INSIGHTS
Is AI the secret ingredient for successful leadership training?

On the surface of it, it feels a bit tired to keep bringing up Covid.

But in my conversations with businesses, it’s clear that even five years on, the impact of the pandemic is undeniable. This is especially the case for the people who were either new to the workplace or quickly moved to new middle-management roles with no warning.

Training (or lack thereof) has been instrumental in determining the success of these groups, especially when it comes to leadership opportunities. 

Since the release of Attensi REALTALK, I genuinely believe this AI-powered, feedback-led way of learning might be the key ingredient to helping these folks succeed in the future. 

Are we doing enough for the ‘Covid generation’?  

It’s probably harsh to paint an entire generation with the same brush, but it does seem that those who were in their early university days or leaving school are the ones who have felt the impact of ‘Zoom-gate’ the most. Doing most of your learning and interactions through a screen is certainly a unique experience. I think it’s only really now that we’re seeing what gaps this period of time has left on those affected. 

A large portion of that group had never been in what you might call a ‘typical’ working environment, and the challenges that come along with that. While they left school and university with superior digital literacy  and skill, many say they’re lacking confidence when it comes to meeting new people or, importantly, handling difficult conversations and leading teams. 

Don’t forget your tenured team members

It’s common to think only people new to a role need comprehensive learning and development. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Long-standing team members who have suddenly found themselves in new roles (particularly in middle-management roles) are often forgotten about; expected to manage teams and keep things running, but often with little to no guidance on how to do so. They’re unfortunately often left out of important conversations and programs for upskilling. 

The transition from peer to superior is no small thing, and I worry that organizations who forget these groups are going to be paying the price.

Whether they were deprived of learning and working in-person or lacked the learning and development they needed, those affected by Covid are still feeling the effects. And that’s leading to some serious aftershock waves for employers.

What are the consequences?

There are a few possible outcomes to unpick here. 

• Team members are left frustrated, unhappy and stuck

If someone has taken on the responsibility of a middle-management role, but hasn’t been provided the resources to carry out the role successfully, you may be blocking their progress. If they have ambitious career goals and are held back from achieving them, they may well become dissatisfied and look for opportunities elsewhere. 

• Skills gaps cost money 

If you’re constantly having to make new hires to fill skills gaps, it’s going to be costing your organization time, money and resources that may well have been better spent on investment in training and development for existing staff. 

• A leadership shortage

If these middle-management positions get left behind, you risk having a large gap in suitable leadership candidates for future positions. Only around 12% of businesses report feeling confident in their roster of future leaders.

Employers need to make sure that when it comes to training, no one gets left behind, or the consequences can be catastrophic.

Is Attensi REALTALK the answer?

Unlock the full potential of your people by giving them the tools to practice those communication and leadership skills with Attensi REALTALK. 

Sure, it’s cool for us to be able to say our training allows your team to speak to an AI avatar. And you’re right. It is cool. But the thing that excites me most with this combination of AI and leadership training is the feedback mechanism that’s been carefully considered throughout. 

Already, we’ve heard about a number of instances where an individual has thought they’d really nailed a conversation in real life, only to find that their avatar coach thought they were unempathetic or didn’t read the body language well. The feedback loop isn’t designed to criticise – it’s there to help participants understand their strengths, and to shine a light on what they need to work on. In other words, the feedback mechanism has been built to serve a fully rounded coaching conversation. 

REALTALK provides an individual with the chance to be completely unfiltered, to be brave and to try new things knowing they have a safe space to make mistakes and learn from them. All the while, the participant will be provided with continuous unbiased feedback, designed to help them learn and improve. I think this is the key thing here. This is what will start to give an individual the confidence and knowledge to be able to lead future teams. 

Arguably, this is the blend of digital and people skills that a modern, 2025 hybrid workplace has been missing. 

I’m hopeful that for this ‘Covid generation’ with exceptional digital literacy and a desire for learning, innovative training solutions like REALTALK will be the secret weapon for their development as future leaders.