Beyond AI: Why Emerging Leaders Need Digital Acumen

We all know AI is important—but the real opportunity for emerging leaders is to think both wide and deep about how it can shape the way you lead and perform. Emerging leaders are expected not only to collaborate across teams and manage complexity, but also to harness new tools—especially AI—to make better decisions, scale their impact, and integrate technology into business strategy. Too often, conversations about AI focus narrowly on tools or automation. But real digital acumen is broader. It’s about understanding how AI supports leadership, and building the skills to lead with confidence where technology, people, and business intersect.

At Emerging Leaders Group, we coach leaders to think about digital acumen in three interconnected areas:

1. Data & Decision Making

AI is a powerful accelerator of insight, but only if leaders know how to use it well.

• Accelerate insights: Use AI to analyze data faster, explore multiple scenarios, and frame options more clearly.

• Better decisions: Cross-check assumptions, and see beyond your blind spots.

• Practical framework: Apply the CRIT model (Woods)—give AI context, assign it a role, let it ask questions, then set a task.

Action Step: Pick one strategic decision you face. Use AI to model three different scenarios. Then compare: what did AI suggest, what did you decide, and why? This builds the muscle of using AI as a thought partner without abdicating judgment.

2. Domain Depth & Execution

Leaders can’t just know AI exists—they need depth in their own domain.

• Domain fit: Understand where AI adds real value in your industry and function.

• Your skills: Identify tools that enhance your own strengths and help you show up sharper in your role.

• Execution focus: Just do it. Using AI is a skill—you’ll be bad at first, and then you’ll get good.

Action Step: Pick one task you already do in your role—writing a report, analyzing data, preparing a presentation—and run it through an AI tool this week. Compare the output to your usual approach. Ask yourself: Did it save me time? Did it spark new ideas? Did it raise quality? The point isn’t to master the tool overnight—it’s to start building real, hands-on experience that compounds over time.

3. Tech & Business Integration

AI and data aren’t ends in themselves—they’re meant to drive your business forward and create more value for your customers and the people you lead. That means starting with strategy, not shiny objects. The best leaders know what matters most to their customers and stakeholders, and then integrate technology in ways that serve those priorities.

• Strategic alignment: Ask, “Does this AI initiative help us achieve our business goals or serve customers better?”

• Collaboration: Bridge the gap between technical experts and business leaders so AI solutions are both innovative and usable.

• Governance: Put in place simple guardrails—ethics, policy, and culture—that build confidence and trust in how AI is used.

Action Step: Identify one customer or stakeholder challenge that really matters to your business. Then, with a small cross-functional team, brainstorm how AI might improve the experience, reduce friction, or unlock new value. Define what success looks like, what risks you need to watch for, and how you’ll measure impact. This keeps AI tied directly to business outcomes instead of tech for tech’s sake.

Beyond Digital: What Truly Differentiates AI Leaders

Digital acumen matters—but technology alone doesn’t define great leaders. What sets apart the best emerging leaders is how they integrate authentic leadership with digital skill.

AI leaders differentiate themselves not just through digital fluency, but through:

• Self-Mastery & Grit: Clarity in values, resilience under pressure, and persistence in learning.

• Curiosity & Continuous Learning: Staying open to change and eager to explore new tools and ideas.

• Empathy & Inclusion: Ensuring technology serves people, not the other way around.

• Collaborative Influence: Building trust across silos and guiding others through complexity.

• Feedback & Trust: Creating safe spaces for growth and innovation.

Final Word

AI will continue to transform how work gets done. But emerging leaders who combine digital acumen with authentic leadership qualities will stand out. They won’t just use AI to do things faster—they’ll use it to make better decisions, scale human potential, and build organizations that are both more innovative and more human.