Tag Archive for: Articles by David Irvine

Authentic Leadership 2026: Leading with Courage, Connection and Core Values in an AI World

/in , , , , , , , /by

AI is now part of everyday life for most of us. My daughter just bought an AI-powered washing machine that has sensors and algorithms to detect fabric types, load weight, soil levels, and softness, then automatically adjusts water usage, detergent amounts, cycle times, and temperatures for optimal cleaning. AI is an intriguing development and can be a versatile tool for automating repetitive tasks, accessing information quickly, and enhancing decision-making.

I tell my graduate social work students who are training to be psychotherapists that, yes, AI can help you write stronger papers, assist you in accessing research, and help you retrieve information. But AI won’t make you a better therapist. It won’t make you a better social worker. It won’t make you a better person. It will not support or deepen your personal reflection or awareness of yourself. It won’t make you a more caring human being.

AI, like all technology and digital tools, can increase our sense of isolation, even while we appear more connected than ever. AI poses a significant risk of skill atrophy for those who are not well trained, particularly younger generations who have been immersed in it from the beginning. It has enormous environmental impact. And it’s evolving faster than our moral compass can find its bearings.

That’s why, in response to AI and all technologies, we need to be very intentional about building real community and creating spaces where people can grow together in authentic ways – ways aligned with our values, deeply held dreams, and our hearts.

While AI can complement human skills and enhance productivity, does it really make our world better? Is it improving the quality of our lives? Does it address fundamental human needs? Despite the overhyped predictions about artificial intelligence’s limitless capabilities and fears of it displacing jobs, organizations are still human systems even if they are 98% automated. We will always need human beings who care about each other.

After observing the hype and backlash of technology development over many decades, I note that technology always changes faster than headlines. It ultimately is our courage, connection, and core values that determine whether those changes make our lives better or worse. Technologies like AI need to serve deeply held human values through intentional, optimized use, not clutter our attention or replace meaningful effort.

Three strategies to make that happen:

  1. Define a desired future. Have a clear goal of what a better world is for you. Sit with yourself or your family or your team and define what a better world means where you work and live. Take the time to define how AI (or any other technology tool) is helping your commitment to move you toward your desired future and where it may be hindering you. Stop and get your bearings, reevaluate your life, and set out to keep yourself on track as you move toward your desired future.
  2. Foster deep human connection. Make human connection a priority. Talk with your team about how you can integrate technologies such as AI as a tool to help foster relationships. Build genuine connections by leveraging AI to enhance, not replace, empathy by using it for initial data gathering, then dedicate time to create dialogue that uncovers team motivations and fears. Promote informal settings like casual check-ins to reinforce psychological safety, ensuring technology amplifies relational bonds.
  3. Turn off technology. Shifting the relationship with AI from a driver to a toolstarts with developing a new relationship with all technology. And that begins with making room for life without distractions. A good friend founded an initiative that has turned into a social movement around taking intentional breaks from social media (starting with just one day a month). It encourages people to disconnect from screens and engage in real-life activities like nature, sports, arts, hobbies, volunteering, and self-care to boost wellbeing and connection. It’s intended to interrupt the addiction to screens and give people a taste of the difference between being absorbed in social media and being engaged in real life.

Men’s Saturday Circle

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

As part of Men’s Shed Cochrane, every Saturday morning, a group of us meet. The group is turning into a true community that gives men a safe space to talk openly about our well-being and mental health.

It’s not about fixing everything. It’s about listening, sharing experiences, and realizing you’re not alone. These conversations help break down stigma and remind us that reaching out is a sign of strength. Everything shared stays confidential, so you can feel comfortable being yourself. Sometimes, just sitting together and talking can make a big difference.

Check us out: https://www.cochranemensshed.ca/events

Life in Transition: Facing Adversity Through the Hero’s Journey

/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

Midway on our life’s journey, I found myself

In dark woods, the right road lost…

– From THE INFERNO OF DANTE, Robert Pinsky, trans.

