#594 AI Co-Thinking Part 2: Every Specialist a General Manager | Nathan Mauck, Robert Greene, Niels Brabandt
AI Co-Thinking Part 2: Every Specialist a General Manager
Everyone should be a better general manager. It sounds like a slogan, but in the second part of our series on AI co-thinking, Prof. Nathan Mauck of the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Robert A. Greene, founder of OIC Innovation, co-authors of AI Co-Thinking: A Framework for Working with AI, explain why they mean it literally, and why AI makes it more achievable than ever.
General management is not a position
The idea came to the authors about two-thirds of the way through writing their book. We usually think of a generalist as a jack of all trades and master of none. Robert Greene describes the opposite: a strong specialist who enhances their contextual and general knowledge. In their definition, general management is not a place in the hierarchy. It is the ability to solve complex problems through critical thinking and broad, comprehensive, contextual knowledge. The CEO is not automatically a general manager by that standard, and a specialist can become one.
Why specialists hold back
Many specialists are reluctant. They have their part of the organisation, they are very good at it, and they fear consequences if they step outside it. Saying that the AI recommended something will not protect anyone when liability is at stake.
Nathan Mauck recently heard a comment at a data analytics advisory board that captures the opportunity: specialists often have the best context to solve problems with AI, because they are closest to the issue. The challenge is to empower them to raise what they see. AI can help here by sharing context across functions. It takes the question away from whose job something is and towards the big picture.
How AI co-thinking builds general management skills
Using the context-building approach from Part 1, the head of manufacturing can understand the world of accounting, sales, marketing or competition far better than before. Robert Greene goes further: the culture of an organisation should encourage people to step outside their speciality. The role of a specialist should not be to defend their turf, but to integrate proactively with other functions. Understanding the business context makes specialists both more creative and more confident in doing so.
Avoiding too many cooks in the kitchen
What happens if everyone suddenly reads up on everything with AI and comments on everyone else's work? Nothing gets done. The authors are clear that this is a question of emotional intelligence, norms and culture. Robert Greene uses my own field as an example: he would not tell me that Claude thinks my podcast should be longer. But an engineer in the studio, with a better understanding of the full context, can raise a question in a way that is appropriate and collaborative.
Nathan Mauck adds that AI gives organisations a chance to re-examine how they think and operate. Silos have always been costly. AI offers specialists a way to coach themselves up in other areas. And that applies at the top as well: many CEOs rose through one speciality and can also become better general managers by becoming better critical thinkers.
When senior leaders say: stay in your lane
The hardest situation is the executive who blocks this development: you were hired for this role, stay out of my lane. At the same time, the same executive complains when nothing moves because one key person is off sick.
Both authors take this seriously. Nathan Mauck sees it as a major risk: when people who are excited about co-thinking with AI are stifled, they leave, start their own business or row in their own direction. Robert Greene suggests using AI co-thinking as a change agent. It is simple and common sense. It starts at the individual level, people become comfortable with it, and over time it grants permission and changes culture towards more collaboration.
Why this matters for decision-makers
The business case is straightforward. Organisations that depend on a handful of people who understand how everything fits together carry a significant risk. When one of them is absent or leaves, decisions stall. Specialists who understand the broader context make better proposals, anticipate the impact on other functions and need fewer escalations. AI co-thinking lowers the barrier to building that understanding. Leaders who encourage it, within clear norms, build an organisation that is both more resilient and more innovative. It also becomes more attractive to ambitious people, who increasingly expect room to learn beyond their job description.
Three takeaways for leaders
1. Redefine general management as a capability, not a rank.
2. Encourage specialists to integrate across functions, with clear norms for how they raise questions.
3. Treat stifled AI enthusiasm as a retention risk, and reduce key person risk through shared context.
This article is part of a four-part series with Nathan Mauck and Robert Greene on AI co-thinking. In Part 3, we look at executive self-coaching with AI. I wish you every success in applying this in your organisation.
