AI is rewriting corporate leadership playbook: MetLife global HR chief

“The playbook just hasn’t been written yet.” That’s how Shurawl Sibblies describes the challenge confronting today’s leaders as artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates change faster than organizations can comfortably absorb it.

For the MetLife executive vice president and chief human resources officer (CHRO), however, the technology itself is only part of the story.

The more profound shift, she argues, lies in the nature of leadership itself.

“The pace of change, the velocity, is so fast and probably unlike anything we’ve ever experienced,” Sibblies said during her first visit to Korea last week.

That, she believes, calls for a different leadership instinct.

In an environment where change outpaces experience, the willingness of leaders to admit they don’t have every answer is becoming as important as their ability to provide direction.

“Making it OK to be vulnerable with your teams and say, ‘I don’t have all the answers, but this is what I do know, and we’re going to learn together,’ makes such a difference,” she said.

“It’s a bit of humility that’s re ...