Building More Human-Centered Leaders in the AI Era with Rasmus Hougaard

It's no secret that artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of work. But one question looms large: will AI strip us of our humanity—or help us become more of who we’re meant to be? As technology accelerates, it's easy to fear that empathy, connection, and self-awareness will fall behind. But what if the secret to thriving in the age of AI is not rejecting it—but learning how to pair it with something deeply human?

In this episode of the Happiness Squad Podcast, Ashish Kothari and Rasmus Hougaard, Managing Partner of Potential Project and best-selling author of More Human, explore how leaders can use AI not to replace their humanity—but to amplify it.

Rasmus Hougaard is the author of Compassionate Leadership and The Mind of the Leader, and has been recognized by Thinkers50 as one of the world’s top leadership thinkers. He coaches C-suite leaders at global companies like IKEA, Accenture, and Unilever, and regularly writes for Harvard Business Review and Forbes.

Things you will learn in this episode:

• The Power of Common Humanity

• How AI Can Make Us More Human

• The Human Operating Model: Awareness, Wisdom, Compassion

• Leaders Must Set Context, Not Just Deliver Content

• Meditation as the Antidote to AI Overload

• How to Develop the Beginner’s Mind

• Compassion in Action: Doing Hard Things in a Human Way

• The Inner and Outer Technologies of Leadership

Tune in now and discover how you can lead not just with your head, but with your heart, in an AI-powered world.

Resources: ✅

• Potential Project: https://www.potentialproject.com/ 

• Vipassana Meditation: https://www.dhamma.org/ 

• Quote by Zen master Shunryu Suzuki

"In the expert’s mind, there are few possibilities. In the beginner’s mind, there are many."

Books: ✅

• More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter: https://a.co/d/d8UtOdZ 

• Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way by Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter: https://a.co/d/cVDrtl8 

• A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger: https://a.co/d/0pGLBlK 

• Hardwired for Happiness by Ashish Kothari: https://a.co/d/fybNBNK