As organizations recalibrate around hybrid work and the impact of artificial intelligence, the conversation about leadership is shifting. These changes in where and how people work have made technology inseparable from daily collaboration, decision-making, and performance. The question is no longer whether technology belongs in modern organizations, but how leaders maintain humanity as digital tools become part of everyday work.
As systems become more efficient and automated, leadership is increasingly defined by the ability to protect space for empathy, judgment, and genuine human connection. Nazma M. Rosado, Principal Consultant at Avion Consulting, argues that the future of leadership depends less on physical proximity and more on intentional presence. “It’s not about are you in person or not,” Rosado says. “It’s about are you genuinely connecting with people, and are you truly paying attention to what’s being said and what isn’t.” With nearly three decades of experience across healthcare, pharma, and biotech, Rosado has guided leaders through some of the most complex organizational environments. While some may argue that technology erodes human connection, Rosado believes it has the potential to deepen it at work.
From Proximity to Presence
The reintegration of employees after the pandemic marked a turning point for many leaders. Hybrid work introduced new layers of complexity, with teams split across locations and working hours, and exposed a long-standing assumption that connection depends on being in the same room. “We used to focus on face time and being physically present,” she says. “Now we have to focus on presence instead of proximity.”
Presence, in Rosado’s view, is an active discipline. It requires leaders to listen with both their eyes and ears, to notice tone, body language, and hesitation, even through a screen. The skills themselves are not new, but the context demands greater intentionality. Leaders who default to speed, efficiency, and back-to-back meetings risk missing the subtle signals that reveal how people are really doing.
Technology as an Amplifier of Human Voices
Digital platforms have expanded access and amplified voices that were previously marginalized in traditional meeting rooms. “The voices that were silent before can now be amplified in a collaborative space,” she says. Features such as live captions, chat functions, and meeting transcripts have made work more inclusive for people navigating language barriers, introversion, or imposter syndrome. In virtual environments, participants can contribute thoughtfully and on their own terms, rather than competing for airtime. What many leaders perceive as a loss of nonverbal cues is often a matter of habit rather than reality. With cameras on and attention focused, the same behavioral signals remain visible.
For executive coaching, the benefits can be even more pronounced. Seeing leaders in their own environments adds a layer of authenticity rarely found in boardrooms. “When the dog barks or a child walks into the room, you see people as real human beings,” Rosado says. “That actually helps you connect faster and more deeply.”
Rethinking How Leaders Use Time
Human-centric leadership is ultimately revealed in how leaders allocate their time. “If you’re spending team meetings reading charts people can access themselves, you’re wasting time,” she says. Instead, she advocates for meetings that prioritize connection and judgment. A brief check-in at the start creates space for people to show up as themselves, followed by focused decision-making and problem solving. One-on-one meetings, in particular, should be owned by the employee, not the manager. Rosado opens every coaching conversation with two questions: how are you doing, and what’s changed since we last met. “Everything else comes from what that person needs in that moment,” she says.
It is an approach that requires leaders to slow down. Presence, not speed, becomes the measure of effectiveness. Observing whether someone seems energized or overwhelmed, and responding with genuine curiosity, transforms routine interactions into moments of trust.
What Leadership Looks Like When AI Handles the Rest
As AI increasingly absorbs transactional and administrative work, Rosado sees an opportunity rather than a threat. “Please let AI take over the things that steal our time,” she says. The value of leadership, she argues, lies in the capabilities machines cannot replicate. AI cannot build trust through shared experience, demonstrate vulnerability, or sit with someone in silence when they are overwhelmed. It cannot unlock the emotional residue people carry from past workplace experiences. These moments, often invisible on performance dashboards, are where leadership has its greatest impact. “It’s about making meaningful connections and creating emotional resonance,” Rosado says. “That’s the work only humans can do.”
As technology advances, the leaders who endure will be those who invest more deeply in empathy, listening, and service to others. Human-centric leadership is not a soft alternative to performance. It is the foundation that allows organizations to adapt, innovate, and sustain trust over time.
