AI and Leadership: Artificial Intelligence Enhances the Missing Middle (If You Know How)

My course at H-Farm College, dedicated to master’s students, focuses on a topic that is more relevant today than ever: how to prepare leaders to leverage the potential of AI. It is not just about mastering technology, but about finding that meeting point between human and machine, known as the Missing Middle. That is where the real magic happens, and it is where I had the honor of seeing extraordinary ideas take shape thanks to the work of my students.

Practical Application: NotebookLM, Otter.ai, and the Smartbrew Case Study

During the course, one of the main exercises was the case of an imaginary company called “Smartbrew.” This case guided the entire program, step by step, until the final exam. Students analyzed available data, reflected on a possible Data Strategy, and understood what it means to rethink and redesign business processes to design AI-driven solutions.

Among them, Doaria Giorgia Chiosa stood out not only for her curiosity but also for her ability to explore innovative tools. She was the one who introduced me to NotebookLM, an AI-based tool, as part of one of the course’s main inputs: finding new solutions for complex problems.

Subsequently, I used NotebookLM to create an AI interview based on the course materials and the Smartbrew case. This dialogue between two AI agents was transformed into a podcast and enriched with a transcript generated via Otter.ai. Isn’t it incredible? A combination of AI tools that makes learning more accessible, interactive, and, above all, creative.

The Eight Competencies of AI-Ready Leadership

To address the Missing Middle and lead in a world transformed by AI, the course identified eight key competencies, fundamental for the leaders of tomorrow:

1. Technological Foundations – Understanding how AI models work, their limitations, and their applications. Because without knowing the alphabet, we cannot write great stories. Every manager must possess at least the basics to use AI strategically.
2. Analytical Skills and Data Orientation – Knowing how to interpret data, reflecting on what is missing or scattered within the company, and defining a Data Strategy that fuels growth. Data is the fuel of AI.
3. Agility and Adaptability – Rapidly adapting to technologies, experimenting, and redesigning processes and tasks to implement effective AI solutions.
4. Collaboration & Co-Intelligence – Integrating human teams and AI to create synergies, understanding which activities are human, which belong to machines, and how to work together in the Missing Middle.
5. Emotional and Social Competencies – Managing changes and teamwork with empathy, reclaiming the emotional intelligence that makes us uniquely human.
6. Creativity and Innovation – Distinguishing between creativity (abstract) and innovation (concrete) to apply both in business with AI.
7. Critical and Ethical Thinking – Training human critical thinking, enriched by technology, without flattening it. Using AI to expand the capacity for reasoning distinguishes a leader.
8. Strategic Vision – Connecting AI to the long-term corporate vision, while maintaining focus on what is urgent and relevant today.

Rehumanizing Time and the Missing Middle

Among the themes explored in the course, that of Rehumanizing Time was examined in depth: using AI not to do more, but to do better. Automating repetitive tasks to leave room for creativity, strategic thinking, and human relationships. This falls under Hybrid Activities, which represent the heart of the Missing Middle: the collaboration between human and machine for extraordinary results.

A Future Led by Humans and Powered by AI

Artificial intelligence does not replace the human leader; it empowers them. But only if we know how to use it with awareness and strategy. This course is not just technological training: it is a journey into the future of leadership, an invitation to explore and embrace change.

As I always tell my students: it is not about keeping pace with technology, but about leading it toward a tomorrow where humans and AI thrive together.

Challenge your ear: listen to the podcast
Now I invite you to listen to the podcast I created: I challenge you to distinguish the synthetic voice of my AI agent. Perhaps only its impeccable English might give it away… who knows, maybe it’s a great opportunity to practice mine as well!