When Barry’s life shifted overnight—a downsized job, the sudden, unexpected end of a twenty-five year marriage, a son being admitted to a treatment centre for addiction (all within a period of thirty days) – he found himself completely lost in the dark woods. Each morning, he woke with questions that had no easy answers: “Who am I now?” “How can I handle this?” “How do I possibly get through this?” Far from feeling heroic, Barry felt stuck and overwhelmed by worry, inadequacy, grief, and self-doubt.

Then, in our coaching together, while recalling some movies and novels Barry had been drawn to over the years, we began wondering if some of these stories held clues for navigating his own adversity. It was at this point I turned Barry to the wisdom of the Hero’s Journey—not only to endure his trials, but to embrace and transform them.

Understanding the Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey was popularized by Joseph Campbell and is a pattern often found in myths, memoirs, and films. The journey begins in the ordinary world, but a “call to adventure” thrusts the hero out of comfort and into the unknown. Adversity arrives through tests, setbacks, and internal doubts. With the help of mentors and allies, the hero faces an “ordeal,” discovers their strength, and eventually returns home—changed, resilient, and armed with new wisdom.

Like Barry, many of us experience life-changing transitions not by choice, but by necessity. In these moments, we are called—often reluctantly—to be the heroes of our own story. Facing adversity through the lens of the Hero’s Journey can provide the structure and inspiration needed when everything seems to be falling apart.

Understanding What a Hero Is, and Your Place in Your Story

When I bring up the topic of a “hero” or “heroine” to an audience, there is inevitably some pushback. “I don’t see myself as any kind of hero” is a response I often hear. A hero (or heroine) isn’t someone who is necessarily outstanding in the world, but someone who has found and followed a path of their unfulfilled self.

When I introduced my graduate students, who were studying to become psychotherapists, to the notion of a “hero’s journey,” one student related not so much to Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise, but rather to the droid, R2-D2. Known for his reliability, bravery, friendship, and versatility, R2-D2 was a loyal companion to many of the key characters in the series. “My heroine’s journey is not to be the hero, but a supporter of heroes and heroines.”

Step 1: Name the Transition and Answer the Call

Adversity begins with a disruption—a diagnosis, a loss, a betrayal. Our instinct may be to resist, clinging tightly to what we know. The first strategy is to name your transition and accept the call. Acknowledge what you are going through. Instead of minimizing pain or pretending life is unchanged, take an honest assessment of the new reality. “I’m not in Kansas anymore.” “This is hard. I am grieving the end of a chapter.” Naming your experience interrupts confusion and denial, preparing you for what’s ahead.

Once the challenge is named, look beneath the surface to see what values, dreams, or relationships are being tested. What “adventure” does this transition ask of you? Facing the uncertainty with open eyes is a crucial first step.

Step 2: Seek Mentors, Allies, and Support

No hero succeeds alone. In every transformative journey, mentors offer wisdom, allies provide encouragement, and even adversaries teach hard lessons. Make it a priority to seek support. Reach out to friends, peers, and professionals. Vulnerability is not weakness; it is the beginning of connection.

Some guides arrive unexpectedly—a thoughtful supervisor, a book that speaks to your heart, a support group that understands your struggle. Accepting help is an act of courage, reminding you that adversity is a shared human experience. As obstacles arise, allow trusted allies to walk with you, reminding you of your inner strength and reflecting possibilities you cannot yet see.

Step 3: Transform Obstacles into Growth

The most critical moment in the Hero’s Journey is the ordeal—a point where both giving up and past certainties are tempting. Here, focus on transforming obstacles into opportunities for growth. Adopt a mindset that welcomes hardship as a teacher. Embrace the hard stuff. What can you learn from this difficulty? What strengths are emerging? Practice self-compassion and celebrate even small victories.

Reflect regularly on how you are persevering. Use the adversity to deepen empathy, clarify values, and foster adaptability. Let trials forge new understandings about yourself. When you reframe setbacks as a path to transformation, you build resilience and prepare for life’s next adventure.

Like Barry, everyone eventually faces a situation where life is shattered by an unexpected transition. By framing adversity as a Hero’s Journey, a “call to an adventure,” rather than the “survival of a disaster,” you gain tools to navigate the unknown: naming your struggles, seeking connection, and transforming hardship into growth. These strategies empower you to be more than a survivor – instead, you become a hero on a voyage, embracing a time of great difficulty, allowing the pain to break you open so a stronger, wiser and kinder self can emerge.

