Retail leaders face a difficult balancing act as they accelerate their adoption of artificial intelligence. They’re tasked with pushing their organizations to experiment and innovate while helping employees navigate the uncertainty that accompanies rapid change.

For Carrie Skowronski, founder and CEO of Leadology, empathy is what connects those two objectives.

During her keynote session at Total Retail Tech last week in Dallas, Skowronski noted that successful AI transformation depends as much on trust, leadership and organizational culture as it does on technology.

Skowronski recalled a retail technology leader who told her that her team had “absorbed 10 years worth of change in one year.” What struck her was the word “absorbed” — the sense that constant transformation was simply being layered onto employees.

Given this dynamic of constant transformation makes leadership particularly important as retailers introduce AI across their organizations.

“We can win at AI without losing that human experience,” Skowronski said.

Empathy Isn’t the Absence of Accountability

Skowronski pushed back against the perception that empathetic leadership means lowering expectations or avoiding difficult conversations.

“It’s not coddling people,” she said. “It’s not going easy on people.”

Rather, empathy allows leaders to acknowledge that change is difficult while still holding employees accountable. Trust is especially important with AI because employees who don’t trust leadership may be less willing to experiment, learn and take the risks necessary to uncover valuable applications of the technology.

Skowronski outlined five learnable attributes of empathy:

  • perspective taking;
  • staying out of judgment;
  • recognizing emotion;
  • communicating emotion; and
  • mindfulness.

One of the simplest ways leaders can put those skills into practice is through curiosity. Rather than immediately correcting an employee or assuming the motivation behind resistance, Skowronski advised leaders to dig deeper and ask questions.

The same approach can help technology leaders manage growing workloads. Before adding another project, leaders can ask their teams how difficult it will be and what would need to be deprioritized to make room for it.

That changes transformation from a top-down mandate into a “partnership for performance,” according to Skowronski

Give Employees Stability Amid Change

Empathy also creates stability for employees. That doesn’t mean promising certainty, however. Instead, Skowronski said employees want leaders who are steady and consistent even when the organization is changing around them.

One practical tactic is to communicate not only what’s changing, but also what isn’t.

For example, leaders might reinforce that the company’s values, commitment to customers, or appreciation for employees remain constant even as technology changes how work gets done.

That reassurance is particularly relevant as workers question what AI means for the future of their jobs. Skowronski identified fear of becoming irrelevant as a significant workplace concern and urged leaders not to assume employees already know they’re valued.

“They have to hear it,” she advised the audience.

Furthermore, leaders need to calibrate their own enthusiasm. Executives may be excited by AI’s potential while simultaneously feeling pressure that their organizations are falling behind. Excessive optimism can undermine credibility if it doesn’t reflect employees’ day-to-day experiences.

Being willing to acknowledge uncertainty can build trust. Skowronski cited one leader who told employees during a transformation, “Don’t assume we’ve thought of everything,” effectively inviting employees to identify problems leadership might have missed.

Curiosity Can Fuel AI Adoption

Skowronski connected empathy, stability and accountability into a framework for creating the conditions employees need to innovate and thrive.

“You cannot force or mandate innovation,” she said.

Empathy builds connection, which creates stability. That foundation gives employees greater confidence to experiment, make mistakes and learn — behaviors that become increasingly important as companies determine where AI can create meaningful value.

And empathy doesn’t require sacrificing performance standards.

“Drop your judgment, but don’t drop your standards,” said Skowronski. Empathetic leaders can still establish clear expectations, provide candid feedback, and consistently follow up. The difference is that they lead with curiosity before correction.

For retail leaders working to develop their AI strategies, Skowronski’s closing message was a reminder that technology alone won’t make transformation successful.

“Be curious, not judgmental,” Skowronski said, “because we can win with AI without leaving our people behind.”

Technology may make the strategy smarter, Skowronski concluded, “but it’s the empathetic leader who will make it stick.”