Been running a remote team for about two years now. Before that, I spent years in HR. So I think about people dynamics a lot, probably more than the average team lead.
Started layering AI tools into my workflow earlier this year. Summaries, async checkin analysis, flagging patterns in team communication. Some of it is genuinely useful. Actually useful, not just productivity theater.
But here's what keeps bugging me. The more I lean on these tools to spot friction or low engagement signals, the less I trust my own read of people. Which used to be the whole point of me. That was the skill.
There's a version of this where AI makes me a sharper leader because I catch things faster. There's another version where I slowly hollow out the human judgment that makes managing people worth doing at all.
I keep going back and forth on where the line is. Using AI to augment a peoplecentered skill feels different from using it to replace the judgment calls entirely, but in practice that boundary gets blurry fast.
Curious if anyone else in a management or HRadjacent role is navigating this. Not looking for tool recommendations. More like, how are you thinking about what you still want to own yourself versus what you let the model handle.
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