Description
In this episode, Dan and Gaurav are joined by Gary Lloyd, a seasoned change leadership expert and the creator of the Leadership Skills Lab. Gary shares his journey from leading the Warwick Business School mentoring program to pioneering AI-powered leadership coaching tools.
Through his signature metaphor—“Gardeners, Not Mechanics”—Gary explains how leaders can cultivate adaptive, resilient teams in complex environments. The conversation explores how AI can enhance leadership learning through realistic simulations and feedback loops, while keeping human judgment at the center of growth.
Listeners will hear about Gary’s collaboration with Rice University’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders, where he’s developing an AI coaching tool that helps undergraduates practice essential skills like giving feedback, negotiating, and delegating—all in a low-risk, supportive virtual space.
The episode wraps up with a thoughtful discussion about AI’s impact on critical thinking, the importance of maintaining human-centered leadership, and Gary’s favorite tools, books, and playlists for continuous learning.
Topics Covered
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Leadership Skills Lab: Origin Story
How Gary developed an AI-powered peer coaching platform that enables safe, scalable leadership practice.
The early inspiration from ChatGPT’s role-playing capabilities and how they shaped the Lab’s design.
Gardeners, Not Mechanics
Why thriving in uncertainty means cultivating experiments rather than controlling outcomes.
How leaders can nurture psychological safety and curiosity through this mindset.
Micro-Learning & Safe Practice
How AI coaching bots create judgment-free spaces for skill rehearsal and reflection.
The power of “learning in the moment” through iterative practice.
Doerr Institute Collaboration
Gary’s partnership with Rice University’s Doerr Institute for New Leaders to develop custom AI coaching scenarios.
Example: Delegation and feedback simulations for undergraduates in pilot testing.
Coaching Simulation Demo
A live demonstration featuring Dan, Gaurav, and the Lab’s AI bot “Lisa.”
A fictional project manager scenario illustrating feedback and motivation in action.
Critical Thinking & AI
Can generative AI make us “lazy thinkers”?
Insights from an MIT study on critical thinking, and a nostalgic reflection on “Googling vs. prompting.”
Strategies for using AI as a thinking partner, not a crutch.
Human Skills for the AI Age
Why empathy, listening, and ethical reasoning remain essential leadership capabilities.
How AI can help measure and reinforce these deeply human skills through feedback loops.
Rapid-Fire Round
AI Fears: Misinformation and overreliance.
Favorite Tools: VO3 Video Creator.
Books: The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman.
Prompts: “What’s the other side of this?”
Music: English Teacher (band).
Newsletters: Leadership & AI thought pieces.
Featured Resources & Mentions
Leadership Skills Lab
Gardeners, Not Mechanics by Gary Lloyd
Doerr Institute for New Leaders (Rice University)
Phronesis Podcast
Anthropic YouTube Course on LLM Prompting
VO3 Video Creator
The Coming Wave – Mustafa Suleyman
English Teacher (band)
Salman Khan Academy Research
Robert Cialdini – Influence
Peter Thiel Interviews
MIT Study on Critical Thinking and AI
Key Takeaways
Adaptive leaders act like gardeners—they cultivate growth rather than control it.
AI can be a powerful tool for leadership development, enabling practice, reflection, and feedback at scale.
The future of leadership belongs to those who balance technological fluency with human depth.
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