Niels Brabandt
---
More on this topic in this week's videocast and podcast with Niels Brabandt: Videocast / Apple Podcasts / Spotify
For the videocast’s and podcast’s transcript, read below this article.
Is excellent leadership important to you?
Let's have a chat: NB@NB-Networks.com
Contact: Niels Brabandt on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielsbrabandt
Website: www.NB-Networks.biz
Podcast and Videocast Transcript
Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc: AI co-thinking and general management. We have our experts back by popular demand Yet again for another episode. Hello and welcome back Nathan Mauck and Robert Greene.
Robert Greene: Thanks very much Niels. Great to be back.
Nathan Mauck: Thanks for having us.
Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc: Thank you very much for coming back again. So you state everyone should be a Better general manager. I mean that's a really interesting question. That's a really interesting statement. What do you mean by that specifically?
Robert Greene: Well, Nathan and I have kicked this around. This is kind of a revelation to Us, kind of two-thirds of the way through writing the book. But if you think about this notion of a generalist is a jack of all trades, But a master of none, we think of, An orthogonal or a converse of that. And that is being a strong specialist, But enhancing one's contextual knowledge and general knowledge. And we think of general management not as one's place in a hierarchy. Normally, one think of the CEO, well, he or she is a general manager a priori. Well, not necessarily by our definition of general management. Our definition of general management is the ability to solve complex problems, By critical thinking and applying broad, comprehensive, contextual knowledge. And we think AI co-thinking can help even the specialist become a better general manager in that way.
Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc: So when specialists now say, hey, everyone should be a better general manager, But I don't feel confident in doing that because I'm a specialist. I have my bit of a silo in this organization. I am very good at this. And as soon as I leave this, I fear I can face retaliation for doing something Wrong very quickly. And when I say, hey, the AI told me so, people will say, That's not how things work here. You have the liability. How to deal with that?
Nathan Mauck: It's really interesting. I was just presenting at a data analytics advisory Board and somebody had made the comment that a lot of times it is the specialists That maybe have the best context to help solve the problem with AI. But this exact problem of, hey, how do you really empower people to kind of To run things up the flagpole and say, here's what I'm seeing, Let's say, on the ground or closer to the closer to the problem. And I do think there is a real opportunity actually to leverage AI for context Sharing across functions in an organization and to build in collaboration. Because I think that helps take it a little bit away from it's this person's Job or it's not this person's job. Right. So I'm kind of speaking out of turn by weighing in on this. And it becomes more of you get the big the big picture. And and AI can kind of help break that that barrier down a little bit.
Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc: Excellent. So what would you say is the connection then between AI co-thinking And stronger general management skills? Where's the connection between the two?
Robert Greene: Well, you know, it's interesting. If you go back to the previous episode, Which was around customizing context and combining that with what Nathan just said, I as a specialist, I as the manufacturing head can better understand the accounting World or the sales world or the marketing world or the competitive world of My business or organization by applying AI co-thinking. And going back to what Nathan said, and this kind of speaks to your prior question, Niels, The culture of an organization should encourage one to step away from one's specialty. My role as a specialist shouldn't be just to defend my turf and apply my expertise, And, in fact, be uncomfortable doing otherwise. In fact, my role should be to integrate proactively with other functions, And applying co-thinking in a way such that you understand your organizational Business context can make you more creative and more confident in doing that.
Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc: Excellent. Let's assume one thing. We work together on a project and I become A bit more of a general manager. Nathan does the same. Robert does the same. We all have two or three colleagues who all do the same so we all suddenly are A bit of more bit of a general manager you maybe you heard of the the the term Too many cooks in the kitchen So how can we prevent that suddenly people say look I read myself into this With the AI and I think that you do oh by the way you you should also think about this and suddenly You have this arguing because suddenly anyone comments on anyone's work and Nothing gets done anymore How can we prevent this from happening?