Lenny and I continue to walk together every morning.

/in , /by

Lenny and I continue to walk together every morning. He’s aging. Like so many of us, he’s struggling with his hips and joints. His muscle mass is decreasing. He walks more s-l-o-w-l-y. We don’t go as far as we used to.

As a constant companion, he reminds me that the aging process is a persistent journey of surprise and renewal, each stage of life offering a fresh perspective.

Aging is an opportunity to embrace one’s vulnerability more deeply, open our compassionate hearts more fully, and courageously become connected to life through a more intimate relationship with impermanence and loss.​

Wall Of Influence

/in , /by

For those who know my work, I often speak of my Wall Of Influence – the pictures of the 25 most influential people who have helped shape me and make me who I am. The collage of influential people in my life hangs in my office.

Following a recent leadership program I facilitated, one of the participants had some fun with a little craft with her kids where they cut out pictures of the most important people in their life and hung it above their bed. Here’s the picture she sent me:

17643417608101764341760810
17643417604731764341760473

Navigating Political and Social Polarization in the Workplace: The Role of Leadership as Unifiers

/in , , , , , , , , /by

On March 18, 1956, Martin Luther King Jr.’s sermon at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, entitled “When Peace Becomes Obnoxious,” started with a story:
“A few weeks ago, a Federal Judge handed down an edict which stated in substance that the University of Alabama could no longer deny admission to persons because of their race. With the handing down of this decision, a brave young lady by the name of Autherine Lucy was accepted as the first Negro student to be admitted in the history of the University of Alabama. This was a great moment and a great decision. But with the announcement of this decision, ‘the vanguards of the old order began to surge.’ The forces of evil began to congeal. As soon as Autherine Lucy walked on the campus, a group of spoiled students led by Leonard Wilson and a vicious group of outsiders began threatening her on every hand. Crosses were burned; eggs and bricks were thrown at her. The mob jumped on top of the car in which she was riding. Finally, the president and trustees of the University of Alabama asked Autherine to leave for her own safety and the safety of the University. The next day after Autherine was dismissed, the paper came out with this headline: ‘Things are quiet in Tuscaloosa today. There is peace on the campus of the University of Alabama.’”

Peace is not measured by the absence of conflict. Peace is gauged by the respect for differences, the ability to have open, civil dialogue, and the willingness to find common ground and collaborate toward shared goals despite disagreements.

Yes, things were quiet in Tuscaloosa, but the peace on campus, in the words of King, came “at a great price: it was peace that had been purchased at the exorbitant price of an inept trustee board succumbing to the whims and caprices of a vicious mob. It was peace that had been purchased at the price of allowing mobocracy to reign supreme over democracy. It was peace that had been purchased at the price of capitulating to the force of darkness. This is the type of peace that all men of goodwill hate. It is the type of peace that is obnoxious. It is the type of peace that stinks in the nostrils of the Almighty God.”

Leaders play a crucial role in bridging divisiveness and discord in the workplace. Rather than avoiding difficult topics, effective leaders foster open dialogue, model respect, and unite teams around common ground and shared values and purpose. By listening actively and encouraging curiosity, leaders can move conversations from confrontation to connection, transforming disagreement into opportunities for growth.

Emphasizing empathy over partisanship enables leaders to establish a safe environment where all voices are respected, even when perspectives differ. Unifying leaders guide teams to focus on common goals and common ground—such as organizational mission, shared humanity or collective well-being—while also addressing conflict constructively. Through clear communication, accountability, and consistent reinforcement of shared values, leadership can turn workplace polarization into a catalyst for collaboration, innovation, and resilience.

This issue is significant given recent research showing rising incivility related to political differences and social divides in workplaces, which impacts employee morale and can lead to disengagement or turnover. Leaders are now increasingly called upon to foster a culture of respect and safe dialogue on divisive issues. Exploring how organizations can build psychological safety and civil discourse to unite diverse teams remains a matter of continual investigation and vigilance.