Why management skills matter more in an AI-driven workplace

Once, you were promoted into management only after years of honing your craft and demonstrating vision. You gained a staff. Direct reports turned to you for guidance, direction and development. If you were fortunate, someone taught you how to lead them. But with the rise of AI assistants—and soon, autonomous agents—that’s about to change. Everyone gets an assistant Traditionally, only a third of employees in an organization get a direct report. For most of the org chart, additional or personal hired help is an unfunded fantasy. Until now. Agentic AI—capable of completing tasks, coordinating workflows, learning on the fly and even taking initiative—is changing the structure of work. These tools aren’t just answering questions; they’re active collaborators in nearly every role in every industry. More: 8 AI and tech predictions for the TV upfronts For the first time, nearly every employee will have an assistant to manage, even if they don’t have a single human report. If everyone is getting an assistant, it’s time to train everyone like a manager. This shift to an AI workforce is coming. Accenture estimates that nearly 40% of all working hours could be impacted by large language models (LLMs), particularly for tasks that can be done more efficiently by AI. And these new reports are hungry for attention. AI systems are only as strong as the direction they receive, but with more nuance because LLMs enthusiastically follow your human lead. The more specific and creative, the more tailored and useful the result. Like any assistant, these agents need ongoing direction and feedback. Managing AI = management Not everyone in an organization has been trained in management. I remember my first mentor handing me a copy of “The One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson when I was assigned my first report. This was the beginning of my management journey, which continued through seminars, conferences and on-the-job training. Managing AI is management. Success isn’t relegated only to great prompt engineering. It’s not just about knowing what to ask. It’s about knowing how to teach, influence, evaluate and course correct. In other words, how to manage, but with a lot less emotion or ego involved. More from Ad Age I also advise everyone to maintain emotional intelligence in their AI relationships to mirror the human world. I always say “please” and “thank you” in my LLM conversations. So, it’s time to train everyone like a manager. But how best to provide management training when someone’s first direct report might not be a person, but AI? Here are some tips: Identify worthy initiatives Carve out projects that inherently make for great training grounds for collaborating with AI. Set them up this way from the start with your mid-level and junior employees. Normalize feedback Make it standard practice to provide feedback to the LLMs. No ghosting, no moving on. “This felt off-center because …” “I was seeking more of …” “Let’s try again but this time …” Encourage collaboration toward a great outcome. Train for context, not just commands Remind employees that good management isn’t giving orders—it’s sharing the why. Ask them to provide business context, not just tasks, to AI agents. What’s the goal? Who’s the audience? What does good look like? Coach thinking, not just doing Push people to question the AI’s logic. “Walk me through your reasoning.” “What assumptions did you make?” That kind of inquiry builds decision-making skills in both the AI and the young leader. Measure the quality of interactions, not just output Are employees getting better at communicating with AI? Are they iterating thoughtfully? Are they helping the tools improve over time? Incorporate this growth into employee reviews. Teach well and prosper Consider AI assistants very literally as direct reports. They should be meaningfully led. Companies that start training now—expanding management practices from the top down to the inside out—won’t just adapt to AI, but they’ll integrate it. And in the process, they’ll build more human-centered leaders that ensure our industry thrives. Don’t miss: Join Ad Age at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Why management skills matter more in an AI-driven workplace

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