BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead
Author: Rasmus Hougaard & Jacqueline Carter with Marissa Afton and Rob Stembridge
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
List Price: $32.00
Format: Hardcover, 176 pages
Publication Date: 2025
ISBN: 979-8-89279-062-8
Reviewer: Sarah Symons, PMP
Review Date: April 2025
Introduction
Will AI be helpful or harmful with regards to leading teams in the workplace? When leaders use AI to increase the three core qualities of AI-Augmented Leadership (awareness, wisdom, and compassion), the result is a more human experience, which leads to increased trust, productivity, collaboration, and alignment on goals and strategy.
Overview of Book’s Structure
The book has an Introduction, followed by six chapters:
Introduction – A New Era of Human Leadership
This section introduces the concept of the AI-Augmented Leader, who is able to embrace both human and AI capabilities. This section also introduces the three core qualities of AI-Augmented Leadership: Awareness, Wisdom, and Compassion (detailed further in chapters 3-5).
Chapter 1 – Best of Both, Human and Machine
This chapter introduces the concept of the “toggle” between human capabilities and AI capabilities, and how the AI-Augmented Leader realizes the best of both to transform their leadership.
Chapter 2 – Leadership, Start with Your Mind
This chapter introduces the importance of mind and provides defining characteristics of the mind. Understanding the mind, through work with mind, breath, and body by engaging in meditation, will allow leaders to cultivate the three core qualities of awareness, wisdom, and compassion. For each core quality, there are five mindsets, detailed in later chapters.
Based on their extensive research, interviews, and surveys, the authors developed the Human Leader Compass (Figure 2-1), which illustrates how leadership starts with the mind, which can cultivate the three core qualities of AI-Augmented leadership and accelerate that development by adopting the five mindsets for each core quality.
Chapter 3 – Awareness, Context and Content
This chapter defines awareness in detail and categorizes three types of awareness. The AI-Augmented leader will “toggle” between context (human input) and content (AI generated) to increase awareness. Examples are provided to outline how AI can help humans increase awareness. The five mindsets that increase Awareness are outlined and defined in detail along with tips for enhancing each mindset resulting in increased awareness, leading to greater wisdom.
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How to cite this work: Symons, S. (2025. More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead, book review, PM World Journal. Vol. XIV, Issue VI, June. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/pmwj153-Jun2025-Symons-More-Human-book-review.pdf
About the Reviewer
Sarah Symons
Richardson, TX USA
Sarah Symons is a certified project manager with extensive experience in leading and managing complex multimillion-dollar projects across technology, healthcare, and government sectors. Sarah enjoys being a member of the Dallas, TX PMI Chapter. In addition to her professional achievements, Sarah enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her husband and their two Great Pyrenees dogs.
Sarah can be contacted at sarah.w.symons@gmail.com
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