Robert Greene: I think, again, I'm going to talk quickly here, and Nathan, turn it over to You. But now here we're talking emotional intelligence. We're talking norms, culture of an organization. And I'm probably, Niels, if you're an expert in podcasting, I'm not going to Say, hey, I just consulted Claude. And based upon what Claude says, I think your podcast should be longer, Niels. I mean, that's probably not what I'm going to say. But I, as the engineer in your studio, I may be in a position, better understand the fuller context, To pose a question in a way that's appropriate, in a way that's collaborative, Across a leadership team.
Nathan Mauck: Yeah, I would just add, you know, the one thing I've found really interesting About AI and the popularity is it's a chance just to reexamine how we think, How we run organizations generally. And it's like even absent AI, I think it would always be beneficial to have A specialist who kind of understands the general context better. And, um, we do get very siloed in, uh, in organizations and seeing how these Things fit together, um, has, has always been beneficial. The question is kind of, how do you do that? How do you break down silos? And, um, I think AI is a way for specialists to coach themselves up or for an Organization to leverage that AI to, to coach them up in, in other, in other areas. And so, you know, if everybody improves, this is very biased coming from a business Professor, obviously, but these general business skills, uh, You know, are, are, are useful for everyone to have, right. Regardless of which Area you specialize in. So.
Robert Greene: And I, and I would say, you know, even the CEO can be a better general manager. You know, I, as the CEO may have climbed my way to the top by more likely than Not specializing in a particular area. And I may be a good communicator and a good motivator. That doesn't mean I understand the engineering or certain or the accounting Or whatever it might be of my organization the way I should so that's what, The contention that Nathan and I offer is that everyone can be a better general Manager by being a better critical thinker and AI co-thinking can help in that regard.
Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc: Absolutely. One last question I have for this episode. When I prepared this Episode, of course, I asked different audiences what they think about this. And they said, hey, we already faced this problem. And we already tried to become Better general managers. And guess who prevented us from doing that? Executives who suddenly said, look, you are hired for this role. Stick to this role. Stay out of my lane. I know what I am doing. You know what you are doing. And they asked the question how can I convince someone who is way more senior And also on a way higher level of hierarchy That we need to get rid of this key person risk that we run at the moment which We can get rid of quicker with AI but they suddenly say no we don't do that While at the same time complaining why are things not done when one person suddenly calls in sick So how can you convince someone way more senior That they see it as an opportunity and not as a threat or a disturbance to their business.
Nathan Mauck: I don't have a great solution, but I want to, the problem is so central, The things that we talked about. And it reminds me of one thing, which is, you know, culture kind of beats everything else, right? So if the culture is a little bit off, that can be challenging. But, you know, one thing Bob and I talked a lot about is we actually think this Exactly is a huge risk for organizations, right? If you have individuals that are excited about how they can co-think with AI, How they can leverage AI, and that gets stifled, they're going to go somewhere else, right? They're going to go start their own thing. You're going to lose talent, Or you're going to have a bunch of people rowing in their own direction within An organization instead of all rowing in the same direction. So we do think this is a huge, huge problem. Maybe Bob has better ideas than I do on how to solve it.
Robert Greene: Well, I think it's a wonderful question, Niels, and a very practical question. And I think, yes, this is a conundrum of errors long in all organizations. And business would be a lot simpler if human beings weren't involved. I mean, that's just the way it is. But I think AI co-thinking can be used as a change agent. And AI co-thinking can be the starting point of AI adoption in an organization. It's simple. It's commonsensical. Initially, it's individual-based. People get used to doing it. People get comfortable applying it, and it can become, A way of granting permission and ultimately changing culture and making people Inherently more collaborative within their business and organization.
Niels Brabandt EMBA MBA MSc: Perfect. I think these are the perfect final words. And now we, Of course, see when you are a bit more of a general manager and you see how helpful AI can become. Some people think, can it also maybe be helpful for coaching our executives? And we're going to talk about that in exactly our next episode. But today, at the end of this podcast, there's only one thing left for me to Say. Nathan and Robert, thank you very much for your time.
Robert Greene: Thank you for having us.