Leaders in the Loop – Episode 06 -- AI at the System Level: Leadership, Shared Services, and Scale with Ryan Low

Leaders in the Loop – Episode 11 – Global AI Architect Annie Hardy on Re-Architecting the Cognitive Workforce

Dan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjenkinsphd/] and Gaurav [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkhanna1/] are joined by Annie Hardy [https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-hardy-9a1a5a5/], Global AI Architect and Futurist at Cisco Systems, for a wide-ranging conversation about what it actually takes to lead AI adoption inside a large organization — not through engineering or edict, but through empathy, movement-building, and a fierce commitment to the humans who get left behind when leaders skip straight to the technology. ----more---- Episode Overview Annie traces her path from communications major and White House intern to community health worker to boutique agency founder to Cisco's Generative AI Architect — and makes a case that every turn in that journey shaped her ability to do what engineers and consultants often cannot: connect the technology to the people it affects.  The conversation moves from Cisco's early generative AI adoption story, through the creation of the Generative AI Explorers community, into the deeper question of what it means to re-architect the cognitive workforce for the age of agents. Along the way, Dan and Gaurav bring in frameworks from leadership theory, organizational learning, and their own classroom and practitioner experience to push the ideas further. Topics Covered * Annie's non-traditional path from communications to Global AI Architect * How she helped lead and evangelize Cisco's Generative AI Explorers community from five people to tens of thousands * Why creating open AI communities actually decreases organizational risk — not increases it – through visibility and support to enable best practices. * Navigating legal, governance, and information security teams during AI adoption * The difference between corporate value programs and genuine innovation culture * Why most organizations throw tools at people without re-architecting the workforce * Convergent vs. divergent thinking and what it means for job design in the age of AI * The data/information/knowledge/wisdom pyramid as a framework for understanding AI's impact on roles * Being in the loop, on the loop, and out of the loop — and what each means for job descriptions * Annie's Code of AI Ethics and its five principles * The Job Lab: an AI-powered career pivot tool she built as a Georgetown capstone project * Shadow AI, personal infrastructure spending, and what it reveals about leadership gaps * Why responsible AI practitioners are being sidelined — and why that should concern everyone * The innovation gap facing women in AI * Community colleges as faster, more agile partners in AI workforce education * Range, cognitive diversity, and why a workforce of strategists is a disaster Key Takeaways * Human-centeredness and strategic influence are both required to build movements. Empathy alone doesn't create change. Neither does strategy without connection. Annie argues that the most effective AI leaders in organizations combine both — and that this combination is rare. * Creating a community around AI reduces risk, it doesn't increase it. When employees have a visible, moderated space to explore generative AI, governance teams gain visibility into what's actually happening. Shadow AI thrives in silence, not in community. * Agentic AI begins with process design, not technology. Before deploying agents, organizations need internal experts who understand both line-of-business workflows and AI capabilities. The knowledge transfer has to happen first. * Leaders are failing workers by skipping the "what comes next" conversation. It is irresponsible, Annie argues, for executives to signal that jobs are at risk from AI without defining what new roles look like and building pathways to get there. * Job descriptions