We are entering an era that my associates and I call “the AI paradox”:

As more people use artificial intelligence tools, the perceived value of analytical thinking will decline. It will become increasingly difficult to differentiate products or services on the basis of unique technical superiority. All professional service firms will be able to offer world-class analytical skills.

As cynical/mistrustful as people are now. they will become even more cynical about what they read and about the images they view. Perceived institutional and individual trust will emerge as the critical differentiating factor for organizational success. (Stybel Peabody 2024, 2025).

What follows is a discussion of four leadership skills for managing in the era of the AI paradox.

Four Types of Leadership Approach

Draw a 2×2 diagram with two factors: calm and assertive.

The first box would be Not Calm and Not Assertive. That is clearly not a leadership model.

The second box would be Calm and Not Assertive. This is a box occupied by employees destined to remain at the bottom of the leadership ladder. They will often feel themselves as victims…and they are. They need to work themselves out of this box.

The third box would be Not Calm but Assertive. These leaders drain our attention and hog the limelight. Although unpleasant to observe, during periods of uncertainty and mistrust, they rapidly escalate up the leadership ranks. If they lack institutional power, they are merely noisy. If they have institutional power, they can be dangerous.

Calm and Assertive Leadership

The final box represents Calm and Assertive leadership. Leaders with both traits are rare but can produce important, lasting change. In American history, Calm Assertive leaders include Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Franklin Roosevelt.

A recent example of Calm Assertive leadership would be the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech to global business and political leaders at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The substance of the talk will be remembered as a significant turning point. For purposes of Calm Assertive leadership role modeling, observe Prime Minister Mark Carney as he communicates his emotionally-laden substance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izDAOvHz5Wc

Leadership as a Performance Art

When you occupy a corporate role, your performance in that role is what stakeholders observe. The role can be more important than the personality of the occupant of the role. This means that being a Calm Assertive leader does not require deep psychotherapy or personality alteration: It rquires respecting your role.

One of the authors, while serving as president of a professional association, faced a significant membership decline in response to the COVID pandemic. As an individual, he was pessimistic about the survival of the organization. However, the role of president required confident expressions to members about the future, as he worked behind the scenes to arrange the association’s merger. The role required him to act the part of a calm, assertive leader.

Interviewing Job Candidates

In interviewing candidates, ask them this question: Give me an example of a crisis you have faced in your career that you are proud of. Why are you proud of it?

As candidates respond to the question, does their response fit one or more of the leadership styles in the Calm Assertive matrix?

As candidates respond, are the responses me-centric or team-centric?

In speaking with candidates’ references, ask if they can recall a situation in which the candidate acted in a calm yet assertive leadership style. If the response is, “I can’t think of anything.” that is an important piece of data.

Summary and Conclusions:

Leadership Essential Reads

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at Davos represents a useful role model of Calm Assertive leadership.

In an era of mistrust, people want to believe in something greater than themselves. Calm, assertive leadership is key for leaders in communicating emotionally laden information to stakeholders. The leadership paradox of our model is that this approach to gaining trust can be artificial. Leadership is a performance art.