In a previous article, I discussed Anthropic’s research on how AI is changing the workplace. As a result, I’ve been exploring how to respond to the findings, particular those around universal human needs. I’ve developed a Four Pillar Framework for Human Development in the Age of AI. Let’s look at Pillar One: Human Connection.
Pillar 1: Human Connection as the Differentiator
“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.” ~ David Augsburger
While AI can help solve our business problems, it cannot anchor people. It cannot offer the presence we experience when someone listens wholeheartedly, and says, “I’ve been where you are. Let’s figure this out together.” Mentorship moments create the space where we are seen and heard.
Human connection breathes life into a workplace. It is the difference between a culture people want to be part of and one they simply move through on their way to the next role (usually somewhere else).
Strong mentorship is one of the most powerful ways leaders protect that human layer; the relational tissue that holds culture together. This matters now more than ever. As people turn to AI for quick answers, they risk losing the very relationships that help them grow, feel valued, and stay connected to the bigger picture.
Core Principles
Belonging is built through people, not platforms.
“I matter here” comes from interactions. It is about who checks in, who notices your growth, who shows up when the work is hard.
Culture travels through stories, modeling, and shared experiences.
Values and cultural principles become real when leaders embody them and pass them along through everyday moments.
Psychological safety grows through trust formed in real conversations.
AI can generate insights, but it cannot hold space for compassion or nuance. People do that. AI is very good at mimicking human interaction and often better at finding the words that sound just right. But we are sensory creatures first, language came after we learned to feel our way through the world. Most of us know what is real and what is scripted.
What “Human Connection as the Differentiator” Answers
Human needs require human connection. Leaders are looking for ways to solve:
- Isolation, especially in hybrid and remote environments
- Disengagement that stems from feeling unseen and under valued
- Cultural drift when values are no longer reinforced through relationships
- Loss of meaning and loyalty when work becomes transactional
Mentorship Practices for Leaders
If you’re building a workplace where people can learn, thrive, and stay connected in a world increasingly mediated by AI, start here: Protect and strengthen the human relationships that make culture possible.
Regular touch points across levels
Cross-functional, cross-level interactions that build a sense of “we’re in this together.” It’s common to hold 1:1’s with direct reports but true mentorship goes beyond reporting lines.
Story sharing as part of onboarding
New employees learn more from a leader’s real story about a challenge, a misstep, a moment of growth. Generally, we learn better from stories than we do from other forms of knowledge transfer. The story sticks. Legal jargon gets forgotten. Moments of connection create culture.
Leader visibility and openness
When leaders share their thinking, their values, and their humanity, it gives others permission to do the same. This isn’t about blurry boundaries. It is about revealing what everyone already knows: Leaders are human and that is what makes them someone worth following.
Rituals that build connection and create belonging over time
Here are some simple, consistent practices that respond to human needs:
- Reflection questions at the start or end of meetings. Try meaningful check-ins. Name a recent win, share a current challenge (rather than status updates).
- Regular and consistent feedback normalized as company culture. Try one concept per quarter like communication style, time management, strategic thinking.
- Quarterly career development conversations not tied to a performance review. Focus on strengths, skills and areas of interest. Invest in the person, not their role.
- Monthly roundtables (re: challenges and visioning for the future). Try “speak the challenge, do nothing” gatherings with the intention of just naming the challenge followed a week later with “experiment generation” dialogues. This allows solutions to be revealed rather than forced. Focus on relieving the tension of the problem first, then discuss what “might work” with attention on a trial and error approach. Mentors guide through open-ended questions rather than over directing outcomes.
- If remote, find ways to meet in-person as teams and functional groups 2–4 times a year. People need to get out from behind the screen and experience one another as humans and not talking heads. Tensions quickly melt away after retreats and on-sites.
Mentorship is a strategic advantage that keeps people connected to a sense of purpose and belonging. It supports the culture leaders are trying to build. When leaders invest in real relationships, they create something AI cannot replicate: a workplace where people feel rooted, supported, and inspired to grow. Human connection becomes the differentiator not because technology is failing us, but because it cannot truly fulfill a human need. Only we can offer that.