Leading with Human Agency in the Age of Autonomous Technology

Is the future of security all computerized? Maybe technology isn’t just assisting the workforce but is instead overwriting it? 

But that is not how Dr. Mike Perry sees it. “I see technology as a tool that we can leverage,” he said. “A hammer can be used to build things or tear things down. What makes the difference is the human agency and how we employ it to use that tool.”

Dr. Perry is currently the Dean, College of Space, Intelligence, and Military Operations and Assistant Provost at Columbia Southern University (CSU). Prior to joining academia, Dr. Perry served for more than three decades within the U.S. Department of Defense including as a Chief Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force. His military career culminated in the position of the Air Force First Sergeant Special Duty Manager, overseeing policy, guidance, training, and development of more than 2,900 first sergeants that oversaw the personnel supporting missions around the world. 

His military experience taught him that as technology becomes more autonomous, the human elements of critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence become more vital, not less. “Human agency is important because without it, the tool just sits on the shelf and adds no value to society,” he said.

Dilemma of Big Data and the Need for Strategic Leaders

As technology expands, so does the data it produces. Video, images, search histories, and more is available at the click of a button, “But inside of that data lies human biases and flawed information,” said Dr. Perry. “Whatever you’re looking for, you’re going to find and you can prove whatever you’re trying to prove.

“For example, a lot of folks are worried about how students are cheating with ChatGPT. But is it really cheating? I remember the same thing happening with calculators back in the day. We can go back to technology and innovation and pick a time when we had a pivot stage where some new piece of technology or data came into play and the folks who were holding onto a current way of doing business were scared about it because they didn't really understand what it was or how to use it,” said Dr. Perry.

That is why it is important to have strategic leaders who have decision modes that ensure the data isn’t biased, that technology is being used properly, and that they come together to benefit their business and society instead of tearing it down. 

Core Principles of Strategic Leadership

Dr. Perry has five principles to help build strategic leadership. They are:

• Visionary thinking
• Strategic planning
• Adaptability and innovation
• Collaboration
• Emotional intelligence

Visionary Thinking

At its core, visionary thinking is the ability to see what’s next and inspire others to get there. It gives leaders the tools to anticipate trends and capitalize on new possibilities, ensuring the organization remains resilient and focused, even when the future is unpredictable. 

“True strategic planning is investing in your capabilities which ensures that you add value long-term to your vision or goal,” said Dr. Perry. “Instead of looking at investing resources into something that's going to get you short-term value, you're looking to add long-term value.”

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning is the roadmap an organization uses to define its trajectory and decide exactly how to deploy its people and capital. By weighing external market forces against internal strengths, leaders can synchronize their vision with the reality of a shifting business landscape, ensuring the company is positioned for long-term endurance.

“In strategic planning processes, usually it's a room full of managers and decision-makers. You rarely see a good blend of everyone from the bottom to the top sitting and having frank conversations,” said Dr. Perry. “The best examples of strategic planning that I've seen have been when you have C-suite leaders sitting in the room with those first-line operators having discussions and understanding processes.”

During his time with the U.S. Department of Defense, Dr. Perry remembers trying to implement policies that he knew wouldn’t work because of his connections with his first sergeants within the units and with the airmen on the ground floor. “What we did was travel out to the installations and bases and have sit-downs with the junior airmen. We talked about the problem we were trying to solve and asked them how they would fix it. It's amazing the amount of creativity and thought that was already being put into the problem by the folks who are actually doing the work.”

Adaptability and Innovation

Strategic leadership requires agility to learn, adapt, and innovate. By creating a culture that embraces change, leaders ensure their business takes advantage of trends and opportunities and responds quickly to challenges. It allows their teams to navigate a wide range of potential scenarios. 

Dr. Perry relates adaptability and innovation to a debrief in the military. In a debrief, they discuss what went well and what went wrong, but focus on ways to improve. “A debrief is more positive than a post-mortem because it's about how we can be better rather than what went wrong,” he said.

“For those things we’re uncertain about, how can we plan or come up with some kind of contingencies to either shape what that could potentially look like or anticipate it so we can adapt to it?” said Dr. Perry. “For individuals or organizations, it starts with understanding the environment and what they are uncertain about in their industry and its driving forces. Only then can they start scenario planning and stress test their strategies. This gives them a storytelling mechanism to talk to their shareholders, stakeholders, and organization. 

“It’s about taking an uncertainty and providing some potential clarity and starting to align strategies. It may be an early starter or innovator in a societal expectation that you want to be a part of.”

Collaboration

Collaboration is vital for any strategic leader. It allows them to harness and employ the collective intelligence of their teams and apply it to improve their business. It unlocks new growth opportunities and allows for new solutions. 

“You can’t work in a vacuum,” said Dr. Perry. “This is where thought leadership comes into play where we need to seek out external advice and bring in folks who are probably a little bit smarter in these fields than we are.” 

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is what allows strategic leaders to navigate complex situations, build trust, and inspire others. It includes self-awareness, empathy, and the ability to manage emotions. “A good strategic leader has to have high emotional intelligence to understand his or her strengths and weaknesses and surround themselves with people to make up for those things. Also, to be able to look at his or her team and identify areas of opportunity,” said Dr. Perry.

Good leaders know their people and have the ability to see any red flags. Dr. Perry relates it to Baron von Steuben’s method during the American Revolutionary War. In the Prussian army, officers were responsible for the health, morale, and welfare of their men. This meant spending time with them, checking on them, and talking to them. “A leader won’t necessarily be able to see the red flag if the leader isn’t out and about and checking in,” said Dr. Perry. “They need to understand the pulse of the people that they are hoping to inspire.”

A Defining Moment

Dr. Perry believes that the implementation of AI into technology will be a defining moment in history. “Strategic leadership is not just about the act of igniting a fire or inspiring people, but it's also doing something with them to drive towards a capability or a goal,” he said. It’s about taking the technology and data, the tools, and using them for good. By maintaining a human-centric approach, leaders can ensure that technology remains a force for progress. Ultimately, the success of an organization depends not on the autonomy of its machines, but on the integrity and vision of its people.

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