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In a recent webinar hosted by our Talent Intelligence team, we explored a question many executive leaders are now facing: what leadership capability is actually needed to unlock value from AI?
The instinct is often to move quickly, hire AI leaders, build teams, and deploy tools. The reality is more complex. Organisations seeing meaningful results are not the ones moving fastest, but those making better-informed decisions at the outset.
Start with the market
A consistent challenge we see is misalignment between ambition and reality. Businesses define a role that is broad, and often unrealistic, then go to market expecting quick results. Without understanding the talent landscape, this leads to delays, failed searches, or costly mis-hires. A significant proportion of executive hiring processes break down for this reason. There is a gap between what a business wants and what the market can deliver.
Before bringing in AI leadership, organisations need a clear view of:
- What talent actually exists
- Where it sits
- How rare certain capabilities are
- What good looks like in their specific context
This is where Talent Intelligence plays a critical role. It replaces assumption with evidence, and helps shape decisions before they become expensive mistakes.
AI value comes from redesign, not just automation
Many organisations begin by applying AI to existing tasks. They automate processes, speed up outputs, and improve efficiency. The real value comes from redesigning workflows entirely. High-performing organisations rethink how work gets done; they compress timelines, run parallel processes, and shift human effort toward decision-making and coordination. This has important implications for leadership.
Technical expertise alone is not enough. Leaders need to:
- Rethink operating models
- Identify where AI changes how value is created
- Align technology with business strategy
Without this broader capability, even strong technical hires struggle to deliver impact.
Why strategy should come before capability
A common mistake is building teams before defining a clear direction. We have seen organisations invest heavily in AI capabilities, sometimes at scale, only to find they lack access to the right data, clear use cases, or integration into core workflows. In these situations, even experienced leaders cannot create value.
A more effective approach is:
- Understand the market and available talent
- Define where AI can create value in your business
- Design the capability required
- Then hire leadership aligned to that need
This sequence significantly improves outcomes and reduces risk.
Identifying real AI expertise is increasingly difficult
Another challenge is distinguishing genuine expertise from surface-level experience. Many professionals now position themselves as AI specialists. Profiles and CVs are filled with relevant terminology, but this does not always reflect real delivery experience.
Organisations need to look beyond descriptions and focus on signals such as:
- The companies individuals have worked for
- The roles they held and their responsibilities
- Whether they have delivered real AI products or transformations
Without a structured approach, it is difficult to separate credible candidates from the wider market.
Building capability requires more than one hire
There is often an expectation that a single leader can build an entire AI capability.
In practice, success depends on a combination of skills:
- Strategic leadership to define direction
- Product expertise to shape solutions
- Engineering capability to build and scale
- Operational expertise to embed solutions into the business
These skills come from different talent pools, and require different hiring strategies. Understanding this upfront helps organisations design capabilities that are realistic and aligned to their stage of maturity.
Clarity attracts and retains talent
AI talent is in high demand. Compensation is rising and tenure is often short. In this environment, clarity matters.
Strong candidates are drawn to organisations that can clearly articulate:
- What they are trying to achieve
- How AI fits into their strategy
- Where the individual will add value
Without this, even successful hires are unlikely to stay or deliver long-term impact.
The role of talent intelligence
Organisations that are making progress are using Talent Intelligence to guide their decisions.
This allows them to:
- Map the talent landscape before hiring
- Test assumptions against real data
- Align stakeholders early
- Iterate quickly based on evidence
Instead of discovering issues weeks into a process, they identify them within days. The result is faster hiring, stronger pipelines, and better outcomes.
AI has the potential to reshape how organisations operate, but realising that value depends on making the right decisions early. Before hiring, take the time to understand the market, define the opportunity, and design the capability needed. Getting this right at the start means everything that follows becomes more effective.
To discuss this further please contact Alex Martin or James Davies-Love.
