Our monthly Lunch and Learns are informal, one-hour sessions designed for team leaders and managers who want practical ideas they can apply straight away. Held on the last Tuesday of each month, they bring together people from different organisations to share challenges, compare approaches, and learn from each other’s experiences in a relaxed, open conversation.
In June, our Lunch and Learn focused on “AI for Managers and Team Leaders: Lead with Confidence.”
This session explored a challenge many managers are currently facing. Not just understanding AI, but knowing how to use it effectively, ethically, and with confidence.
The conversation centred on a simple idea:
Managers are trying to balance using AI to save time with maintaining safe and ethical usage.
We focused on helping managers:
From there, the discussion moved into the experiences managers are having right now, and the questions this is raising.
This session had a smaller group, which led to more in-depth and open conversation.
One of the key reflections was that the session:
This made the session feel practical and relevant, rather than theoretical.
A strong theme throughout the conversation was the tension managers are experiencing.
They are trying to:
This balance is not always clear, and often depends on the situation.
Managers shared that this can feel like navigating something new without clear boundaries.
We explored different types of tasks and where AI is most useful.
Examples where AI can support included:
But this was balanced with clear examples where human input is still essential, such as:
This helped create a clearer distinction between support and decision-making.
One of the most useful takeaways from the session was a simple way to think about using AI:
Use AI to prepare better, then use managerial judgement to decide.
This gave managers a practical starting point, without needing to rely on AI for final decisions.
The session highlighted that using AI is not just about tools.
It is about:
For many in the session, this is still a work in progress. But the conversation helped make the challenge clearer and more manageable.
Our free monthly sessions are open to anyone and focus on practical topics for team leaders and managers.
Next session:
Managing Mates: Leading Former Peers with Confidence
Online
Tuesday 28 July • 12:30pm-1:30pm
