MAHONEY’S MOMENTS
Jim has written regular leadership-related blog posts, along with other several other leaders, for Ohio University’s Voinovich Academy. On this page, you can read his monthly blog posts, Mahoney’s Moments. These moments are aimed at a variety of topics and the content is designed for the moment and intended to cause you to reflect, perhaps consider an approach, or entertain a new idea in your life or work. Enjoy!
July 2026: Human Connection in an Era of Change
Just a few years ago, people would gasp when told that knowledge was doubling every two years. Ahh…the good old days when change was measured in years or even decades. Today, change is measured in months, weeks, and sometimes minutes. Yet, the paradox of leadership is that the faster the world changes around us, the more vital human connection becomes.
Consider last week. I met with an attorney, a tax accountant, and a graduate class—three completely different settings. While talking with my CPA about recent tax law changes, our conversation quickly shifted from numbers to life. We empathized with each other over the 529 plans we are navigating for our families and laughed about her father’s retirement spending habits.
The technical tax questions could easily have been answered by ChatGPT. I can envision it doing my taxes someday. But AI cannot understand my family’s unique anxieties, values, or long-term dreams. Does this mean I won’t need my CPA? Quite the opposite. Her true value isn't her data processing and tax prep; it is her empathy, her listening, and her ability to advise me as a whole person.
I experienced the same with my attorney during our annual review of estate plans. It was part technical, part profound human connection. AI is rapidly turning technical knowledge into a cheap commodity. But it cannot offer wisdom, and it cannot build trust. That is where the "human premium" lies. Effective leaders will use AI to handle the routine, freeing themselves to make deeper human connections. The people they serve will applaud the added time, understanding, and engagement.
In my graduate class on leadership, we discussed a local case where sixteen children were removed from their home due to abuse. I asked the students: Is this tragic case a threat or an opportunity for the protective agencies involved? One student called it a threat—an indicator of systemic failure. Another called it an opportunity—a chance to prove how critical these agencies are to protecting children at all costs.
AI presents the exact same crossroads. Will it be a threat or an opportunity? Data alone won't decide. If we allow technology to free up our time, and we intentionally invest that time back into relationships, it will be our greatest opportunity. Efficiency is the gift of the machine, but connection remains the work of the leader.