Culture Meets AI with Dan Dunton

How can leaders remain grounded, relevant and human when AI is changing the way we work so quickly? In this episode of the Leaders Who Coach™ Podcast, Sehaam Cyrene speaks with Dan Dunton, Programme Director in AI and Transformation, about leadership growth, powerful conversations and the changing role of leaders in an AI-driven workplace. Dan was the very first graduate of Leaders Who Coach™. He shares how learning to ask rather than tell has shaped the way he leads teams, works with clients and navigates complex transformation programmes. From resisting the urge to provide the solution to becoming more comfortable with silence, feedback and difficult conversations, Dan reflects honestly on the practical skills that have helped him develop his own leadership style. The conversation also explores why AI makes human leadership more important, not less. As technology accelerates the work, leaders need to become more intentional about the conversations they protect, the questions they ask and the conditions they create for others to succeed. Together, they explore: • Why new leaders must stop trying to be the best “doer” • Asking questions before jumping to solutions • How securing permission changes the quality of a conversation • Why silence often reveals the most important insight • Building trust when joining or inheriting a team • The value of measured vulnerability as a leader • How curiosity, empathy and candour shape Dan’s leadership style • Why values help leaders remain grounded through change • How AI is exposing leadership cultures within organisations • Why greater efficiency should create space for more human conversation • Remaining honest when you do not have all the answers • Why senior leaders cannot afford to disengage from AI • How leaders can bring experience and judgement to AI-generated thinking • Why asking better questions is becoming a defining leadership skill • Managing upwards and approaching challenging conversations • Giving clear feedback to people you genuinely like • Finding a leadership style that reflects who you really are This is an honest and practical conversation about leadership maturity, coaching skills and what it means to lead well during a period of extraordinary change. 00:00 – Introduction to Dan Dunton 01:21 – Becoming a leader and finding your own style 03:04 – Asking before jumping to solutions 05:01 – Securing permission before difficult conversations 06:58 – Listening, silence and creating space 09:08 – Getting to know a new team 11:03 – Vulnerability, feedback and leadership blind spots 13:16 – Moving from doing the work to enabling others 15:02 – Using coaching skills with clients and stakeholders 16:44 – Curiosity, empathy and candour 19:02 – Values, culture and how leaders choose to show up 21:03 – Why AI makes human conversations more important 23:25 – Leading teams through uncertainty and anxiety 25:46 – Why senior leaders need to understand AI 28:07 – Trusting people without blindly trusting the tools 30:05 – How collaboration is changing 31:54 – Why leaders must become better at asking questions 33:06 – Managing upwards and challenging senior stakeholders 35:10 – Giving honest performance feedback 37:18 – Candour, empathy and timing 38:46 – Advice for new and aspiring leaders 40:05 – Final reflections #LeadersWhoCoach #DanDunton #CoachLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #AILeadership #DigitalTransformation #FutureOfWork #LeadershipConversations #CoachingSkills #LeadingThroughChange #PeopleLeadership #TeamDevelopment #HumanLeadership #ManagementDevelopment 🙋🏻‍♀️ Like this? Let me know 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 🎙️🎥 LEADERS WHO COACH™ PODCAST ↪ On YouTube https://bit.ly/YTLWC ↪ On Apple https://bit.ly/appleLWC ↪ On Audible https://adbl.co/3J7o7fA ↪ On Spotify https://spoti.fi/3FEamUc 🎓 Leaders Who Coach™ COURSE & APP ★★★★★ CPD Certified ==== 🥇"Transformational!"🥇"Game-changer!"🥇"Secret sauce" ↪ SELF-PACED https://coachlead.co/leaders-who-coach/ ↪ On AppStore https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/leaders... ↪ On Google Play https://bit.ly/LWC-GooglePlay 📕 The Better Conversations RULEBOOK: Questions & Phrases Practised Daily by Leaders Who Coach™ ==== Amazon #1 Best Seller in Business Management & Leadership ★★★★★ ↪ https://a.co/d/dl0mndJ ↪ https://coachlead.co/rulebook/