In this faculty perspective, Karl Kuhnert, PhD, professor in the practice of organization and management, explores how AI can deepen leadership education.
Leadership is about showing up. It’s about courage, maturity, and navigating the messy, complex, very human reality of leading others. And, let’s be honest, most leadership education today still resides in the third person: leadership theory and models told through other people’s stories.
The best leaders don’t just have values; they are their values. They lead from a place of profound wisdom. From lessons learned through lived experience, from tacit knowledge. You won’t get that from a PowerPoint or a podcast. It emerges when you’re tested, when you reflect, and when you begin to make sense of who you are and how you lead.
That’s why first-person, lived experience of leadership is so important—especially the kind that challenges and expands your current mindset. These are the moments that fuel vertical development—growth that changes how you see, not just what you know.
Most leadership education today asks students to absorb insights they’re not yet ready to act on because the theory isn’t grounded in their reality. Here’s the problem: too many leadership programs ignore where learners actually are. They teach outdated theories, models, and analogies instead of content tailored to the individual. And that creates a gap—a “disparity problem.”
So how do we bridge that gap?
We start by meeting students exactly where they are. We help them reflect on their immediate work challenges. And increasingly, we can utilize tools, such as AI, to support that process in meaningful, human-centered ways. I recently had the opportunity to work with two exceptional Executive MBA students at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, Avital-Mel Margulies 26EMBA and Audrey Sheldon 26EMBA, who were enrolled in Benn Konsynski’s Tech and Adaptive Systems class, to create something we’re calling the Leadership Growth Lab (LGL). It’s an AI model trained on decades of my coaching conversations, published research, teaching, and content from the book “The Map: Your Path to Effectiveness in Leadership, Life, and Legacy,” by Eigel and Kuhnert, all based on the theory of Constructive Developmental Theory. The idea is to bring it into the classroom and use my students’ real-life leadership challenges as live case studies for classroom learning and personal growth. That means whatever we’re discussing in class can be immediately applied to each person’s actual situation—looked at through their lens and tailored to the specific challenges they’re facing right now. In brief, the Leadership Growth Lab creates a new form of scaled coaching that meets students where they are now.
Putting the Leadership Growth Lab into Practice
Below is an example of an email I received from a student in class after she sought help from AI with her dilemma of confronting her boss, and the LGL’s response. I only changed her name. Here is Constance’s email to me:
“I want to introduce myself – I am Constance, and I stopped by briefly after class to share that I used the Leadership Growth Lab twice this week for guidance to help navigate a challenging work scenario.
I am facing a leadership challenge where the leader of our group consistently assigns me large-scale projects outside of my core responsibilities, and my company relies heavily on anecdotal evidence.
I entered the first scenario into the Leadership Growth Lab. What resonated with me was the initial guidance to “Step Back and Interpret the Signal.”
I decided to test the guidance thoroughly and used the entire Leadership Growth Lab framework to respond to my leader. For now…It worked!
I clarified the role and influence I would bring. It was then shared that it was in our best interests, as well as the company’s best interests, to work cross-functionally, rather than through a takeover.
I would definitely love to dive deeper into this Leadership Growth Lab and continue testing it in my current work environment.
There are a ton of dynamics at play for which I am dealing, and it’s testing me … leadership style, culture, and change are definitely keeping me on my toes as I guide my way through it.”
Thank you!
Constance’s Probe: “How do I handle it when I receive strategic initiatives outside my remit?”
LGL Response: Thank you for sharing this—it’s a situation that touches both boundaries and influence. When a leader assigns tasks outside your area of responsibility, it can create tension between being a “good team player” and protecting your role, energy, and strategic focus.
Here are a few ways to think about and approach this:
1. Step Back and Interpret the Signal
Sometimes leaders over delegate because:
- – They trust your capability and see you as someone who can handle more.
- – They’re overloaded and passing down work without considering fit.
- – They’re testing your range for potential future opportunities.
Before responding, ask yourself: What might be driving this?
This mindset shift enables you to move from a defensive reaction to a curious engagement.
2. Clarify Without Confronting
Use inquiry rather than resistance. Example questions you could pose:
- – “I want to make sure I’m prioritizing the right things. How does this task fit alongside my current objectives?”
- – “Is this something you see as part of my role going forward, or more of a one-time need?”
- – “Would you like me to handle this directly, or should I coordinate with someone else?”
These questions do two things:
- – Signal willingness to help (maintaining trust).
- – Surface whether this is a pattern (mission creep) or a temporary ask.
3. Align to Organizational Priorities
Frame the conversation in terms of impact, not personal preference. For example: “I’m committed to supporting where I can. At the same time, I want to ensure I’m giving enough focus to [core responsibility] because that’s where I can add the most value. Can we discuss how to balance these?” This keeps the dialogue focused on what’s best for the business, not about resisting your boss.
4. Consider the Developmental Opportunity
In constructive development terms, moments like these often present a growth gap:
- – At a socialized leader level, you might worry mostly about pleasing your boss.
- – At a self-authoring level, you’d focus on role clarity and objectives.
- – At a self-transforming level, you’d ask, “How does this serve a bigger purpose? How can I use this to create value beyond myself?”
Sometimes tasks outside your immediate responsibility can actually stretch your perspective, helping you see cross-functional issues or preparing you for broader responsibilities.
5. Protect Your Power and Energy
As Eleanor Roosevelt put it: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Similarly, no one can define your role without your input. You have the agency to respond in the way you choose. Saying “yes” to everything may erode your credibility and strategic focus, while saying “no” without context risks seeming uncooperative. The sweet spot is curious alignment.
Practical Step for You:
Before your next one-on-one meeting, list your top three priorities. When a new task comes in, use those priorities as a frame:
“I’m glad to help. To give this proper attention, which of my current priorities should shift to make space for it?”
This makes the trade-offs visible to your leader—and places responsibility back with them to set direction.
When Leadership Learning Comes to Life
One of the most profound insights I’ve gained is that I’m not just teaching leadership—I’m witnessing it come to life in real time. These students aren’t merely absorbing ideas; they’re embodying them, growing through the very challenges that shape who they are becoming as leaders.
What Constance accomplished was more than theoretical—it was transformational. It required from her a bold openness to influence, a willingness to trust both the strategy and the human wisdom embedded in the Leadership Growth Lab. She brought valuable insights to high-stakes conversations in her own voice, disrupted long-standing habits, and leaned into discomfort. That’s where authentic leadership begins—in the disquietude that reveals who we are and calls us toward who we can become.
Her decision to act on the Leadership Growth Lab’s guidance also raises a critical question: Does the source of her knowledge influence her willingness to take risks with her boss? Especially when the source is AI, who is speaking—and how we perceive it—matters deeply. Would she have taken the same advice from a ChatGPT probe or a coworker? I don’t know. However, I was transparent with my class: I hoped the advice from the Leadership Growth Lab would challenge their assumptions and stretch their thinking on their current dilemma. Often, acknowledging and accepting one’s problem, its context, and potential solutions from a different perspective is the first sign of growth and development. When students see their own stories reflected in the classroom, they discover that their everyday challenges are not obstacles but small steps toward becoming the leaders they are meant to be.
With students’ permission, I plan to use their leadership dilemmas, my Leadership Growth Lab’s responses, and the critical questions they raised to craft their case studies—collected stories that inspire them to lead with greater self-awareness from their current level of development. Together, we’ll explore not just what we would do, but what it truly means to lead with insight, courage, and trust in this rapidly evolving landscape through first-person instruction.
From integrating AI in leadership education to shaping the future of business, Goizueta faculty combine academic rigor with real-world relevance. Explore more faculty insights and innovations.