need to be rewritten around the human-in-the-loop. Most organizations haven't begun this work. The question isn't just what AI will automate — it's where human judgment must remain, and how to write that into the role itself. * Cognitive diversity is an asset, not a problem to manage. Not everyone is a strategist. Re-architecting a workforce requires understanding the cognitive profiles already present — and designing for them, not against them. * Start with the pain, not the technology. The most successful AI implementations Annie has seen begin by identifying real human workflow problems, then building toward a solution. The reverse almost always fails. Resources & Mentions Guest * Annie Hardy – LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniehardy/] * Annie Hardy on Cisco: Global AI Architect and Futurist Hosts * Dan Jenkins – LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjenkinsphd/] | University of Southern Maine * Gaurav Khanna – LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkhanna1/] | Cisco Systems / Stanford Continuing Studies Books * If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All [https://www.amazon.com/Anyone-Builds-Everyone-Dies-Superhuman/dp/0316595640] – Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares (Little, Brown and Company, 2025) * Paddle Forward: Teaming in the Age of AI [https://www.amazon.com/Paddle-Forward-Teaming-Age-AI/dp/1971173002] – Pat Bodin * Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World [https://davidepstein.com/the-range/] – David Epstein Organizations & Programs * Cisco Systems [https://www.cisco.com/] * Cisco Trust Center [https://trustportal.cisco.com/] * Austin AI Alliance [https://austin-ai.org/events/] * Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders [https://annrichards.austinisd.org/] * Georgetown University – AI & Strategic Foresight Program [https://scs.georgetown.edu/] * University of Maine System [https://www.maine.edu/] * International Leadership Association [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/] * Center for Creative Leadership – Visual Explorer [https://www.ccl.org/leadership-challenges/visual-explorer/] Frameworks & Concepts * Generative AI Explorers (Cisco internal community) * Code of AI Ethics (Annie Hardy, in development) – five principles: protect human privacy, pursue human prosperity, build smart guardrails, retain your brain, use your powers for good * The Job Lab (Annie Hardy, Georgetown capstone project) * Data / Information / Knowledge / Wisdom Pyramid * In the loop / On the loop / Out of the loop framework (referenced from ILA Global Conference) * V2MOM (Cisco goal-setting framework) People Referenced * Amy Edmondson – psychological safety research (Harvard Business School [https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451]) * Edgar Schein – organizational culture * Warren Bennis – leadership and organizational change * John Lewis – "get into good trouble" * Dale Carnegie * John Capobianco – Cisco network automation / Network GPT * Kevin Kerner – Mason Zimbler / AI podcast * Dr. Lemieux – Georgetown University AI and Strategic Foresight * Provost Adam Tuszynski – University of Southern Maine AI Tools & Platforms Referenced * ChatGPT (OpenAI) [https://openai.com/chatgpt] * Claude (Anthropic) [https://www.anthropic.com/claude] * GitHub Copilot [https://github.com/features/copilot] * Claude Code [https://www.anthropic.com/claude-code] * Google Stitch [https://stitch.withgoogle.com/] (Annie's recommended tool to check out) * Cisco Circuit (internal agent builder) * GPT-3, GPT-2, DistilBERT, RoBERTa (referenced in early LLM context) AI Influencers & Newsletters * Ruben Hassid – How to AI on Substack [https://ruben.substack.com/] (Annie's recommendation) * Allie K. Miller – LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alliekmiller/] | alliekmiller.com [https://www.alliekmiller.com/home] (Annie's recommendation) Music * Joey Harney – Life Bites Back (Annie's album, available on iTunes) Stay curious. Stay human.

