Is AI a Crutch for Poor Leadership?

Let’s get something straight...

AI isn’t killing jobs.

Bad leadership is.

What we’re seeing right now isn’t a technological revolution. It’s a leadership one; and a lot of executives are failing it.

Instead of fixing broken communication, unclear accountability, weak managers, or dysfunctional teams, many leaders are reaching for AI as a shortcut. Not to enhance performance—but to avoid hard conversations.

Replacing people with technology feels decisive.

Leading people through change is harder.

And that difference matters.

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The Layoff Illusion

Yes, companies are laying off thousands of employees and blaming AI. The headlines make it sound inevitable. Necessary. Strategic.

But here’s the part they don’t like to talk about:

More than half of companies that laid off employees to “replace them with AI” now regret it.

Why?

Because AI is great at narrow tasks.

Humans are great at judgment, context, relationships, and accountability.

When leaders remove people without fixing the system, the same problems remain—just quieter. Until they resurface as missed details, angry customers, broken processes, and teams that no longer trust leadership.

So companies quietly rehire.

At higher cost.

With less loyalty.

And more damage already done.

That’s not innovation. That’s avoidance.

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AI Doesn’t Fix Leadership Gaps. It Exposes Them.

AI needs clarity.

Most organizations don’t have it.

AI needs clean processes.

Most teams are duct-taped together by heroic employees.

AI needs strong judgment at the top.

That’s where things usually fall apart.

When leaders lack the ability to communicate clearly, align people, and hold standards consistently, AI becomes a liability. Not because the tech is bad—but because leadership never did the work.

I see this often in family businesses, founder-led companies, and leadership teams navigating transition.

The instinct is understandable:

“Let’s automate. Let’s cut. Let’s move faster.”

But speed without direction doesn’t scale.

It just breaks things faster.

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Where AI Actually Works

The companies getting AI right aren’t replacing people first.

They’re redesigning leadership first.

They invest in:

• Clear roles

• Better decision-making

• Stronger managers

• Transparent communication

Then they introduce AI to remove friction—not responsibility.

In those environments, AI becomes leverage.

Everywhere else, it becomes a scapegoat.

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The Real Competitive Advantage

AI will keep improving.

Leadership still hasn’t caught up.

No algorithm can:

• Hold a difficult conversation

• Sense resistance in a room

• Navigate family dynamics

• Build trust after a hard decision

• Take accountability when things go wrong

That’s the work.

And that’s exactly where executive coaching belongs—not as motivation, but as structure for how leaders think, decide, and act under pressure.

AI can process information.

It can’t develop judgment.

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If you’re leading a business through automation, growth, or transition, the question isn’t whether AI belongs in your organization.

It’s whether you’re ready to lead it properly.

If this resonates, you already know the gap.

You can learn more about my executive coaching work at www.leokhoury.me.

Not to “fix” people—but to build leaders who don’t hide behind tools when leadership is required.

Up and Out,

Laith (Leo) Khoury [Connect on LinkedIn] Founder SpartanSC.co & LeoKhoury.me