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AI
is rewriting corporate leadership playbook: MetLife global HR chief
By Park Han-sol, The Korea Times
- “The playbook just hasn’t been written yet.”
That’s how Shurawl Sibblies describes
the challenge confronting today’s leaders as artificial intelligence (AI)
accelerates change faster than organizations can comfortably absorb it.
For the MetLife executive vice president
and chief human resources officer (CHRO), however, the technology itself is
only part of the story. The more profound shift, she argues, lies in the nature
of leadership itself.
“The pace of change, the velocity, is so
fast and probably unlike anything we’ve ever experienced,” Sibblies said during
her first visit to Korea last week.
That, she believes, calls for a
different leadership instinct. In an environment where change outpaces
experience, the willingness of leaders to admit they don’t have every answer is
becoming as important as their ability to provide direction.
“Making it OK to be vulnerable with your
teams and say, ‘I don’t have all the answers, but this is what I do know, and
we’re going to learn together,’ makes such a difference,” she said. “It’s a bit
of humility that’s required at this moment. It’s authentic.”
That philosophy underpins Lead in the
Age of AI, a new global program MetLife is rolling out across its operations
worldwide in local languages. Rather than focusing on AI proficiency alone, the
program asks managers to rethink the question: What does leadership look like
when no one has a complete playbook?
Trust becomes leadership’s new currency
Sibblies’ emphasis on leadership
reflects a broader challenge unfolding across workplaces worldwide, including
Korea. As companies race to embed AI into everyday operations, more and more
employees are grappling with what the technology could mean for their roles and
long-term career prospects.
MetLife’s latest Employee Benefit Trends
report found that one in five employees are unsure what is expected of them as
AI becomes part of their work, while nearly two-thirds are concerned about its
risks.
For Sibblies, helping employees build AI
fluency is only part of the equation. The greater task is ensuring they do so
without losing their sense of purpose or agency. That requires more than simply
introducing new technology — it requires rebuilding trust.
“People navigate change effectively when
they feel supported, when their work is connected to something purposeful and
when they feel their contribution makes a difference,” she said.
And trust, the CHRO argues, cannot be
built through reassurances alone. Employees need to see that their concerns
translate into tangible action.
At MetLife Korea, that philosophy has
shaped the company’s approach to AI adoption. After employee feedback revealed
a strong desire for greater access to the technology, the insurer made AI
capabilities available to employees globally while expanding training on both
practical applications and its responsible use.
The learning extends well beyond formal
training. Managers regularly demonstrate how they incorporate AI into their own
work, while employees exchange practical use cases through Lunch & Learn
sessions and other peer-led discussions, helping make the technology part of
everyday work instead of a top-down corporate initiative.
“It truly is a source of innovation,”
she said of Korea. Ideas born here, she noted, have spread across MetLife’s
global operations. One example is 360Health, the insurer’s digital health
platform, which was first developed in Korea before expanding to markets across
Asia and beyond.
Adaptability as new credential for
employees
If AI is democratizing access to
knowledge, Sibblies believes it is also forcing companies to rethink what
distinguishes exceptional talent.
For decades, career advancement in many
countries, including Korea, has been closely tied to academic credentials and
technical expertise built through years of experience. Those qualities will
remain important, she said, but they will no longer be enough on their own.
“The premium on people who are adaptable
and curious, who want to continue learning and take action has gotten much
higher,” she said. “Learning is more democratized now with AI, and that means
your career can grow in different ways.”
Rather than rewarding narrowly defined
expertise, companies will increasingly value lifelong learners — those willing
to remain curious throughout their careers, move across functions and apply
fresh perspectives to unfamiliar problems. Career paths, she notes, are likely
to become less linear as employees reskill and explore new roles across
different parts of an organization.
That shift is already taking shape at
MetLife Korea, where employees are encouraged to move beyond their original
functions and pursue opportunities across the business. Leaders, too, are
expected to embrace talent with unconventional career paths, recognizing that
diverse experiences often bring about stronger judgment and better
decision-making.
In Sibblies’ view, that also requires
companies to broaden their definition of talent. Rather than seeing hiring
solely through the lens of recent university graduates, employers should be
equally open to career changers and people willing to reinvent themselves
through continuous learning.
“There will always be something that you
can do,” she said. While acknowledging concerns that AI could displace some
work, she said the technology would also create entirely new roles. “I actually
think there are going to be new roles created that don’t exist today.”
And as AI becomes more capable, she
believes the ultimate differentiator will be judgment — the ability to question
AI’s recommendations, make values-based decisions and ultimately take
responsibility for the outcome.
