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The question: The younger staff in my team often resort to AI to ask questions and also to get AI to complete a task. Should I put my foot down and tell them to think for themselves? How severe are the risks when sharing company information? Perhaps I too old fashioned and I need to move with the times.
Rachel Treece’s answer: This is a question I hear a great deal from leaders at the moment and my answer is that this isn’t about banning AI or ‘putting your foot down’ — it’s about setting boundaries and expectations so that AI becomes a support, not a substitute, for critical thinking.
AI can be an incredibly powerful tool. It can help structure ideas, spark creativity or automate repetitive tasks — and for younger team members, especially, it’s second nature to use it. But here’s the key point: AI is just an ingredient, not the chef. Even the best ingredient in the world won’t make a brilliant dish if you don’t know how to combine flavours, balance textures, and season with judgement. The same is true here — if we outsource our entire thinking process to AI, we risk losing the very skills that make the workplace thrive: critical thinking, creativity, emotional intelligence, and the ability to collaborate and persuade.
Rather than telling people to stop, I’d encourage leaders to be clear: AI is there to enhance your thinking, not replace it. Ask your team to use AI to generate a first draft but then challenge them to refine, question, and add their own analysis and insight. That’s where the real value lies.
On the question of risk, you’re absolutely right to be cautious. Sensitive company data should never be entered into public AI tools. Many organisations are now writing clear AI policies to set out what can and can’t be shared, how data should be anonymised, and which tools are approved. That’s smart governance, not paranoia.
And no, you’re not being old-fashioned. Leadership is about helping people navigate new tools intelligently, not rejecting them outright. The most successful teams I see are those that combine the curiosity and digital fluency of younger generations with the experience and discernment of more seasoned professionals. AI is here to stay — but how we partner with it, and how we continue to cultivate those deeply human skills, is what will really define the future of work.
Rachel Treece is an executive coach, psychologist and leadership trainer based in Luxembourg. She is the founder and CEO of coaching company The Henka Institute. Treece is the author of The Henka Effect, and has more than 30 years of experience working in global financial services.
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