Leaders in the Loop -- Episode 10 -- ILA 2026 AI & Leadership Virtual Summit Preview | Leading With AI Across Sectors

Dan and Gaurav are joined by Dr. Mary Tabata [https://www.linkedin.com/in/marytabata/] and Dr. Kevin Bottomley [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-bottomley-phd-cde%C2%AE-506745b/] to preview the International Leadership Association’s 2026 AI & Leadership Virtual Summit [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/events/2026-ai-leadership-virtual-summit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com], The Integration Frontier: Leading With AI Across Sectors. The summit takes place live on May 6–7, 2026, with on-demand access available afterward. Mary Tabata serves as associate faculty at American Public University System [https://www.apus.edu/] and Eastern University [https://www.eastern.edu/]. Kevin Bottomley is an assistant professor of Global Leadership at Indiana Tech [https://www.indianatech.edu/]. In this conversation, they discuss how the summit came together, why cross-sector dialogue matters right now, and what leaders can expect from this year’s program. ----more---- Episode Overview This episode introduces the purpose and structure of the ILA 2026 AI & Leadership Virtual Summit [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/events/2026-ai-leadership-virtual-summit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] and explains why its cross-sector focus matters. The conversation highlights how AI is reshaping leadership practice in education, business, healthcare, and organizational development, while also raising questions about ethics, governance, literacy, and implementation. The summit is designed as a space for leaders, educators, researchers, and practitioners to explore those questions together. The official event page describes the summit as ILA’s second virtual AI summit and emphasizes themes such as ethical and responsible AI, AI literacy, innovation, productivity, leadership development, and reskilling. Event details and registration [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/events/2026-ai-leadership-virtual-summit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] Topics Covered * Preview of the ILA 2026 AI & Leadership Virtual Summit [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/events/2026-ai-leadership-virtual-summit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * The summit theme: The Integration Frontier: Leading With AI Across Sectors * The growth of the International Leadership Association [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/]’s AI and Emerging Technologies member community * Early leadership and teaching use cases for ChatGPT [https://openai.com/chatgpt] and Claude [https://www.anthropic.com/claude] * Hallucinations, verification, and responsible use * AI literacy and implementation frameworks * Leadership challenges in business, education, and healthcare * Human-centered leadership in AI-enabled systems Key Takeaways * The ILA 2026 AI & Leadership Virtual Summit [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/events/2026-ai-leadership-virtual-summit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] is designed to connect leaders across sectors around shared AI adoption challenges. * AI implementation is not only technical; it also requires leadership in governance, culture, and change. * Early experiences with generative AI revealed both practical value and clear limitations, especially around fabricated references and unreliable links. * AI literacy needs to be developed with role, context, and sector in mind. * Cross-sector dialogue can help leaders identify common patterns in AI adoption. * Human judgment remains essential in high-stakes environments such as education and healthcare. * The summit emphasizes ethical, inclusive, responsible, and impactful AI leadership. Examples & References Discussed Mary and Kevin describe their early experiments with generative AI in professional and academic settings. Those experiences included testing classroom assignments, reviewing AI-generated papers, and encountering hallucinated citations and broken links. These examples helped shape their approach to responsible AI use and to the kinds of summit sessions they believe leaders need now. The episode also traces the development of the AI and Emerging Technologies member community within the International Leadership Association [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/]. That work grew out of earlier conference conversations and collaborations around AI, ethics, education, and leadership. The summit program [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/events/2026-ai-leadership-virtual-summit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] brings together voices from multiple sectors and includes sessions focused on leadership development, implementation, governance, AI literacy, and organizational practice. The event page also lists Ganna Pogrebna of Queen’s University Belfast [https://www.qub.ac.uk/] as the closing keynote speaker. Mary highlights Pogrebna’s work at Queen’s University Belfast [https://www.qub.ac.uk/] and the broader mix of speakers contributing to the summit. The conversation makes clear that one of the event’s central goals is to help attendees think more clearly about how leadership and AI intersect in real organizational settings. Resources & Mentions * ILA 2026 AI & Leadership Virtual Summit [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/events/2026-ai-leadership-virtual-summit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] * International Leadership Association [https://ilaglobalnetwork.org/] * ChatGPT [https://openai.com/chatgpt] * Claude [https://www.anthropic.com/claude] * Chris Wildermuth [https://www.linkedin.com/in/criswildermuth/] * Ganna Pogrebna [https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/persons/ganna-pogrebna] * Queen’s University Belfast [https://www.qub.ac.uk/] Stay curious. Stay human.

Leaders in the Loop -- Episode 09 -- Greg Allen on AI Practice, Feedback, and The Leaders Lab.io

