need to take personal responsibility for ensuring that AI is used responsibly by everyone in our organization. That means building our own internal rules and developing new skills and capabilities more suited to a world of breakneck digital transformation.

Super-Competencies Help Us Acquire Other Skills

I call these skills “super-competencies” because they’re the general meta-competencies that help us acquire and elevate the more specific skills — such as information fluency, communication, and social skills — that we need to adapt and thrive.

They’re also the methods we use to shorten the distance between our head, heart, and soul, making them perfectly suited to guiding us through a world that AI is transforming.

These super-competencies comprise the “three C’s loop” because each super-competency is a dichotomy: two interconnected and allied aspects, each mutually supporting and enabling the other. Together, these pairs of symbiotic forces help us continually elevate our knowledge.

Let’s take a closer look at three super-competencies.

1. Create (Yet Keep Renewing)

The first pairing starts with the ability to creatively generate new knowledge, which is an essential super-competency because it allows us to synthesize, assimilate, and build new ideas in order to arrive at the new solutions we need.

As we face the challenges of the VUCA world, we’re confronted with problems we’ve never seen before — and that means no playbook from the past can possibly give us the answers we need.

Crucially, it isn’t enough to simply generate the new knowledge needed to overcome a problem and then call it a day. You need to keep on renewing your assumptions and beliefs, continually making space for new knowledge and understanding to build cycles of creativity that renew and update themselves to adapt to a changing world.

This is especially important because AI systems can be unpredictable, blindly replicating old patterns or veering off in dangerous new directions.

It’s up to us, as leaders, to ensure we harness AI for constructive rather than destructive impact — and that requires constant renewal and a willingness to unlearn old methods and ideas in order to drive sustainable and satisfying results.

2. Connect (Yet Keep Disconnecting)

In the AI era, we need to prioritize real human interactions — in addition to the unavoidable virtual ones — and actively foster collaborative sparks and mutual support systems that keep our organizations running smoothly.

As leaders, we must be outward-facing and engaged and work intentionally to connect with those around us. We need to think about the “we” rather than the “me” and encourage our teams to respond to disruption not by hunkering down but by supporting one another and reaching out to and learning from others.

Paradoxically, it’s also important to find time to disconnect in a world governed by algorithms. We aren’t cogs in a digital machine — we’re human people with emotions, needs, and feelings.

To perform better, we need to feel better — and that means pausing and disconnecting from the external world to catch our breath, reconnect with our inner world, and make sense of what’s happening around us.

3. Capitalize (Yet Keep Acting)

As leaders, we need to capitalize on our knowledge, which means using it to drive value for everyone around us. We’re part of an interconnected ecosystem, so we need to start thinking about value not just in terms of individual gain but in terms of the good of the whole!

This means looking beyond short-term success. An AI model might handle a certain task incredibly efficiently, but we must push further as leaders. The question isn’t just “Can an AI tool do X or Y better than a human?”

It’s whether it can be integrated into your organization to help you continuously steer your team — and your organization, community, and the broader world — toward short-term and long-term success.

In part, this means not letting tangible successes go to your head. Instead, we must keep striving for both tangible and intangible success and challenge ourselves to go further. We always need new knowledge and new ideas — so even when we’re experiencing success, we should keep seeking to push ourselves beyond our comfort zone.

Find a Deeper Understanding

I call these super-competencies the “Three C’s Loop” because they feed into and fuel one another. In fact, they couldn’t exist independently of one another!

Through this cycle, we create knowledge flows that enable us to keep growing on multiple fronts. Our knowledge grows, of course. But we can also grow priceless relationships, grow on psychological and spiritual levels — and grow toward more purposeful and impactful actions, too. For leaders in the AI world, the Three C’s Loop also makes it easier to manage technological transformation in more positive and human ways.

This isn’t about pitting man against machines. It’s about bringing the things that machines do well into conversation with the things that only people do well. By unifying these things — the tactical capabilities of AI and the strategic super-competencies of human leaders — we can drive success for ourselves, our organizations, and society.