Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: AI & the Future of Leadership Training with Sarah Touzani

Are you ready to explore the cutting edge of leadership development? In this insightful episode, we sit down with Sarah Touzani, founder of Waggle AI, to delve into how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing the way organizations cultivate their leaders. We're moving beyond the limitations of traditional, "one-size-fits-all" approaches and embracing a future where leadership training is personalized, data-driven, and profoundly effective.

The world of work is evolving at an unprecedented pace. AI is rapidly transforming how we learn, and its impact on leadership training is undeniable. Yet, many organizations are still hesitant to fully adopt these new technologies. Traditional leadership development often falls short, failing to address individual needs and the dynamic challenges of the modern workplace. Studies consistently reveal that companies struggle to create effective leadership pipelines, with a significant gap between current leadership capabilities and future needs.  

 

This is where AI steps in, offering the promise of tailored, data-driven development, capable of providing ongoing support, practice opportunities, and valuable feedback. But how do we harness the power of AI while retaining the essential human touch in leadership development?   

 

In this episode, Sarah Touzani shares her expertise and vision on this critical topic. Sarah's background is impressive, and her company, Lale, is at the forefront of this transformation, providing an AI co-pilot for people who manage people.   

 

We begin by exploring Sarah's journey and the inspiration behind Waggle. Sarah, who grew up in Morocco and studied in France, initially pursued finance, working in banking and insurance. However, her path took a turn when she joined an early-stage Fintech startup in London called CreditSpring. There, she faced the challenge of building a company culture and developing its people. This experience ignited her passion for addressing the widespread issue of ineffective management and leadership development.   

 

A key problem Sarah identified is that leadership development hasn't evolved with the times. Training methods remain rooted in outdated approaches, despite research from as far back as the 19th century demonstrating their ineffectiveness. This realization fueled her determination to find a better way.   

 

We discuss the shortcomings of traditional leadership training, recalling familiar scenarios of lengthy, impersonal training sessions and binders full of rarely used materials. These methods often fail to translate into real behavioral change and lack relevance to the day-to-day challenges faced by leaders.   

 

A central question we tackle is why these ineffective methods persist. Is it due to a lack of effort from HR, or has there simply been a lack of viable alternatives? Sarah argues that it's not laziness but a combination of factors, including the absence of effective solutions and a "content generation mindset" within the Learning and Development (L&D) space.   

 

Historically, training has focused on knowledge transfer, with limited emphasis on practical application and behavioral change. The rise of online learning has often simply replicated this model, replacing in-person lectures with videos. However, advances in behavioral science and AI now offer the potential to move beyond content consumption and drive real impact.   

 

We also address the importance of shifting the focus of L&D teams from content consumption to measurable impact on behavior and organizational outcomes. This requires a change in how success is measured, moving beyond completion rates to actual changes in leadership behaviors.   

 

The conversation then turns to the cost factor. Effective leadership deve