In this episode, Dan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjenkinsphd/] and Gaurav [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkhanna1/] are joined by Dr. Greg Allen [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregwallen/], founder of The Leaders Lab.io [https://leaderslab.io/], co-founder of Ascendant Global Leadership, LLC, and a professor of leadership at The Citadel. In this episode, they explore how AI can support leadership development through structured practice, reflection, and feedback. Check out the video version here: https://youtu.be/N5f_fzsGl5o [https://youtu.be/N5f_fzsGl5o] ----more---- Episode Overview Greg shares the thinking behind The Leaders Lab.io [https://leaderslab.io/] and explains the developmental gap he set out to address: what happens after a leadership workshop, class, or assessment, when learners need opportunities to practice, receive feedback, and improve over time. The conversation focuses on AI as an augmentation tool for leadership learning, not a replacement for human coaching. Dan and Gaurav connect Greg’s approach to familiar leadership development practices, including assessments, coaching, communication feedback, and role-play. Topics Covered * The gap between leadership learning and leadership practice * Why Greg Allen built The Leaders Lab.io * The role of Virtual Sapiens in communication feedback * Transformational leadership as a foundation for the platform * AI role-play, Practice Mirror, video Q&A, and uploaded video analysis * Feedback on clarity, empathy, buy-in, framing, and trustworthiness * Using AI to extend leadership development beyond workshops and assessments * Greg’s perspective on safe, prosocial, human-centered use of AI Key Takeaways * Leadership development often breaks down after the initial learning experience, when people need practice and feedback to turn ideas into behavior. * The Leaders Lab.io is designed to support rehearsal, reflection, and improvement over time. * Greg positions AI as a practice partner and feedback mechanism rather than a substitute for human coaching. * Assessments become more useful when paired with conversation, reflection, and action. * The platform’s feedback addresses both the content and delivery of communication. * Practice matters more than simply adding more leadership content. * Greg emphasizes the importance of using AI in ways that are constructive, ethical, and grounded in human development. Examples and References Discussed A recurring theme in the conversation is the difference between acquiring leadership knowledge and building leadership skills. Greg explains that leaders often gain insight from courses, workshops, and assessments, but still need structured ways to rehearse difficult conversations, test approaches, and receive feedback. Dan connects that point to strengths-based development and other assessment tools, while Gaurav emphasizes that the real need in leadership development is not more content, but more meaningful practice. Greg also walks through the main functions of The Leaders Lab.io, including AI role-play, Practice Mirror, video Q&A, and uploaded video analysis. He describes how the platform can generate feedback on both what a leader says and how they show up while saying it, including factors such as clarity, empathy, buy-in, eye contact, trustworthiness, posture, intonation, and filler words. The discussion also situates The Leaders Lab.io within the broader landscape of leadership and AI. Dan references an earlier Leaders in the Loop episode with Gary Lloyd and LeadershipSkillsLab.ai, and Greg explains how his work was shaped by leadership scholarship, practical coaching needs, and collaboration with Virtual Sapiens. In the closing segment, Greg also recommends Teaching with AI by José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson. Resources and Mentions * The Leaders Lab.io [https://leaderslab.io/] * Virtual Sapiens [https://www.virtualsapiens.co/] * The Citadel [https://www.citadel.edu/] * Gallup CliftonStrengths [https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspx] * Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) [https://www.leadershipchallenge.com/leadership-assessments/lpi-360] * DiSC [https://www.discprofile.com/] * Myers-Briggs / MBTI [https://www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Explore-Solutions/MBTI] * Toastmasters [https://www.toastmasters.org/] * Descript [https://www.descript.com/] * Audacity [https://www.audacityteam.org/] * OpenAI [https://openai.com/] * Teaching with AI [https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/54122/teaching-ai] by José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson Stay curious. Stay human.

Leaders in the Loop – Episode 08 – Expanding our Context Windows with Chief Creative Officer Dr. Jonathan Reams

