As the Director of Talent Development at LinkedIn, Dr. Chrissy Roth-Francis currently oversees the growth of 3,000 leaders. She is at the forefront of a major cultural shift: the “Human Plus” future.
Ahead of her sessions at SPARK HR 2026, HR Daily Advisor sat down with Dr. Roth-Francis to discuss how HR professionals and people leaders can navigate the rapid adoption of AI while keeping human connection at the core.
Here are nine key takeaways for leading with intention in an AI-driven world.
1. Define Human-Centered Leadership Simply
Before diving into tech, remember that leadership starts with person-to-person connection. It isn’t about managing projects; it’s about managing people.
“Human-centered leadership simply means showing up as a human first and understanding that all your people are human first… not thinking about them as employees first, not thinking about the projects that they need to do first.”
2. Prioritize “Knowing Your People” as a Performance Driver
The most effective way to drive performance isn’t a new software, it’s deep personal knowledge of your team. This creates the psychological safety needed to navigate change.
“You have to know your people. What do they like to do? What are their hobbies? Who’s their family? What’s their background? Where are they from? Tap into their motivations, their passions, where they want to take their career and where they don’t. That to me is really the driver of performance.”
3. Use AI as a Simulator for Hard Conversations
Don’t just use AI to write emails; use it to practice empathy. Role-playing difficult scenarios with AI can sharpen your leadership skills without the awkwardness of traditional practice.
“With LinkedIn Learning’s AI-powered role play, I can play out the conversation and I can practice. AI gave me incredible feedback I had never thought about before. That has helped me get much better at difficult conversations… it really increased my ability, increased my confidence to have those conversations. As a talent development leader, we’ve been able to leverage the tool to help people across LinkedIn prepare for their own difficult conversations.”
4. Master Adaptability as Your Primary Skill
In a world where technology moves faster than work itself, the ability to “roll with it” is more valuable than any technical certification.
“If there’s any one thing that I learned from the pandemic that I am still taking with me, it is adaptability and I hope that all of our employees, not just our leaders, can really start exuding adaptability on a daily basis.”
5. Keep AI as a Support System, Not a Proxy
While AI can summarize data for a performance review, it should never replace the authentic voice of a leader. Authenticity is what employees crave.
“The employee is not going to want to read a review that was clearly written by AI and they’re going to know. So, we want to make sure that leaders can really utilize AI as a support system and make it their own and then show up to that performance conversation authentically as the human they are.”
6. Protect the Core Relationship from Automation
There are parts of the employee experience that must remain sacred. The bond between a manager and a direct report is the one area where technology should never interfere.
“AI is a support. But we want to make sure that we are never letting it get in the way of our human connection. Yes, there are ways for AI to enhance our human connection, but we want to make sure that that really does remain authentically human.”
7. Lead with Radical Transparency to Build Trust During Ambiguity
AI creates psychological uncertainty. Managers can build trust by simply admitting what they don’t know and clarifying what they do.
“The first thing leaders can do is be transparent with their team members. Transparent in terms of what they do know, transparent in terms of what they do not know, and helping their team maneuver through what is known, what is unknown, and to be as clear as possible with a very ambiguous time.”
8. Shift from Rigid Structures to Fluid Teams
HR must rethink organizational design. The future involves agile working models where AI supports humans in moving between different roles and knowledge sets.
“Part of what we’re considering in the future is how we can be much more fluid knowing that AI is going to help support us to do jobs differently and bring in different types of knowledge. How can we be flexible in a much more agile working model because we will have AI to support us? HR leaders should think about what the future of their workforce is because of AI.”
9. Show Up as Your Authentic Self
Technology will continue to evolve, but your humanity is your constant. Don’t let the “Plus” overshadow the “Human.”
“We’re embracing technology and getting better with technology as we learn it, but you are your amazing, authentic, human, self first—and don’t ever shy away from that.”
Want to learn more? Catch Dr. Chrissy Roth-Francis live at SPARK HR 2026, April 28-30, in St. Pete Beach, FL, for her full session: “Leading in an AI World: How Leadership Expectations Are Changing Faster Than Work Itself.”