AI Won't Replace Managers But It Will Expose Bad Ones

"AI can now schedule meetings, summarize calls, draft emails, and write serviceable first drafts. That's not the threat. The threat is what it reveals. If your value as a manager lives mostly in tasks, AI will eat it. If your value lives in people- coaching, clarity, and meaning-AI becomes your time-maker. The task trap (and why AI breaks it) For years, many managers equated "being indispensable" with staying busy: approving requests, forwarding documents, chasing status updates, taking notes, and nudging people about deadlines."

"The Exposure Effect: 3 manager types 1) The Task Tracker Lives in spreadsheets and status pings. Thrives on visibility into who did what. Exposed by AI: Tools track tasks better and faster. Micromanagement becomes obvious-and resented. 2) The Process Police Values compliance above outcomes. Adds steps to "keep control." Exposed by AI: Automation shortens processes. Unnecessary gates and approvals are easy to spot and route around."

"What survives the AI shift: 5 durable leadership skills Coaching - Turning tasks into learning reps; giving specific, timely feedback. Sense-making - Explaining why this matters and how it fits the bigger picture. Ethical judgment & boundaries - Deciding what not to automate; guarding privacy and fairness. Conflict & candor - Surfacing tensions early; holding respectful, direct conversations."

AI automates routine managerial tasks such as scheduling, summarizing calls, drafting emails, and creating first drafts, removing layers of administrative busywork. Managers who derive value from task-tracking, process compliance, and surveillance become exposed as AI handles those functions more efficiently. Three manager archetypes emerge: task trackers, process police, and coaches/connectors; AI exposes the first two and amplifies the third. Durable leadership skills include coaching, sense-making, ethical judgment and boundary-setting, and handling conflict with candor. Leaders should pair AI with human strengths, replace surveillance with coaching, provide clarity and care, and focus on developing people and purpose.

Read at Psychology Today