Dan Jenkins [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjenkinsphd/] and Gaurav Khanna [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkhanna1/] are joined by Dr. Jonathan Reams [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-reams-08bb2/], Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at the Center for Transformative Leadership [https://www.transformleadership.no/], founder of Adeptify [https://www.adeptify.ai/], and author of Maturing Leadership, to explore what leadership development looks like in an AI-saturated environment—especially when information is abundant but developmental capacity is not. ----more---- Episode Overview This episode frames leadership growth as a developmental process rather than a knowledge-transfer problem. Drawing on adult development theory, neuroscience-informed models of prediction and emotion, and applied AI practice, the conversation explores how leaders expand capacity, interrupt reactivity, and remain accountable in complex systems. Topics Covered * Leaders “create the weather” through emotional and relational climate * The bricoleur mindset and adaptive learning * Predictive processing and constructed emotion * Horizontal vs. vertical development * Downward assimilation of complex concepts * Psychological Aikido and interrupting reactive cycles * Learning loops and dynamic skill theory * Context windows and attention (human and AI parallels) * Intentional AI collaboration and ethical acceleration Key Takeaways * Leadership behavior reflects predictive models shaped by early experience. * Capacity expansion—not content accumulation—drives developmental growth. * Complex ideas degrade when leaders lack the capacity to hold them. * Iterative learning loops enable meaningful skill development. * AI tools require deliberate framing and human accountability. * Ethical maturity must keep pace with technological capability. Examples & References Discussed Adult Development & Learning * Robert Kegan – Harvard profile [https://www.gse.harvard.edu/faculty/robert-kegan] * Jean Piaget – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy [https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/piaget/] * Kurt Fischer – Dynamic Skill Theory * Theo Dawson – Lectica [https://lecticalive.org/] Neuroscience & Psychology * Lisa Feldman Barrett – Official site [https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com/] * Benjamin Libet – readiness potential research * Andy Clark – University of Edinburgh profile [https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/andy-clark] Leadership & Organizations * The Leadership Circle [https://leadershipcircle.com/] * Arbinger Institute [https://arbinger.com/] * Amy Edmondson – Harvard Business School [https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451] * Peter Senge – The Fifth Discipline (Publisher page [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/160027/the-fifth-discipline-by-peter-m-senge/]) AI, Technology & Culture * Google AI Studio (Gemini) [https://aistudio.google.com/] * Claude (Anthropic) [https://www.anthropic.com/claude] * Visual Studio Code [https://code.visualstudio.com/] * Kilo Code (VS Code extension) [https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=kilocode.Kilo-Code] * The Coming Wave – Official site [https://www.the-coming-wave.com/] * Co-Intelligence – Publisher page [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738266/co-intelligence-by-ethan-mollick/] * Algorithmic Justice League [https://www.ajl.org/] Stay curious. Stay human.

Leaders in the Loop – Episode 07 – Designing Leadership for the Age of AI with Kathy Guarini

In this episode, Dan [https://www.linkedin.com/in/danjenkinsphd/] and Gaurav [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gkhanna1/] are joined by Kathy Guarini [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-guarini/] to discuss how leadership must evolve as artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday organizational decision-making. Kathy brings extensive leadership experience in enterprise technology and research, including serving as Chief Information Officer at IBM, where she led large-scale technology, AI, and digital transformation initiatives. ----more----Episode Overview This conversation examines leadership as a design challenge, rather than a technology adoption problem. The discussion focuses on how leaders can intentionally design systems, roles, and decision processes that preserve human judgment, accountability, and ethical responsibility as AI capabilities scale. The episode situates “human-in-the-loop” as an organizational and leadership concern—not solely a technical safeguard. Topics Covered * Human-in-the-loop as a leadership responsibility * Designing organizational systems alongside AI tools * How leadership decisions shape AI outcomes * Algorithmic bias and unintended consequences * Facial recognition systems as a case example * AI literacy as a leadership competency * The limits of analogy-based reasoning about AI * Accountability in AI-supported decision-making Key Takeaways * AI outcomes reflect leadership and design choices. * Human judgment must be intentionally built into systems. * Leaders remain accountable for decisions supported by AI. * AI literacy is increasingly essential for effective leadership. * Ethical responsibility cannot be delegated to technology alone. Examples & References Discussed * Facial recognition bias and the work of Joy Buolamwini [https://www.media.mit.edu/people/joyab/overview/] * Research and advocacy from the Algorithmic Justice League * Enterprise-scale AI and technology leadership contexts Resources & Mentions * Algorithmic Justice League: https://www.ajl.org [https://www.ajl.org] * IBM: https://www.ibm.com [https://www.ibm.com] Stay curious. Stay human.