‘Regardless of technology or the speed of innovation, people are still people. And all the rules of humanity still apply.’ – Simon Sinek
There have been quite a lot of alarming discussions lately about the rise of AI and how it’s going to result in large percentages of people losing their jobs. It is scary when I consider that I’ve only just started experimenting with AI, and the only thing that seems to have stuck is that it’s taken to its name, ‘Data’. I named it after Star Trek’s Data.
Data produces results in minutes. Yet, I’m constantly preferring what I end up writing, mostly because I can hear myself in it and want to make sure I’m represented in what I’m saying. I think the main reason I run to Data is because I still have lots of doubts about whether I really have anything of value to say!
Not Alone
It felt like validation, when I saw Korn Ferry’s insights-report, Leadership Development Trends to Build a Future Forward Mindset (April 1, 2025). The report talks about the top five trends shaping the future and practical steps to cultivate ‘effective leadership’ in a season of such swift and seismic change. ‘Adaptive leadership and innovation,’ is the trend that pushes the idea of experimentation. At its core, experimentation is the engine of innovation. It’s down to the leadership to trust their people to test things and fail. This means creating a safe space where the process of experimentation is lauded. Simon Sinek is on point when he says, ‘What good is an idea if it remains an idea? Try. Experiment. Iterate. Fail. Try again. Change the world.’
Reframing Failure into Opportunity
For most of us, the idea of failure is daunting. The experimentation trend reminds us that experience from the experiment will inevitably reveal something that works. This challenges my own fears of failure and helps me reframe things. Reframing is a wonderful strategy when dealing with imposter syndrome. It changes fear into opportunity. Failure reveals insights. There’s room to address gaps, rebuild, pivot, and move forward.
Reframing is commonly used in Cognitive Behavior Therapy to help with imposter syndrome. Reframing helps us to really look at the facts, take in the positives and recognize that there’s achievement even in imperfection.
Informing -v- Inspiring
It is true that the ability to innovate is important to being relevant in the age of AI. It’s also important in the battle against imposter syndrome. Unlike me, Data doesn’t struggle with imposter syndrome. Sometimes, Data is wonky. Glitches are real. Yet, the moment it’s cleared up, Data doesn’t seem to recollect its failure. It just goes on. This is where we differ. I remember my failures.
The one thing I can extrapolate from this is that for Data, doing something again is a mechanical act. Don’t like the way something is structured, it restructures it. If you’re using it to write, it rewrites. For me, doing something again when the first hasn’t worked out requires courage. I need to remind myself that I’m not useless and that I can produce meaningful or relevant content. It is in this reframing exercise that I find another nail to hammer into the coffin I’m building for the imposter. Whilst I’m slower and require courage to bounce back from mistakes, I still do good work. My humanity is revealed in my courage. It helps others around me. This is why AI can inform, but I can inspire.
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