For a few hundred years we have believed that thinking makes us human. That the more rational, analytical, fact-based we are, the more intelligent we are. “I think, therefore I am,” as we have learned and believed.
But what if it’s not all about the person? AI thinks faster, more accurately, more deeply and even more creatively than we do. If all our value is based on IQ, analysis and academic wisdom, it’s not a question of if, but when AI will surpass us. However, the real human difference is not in thinking.
It’s in the feeling. In communication. In spirit. In being alive in your body.
There are many more parts to human intelligence than IQ, or simply thinking. In addition, we have:
* Emotional intelligence – the ability to notice what is going on inside us, what we feel, what we need, to feel motivated, etc.
* Social intelligence – the ability to establish deep contact with others, the ability to cope with other people’s emotions, needs and boundaries
* Physical intelligence – the ability to listen to your body and its messages, including acting on your body sensations (gut feeling)
* Spiritual intelligence – the ability to sense meaning and depth of being, to connect with something larger and unexplainable
These are the layers where AI does not reach. At least not yet, it can describe these parts in terms of reason, but I think everyone understands that describing things that are on another level of reason is pointless and makes things much simpler. After all, we’ve all perceived things that are difficult to put into words – simple gut feelings without any great spirituality.
Some practical steps to avoid becoming a thinking machine:
– Practice feeling, not just thinking. Ask yourself “How do I really feel?”
– Stop and listen to what’s going on in your body. Notice how your body is guiding your decisions even before you think.
– Create connections between people. Have a conversation without a goal, just by being there.
AI can do our work, but humans can be alive. And it’s the leaders who need it the most, because it’s their job to influence the lives of others.
The job of a leader is not only to think, but also to feel, perceive and connect. Only then can leadership become human and whole again.
And that’s why I call myself a holistic leadership coach. Because holistic means holistic – an approach that encompasses the levels of mind, feeling, body and meaning.
