The Phoenix Leadership Podcast

12: The First Time I Fired an AI Agent


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When your team includes someone who never sleeps, never asks questions and yet can’t sense context, how do you lead with humanity?

 

Because AI is now part of your team, accountability needs to evolve. This isn’t sci-fi, it’s happening today.

 

In our latest episode of The Future‑Ready Leader, I share a real moment when an AI agent in a pilot team started sending awkward, even offensive recognition messages.

The reaction wasn’t to disable the tool, it was to treat it like a teammate and hold it accountable. That’s where AI‑centred empathy comes in: not for the bot, but for the humans affected by its output.

 

We unpack why leaders now need:

- Clean AI accountability frameworks

- Bias intervention and retraining protocols

- New feedback loops that bridge code and care

- Clarity in role definitions—assistant, advisor, or decision‑maker?

- Psychological safety that acknowledges AI’s place in the team

 

You’re not alone if this feels like uncharted territory.

 

Use our Leadership Vitality Scorecard (link below) to check in on your clarity, connection, and resilience right now. And dive deeper with the full episode.

 

👉 Listen now + grab your scorecard: https://bit.ly/LeadershipVitalityScorecard 


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https://www.thephoenixcoachingcompany.com/our-leadership-solution

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The Phoenix Leadership PodcastBy Afsheen Ismail-Wey