Every company is working on its AI strategy. Where is the strategy for being human?
During my talks at companies, I have recently started asking leaders a question: “What would you do if AI gave you an extra hour every day, starting tomorrow?” Then I stop talking. And in the room, nothing happens. A few puzzled looks. Raised eyebrows. Then people begin to think. Someone puts down their pen. A woman leans back and closes her eyes for a moment. Two rows away, a man looks at the ceiling as though the answer might be written up there.
I wait. The silence continues, but it feels different now. Some people smile. Others start writing. Eventually, one of the leaders raises a hand. “Mr Gräter, do I have to answer that question now? Or can I think about it at home later?” I laugh. “You can. But I would like to invite you to try something else: Let’s not postpone that hour before we have even been given it.”
Could you be doing the same thing as you read this? Perhaps your eyes have already jumped a few lines ahead because you wanted to know my answer. Not yet. Take ten seconds. If you were given an extra hour every day from tomorrow, what would you do with it?
Have you thought of something? Good. Because suddenly, the question is no longer what AI can do. It is what we humans do with the things it takes off our hands.
May I offer an idea for your hour?
Spend it with another person. And by “spend”, I mean actually spend it with them. No answering emails at the same time. No quick glance to see who has messaged you. Simply be with that person. Your partner, perhaps. A friend you have not seen in far too long. Or someone in your company whose honest answer to “How are you?” you do not really know.
Then do something that has become surprisingly difficult: put your phone away. Not on silent. Not face down. Away.
Can we still manage 90 seconds?
A while ago, I was sitting with a dear friend. We were having a wonderful conversation when he needed to use the bathroom. He took his phone and left. Suddenly, I was alone. Perhaps for 90 seconds. My hand almost automatically reached for my phone. Sound familiar? The other person gets up, and there it is in your hand.
I was not expecting an important message. There was nothing urgent to do. A small gap had simply opened up, and I wanted to fill it. That is why I eventually stopped putting my phone on the table during conversations. Even face down, it is still there. It sits between us.
Perhaps the real challenge is not what we would do with an extra hour. Perhaps we could start with 90 seconds. Look out of the window. Reflect on the conversation. Or simply sit there and realise: nothing is missing right now.
Michelle Obama showed me something
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Michelle Obama. Looking back, it is surprisingly not her name or the position she held at the time that comes to mind first. It is a feeling. This woman was present. Truly present.
During our conversation, I felt as though we were the only two people in the room. She gave me her full attention and, in that moment, made me feel: You matter right now. I have never forgotten that.
Attention is not a complicated leadership tool. It costs nothing. And perhaps that is exactly why it is becoming more valuable in a world where everything competes for it.
That is exactly why I look forward to AI
I am not afraid of AI taking work off our hands. I hope it does. Why should a person spend an hour doing something a machine can do just as well—or better—in a few minutes? What interests me is what happens afterwards.
Of course, we can immediately fill every minute we gain with more work. An hour saved becomes five more appointments, and the calendar stays just as full as before. Only more efficient. I do not know whether that is the future I look forward to. I am interested in another one.
What if technology gave us more time for people?
Imagine a leader who really does gain an hour every day. They could turn it into another meeting. Or they could walk ten metres down the corridor, sit with someone and ask, “How are you, really?” Then stay there until the answer comes. Because they genuinely want to know.
Where is our strategy for being human?
Companies are investing enormous sums in artificial intelligence. That is understandable. AI will change the way we work. But in one of those meetings, I would love to put a second question on the screen: What should become more human in our company as our technology becomes more intelligent?
Perhaps we do not immediately need another process. Perhaps we could first look at what happens at 9:17 on a Monday morning when things get stressful. Do our company values still apply? Can someone disagree with the boss? How do we treat a person who has just made a mistake? That is where culture shows itself: between people.
Do you remember your hour?
I do not want to tell you what to do with it. But tomorrow, take 90 seconds of it. In your next conversation, keep your phone off the table. Ideally, leave it in another room. When the person in front of you speaks, be there.
If they briefly go to the bathroom, leave your phone alone. Look out of the window. Look at the ceiling. For all I care, try to burn a spot into it with your laser stare. And when the person comes back, give them something Michelle Obama gave me all those years ago: the feeling that, in that moment, they matter.
It may not change your company culture overnight. But there is one person it will change: you. Then you can decide what to do with the rest of your hour. Perhaps the greatest opportunity in artificial intelligence is that we humans will have more time to be human.
This idea is part of my keynotes for companies and leaders. If you would like to take a fresh look at humanity, self-leadership and leadership in your organisation, I would be happy to have a personal conversation. Enquire about a keynote.
