Pam Laycock on AI, Leadership & Staying Effective in Uncertain Times

Technology is changing faster than most businesses can keep up. Artificial Intelligence is reshaping industries, organizations are facing constant disruption and leaders everywhere are being forced to make decisions in environments filled with uncertainty.

But while technology may be accelerating change, one question remains constant: What does effective leadership look like when everything around you keeps changing?

In this episode of 6ixCast, host Waruna Kulawansha sits down with Pam Laycock, Corporate Director, former C-suite executive at Torstar Corporation and President of the Schulich Global Alumni Network, to unpack what it really takes to lead through continuous disruption.

Drawing from more than three decades of experience across media, digital transformation, e-commerce, governance and leadership, Pam offers a practical perspective on strategy, technology, resilience and the human skills that are most important in an AI-driven world.

This conversation is about learning how to lead when change becomes the new normal.

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Leadership Begins with Learning How to Adapt

Pam’s career has been defined by reinvention.

Across a 32-year career, she moved through 16 different roles while continuously stepping into entirely new business environments. But for her, adapting to change has never been something to fear.

As she explains:

“I’m not afraid of the no path to follow. I help create the path and that’s exciting.”

That mindset has shaped her entire leadership journey.

Rather than waiting for certainty, strong leaders learn how to move forward even when the path is unclear. In rapidly changing business environments, the ability to stay adaptable becomes more valuable than having all the answers.

For founders, executives and emerging leaders, one lesson becomes clear: growth often comes from stepping into uncertainty rather than avoiding it.

AI Is Changing Business Faster Than Ever Before

One of the strongest themes throughout the conversation is the unprecedented speed of technological change.

While organizations have gone through waves of digital transformation before, Pam explains that Artificial Intelligence is creating a very different kind of disruption.

Unlike earlier technology shifts that unfolded gradually, AI is evolving at a pace few organizations can fully process.

As she puts it:

“Every week there’s something new. There is no way any human can keep up and be an expert. Just not.”

This speed creates enormous pressure inside organizations.

Leaders are being pushed to experiment quickly, adopt new technologies and make strategic decisions long before clear best practices have emerged.

The challenge is no longer whether change is coming.

The challenge is learning how to operate while change is happening in real time.

Technology Alone Does Not Create Transformation

A common mistake businesses make during periods of rapid innovation is assuming technology itself creates transformation.

Pam strongly challenges that thinking.

Drawing from her early experience leading digital transformation initiatives long before AI became mainstream, she argues that organizations focus too heavily on tools while ignoring the people expected to use them.

As she explains:

“The human psychology and the human behaviour are actually the change that you need to affect.”

Technology can improve processes, automate repetitive work and create efficiency.

But successful transformation depends on something deeper.

If employees do not understand why change is happening, how it affects them and what role they play within that transition, even the best technology initiatives can fail.

In many cases, transformation problems are not technology problems at all.

They are people problems.

The Most Valuable Skills Are Still Human Skills

As AI continues automating technical and repetitive work, many professionals are questioning what skills will remain valuable in the future.

Pam’s answer is clear.

Technical expertise matters. But long-term career growth increasingly depends on skills machines cannot easily replicate.

She puts it simply:

“The hard skills might get you in the door, but it is the soft skills that are going to get you up the ladder.”

Curiosity, communication, leadership, collaboration and emotional intelligence remain central to professional success.

AI may provide information instantly. But it cannot replace the human ability to build trust, lead teams, influence people and navigate complex relationships.

As organizations become more technology driven, human centred leadership becomes even more important.

Strategy Requires Knowing What Not to Do

One of the most practical parts of the conversation focuses on decision making under pressure.

Modern leaders are constantly surrounded by urgent demands, endless opportunities and more information than ever before.

But according to Pam, good leadership is not simply about doing more.

It is about choosing what not to do.

Referencing frameworks developed by renowned strategist Roger Martin, she explains that strategy is built around making deliberate choices.

As she says:

“One of the most important choices you make in strategy is to choose not to do something.”

This becomes increasingly important in the age of AI.

With new tools launching constantly, many businesses fall into the trap of chasing innovation simply because everyone else is doing it.

But a real strategy requires clarity.

Not every opportunity deserves attention.

Sometimes leadership means saying no.

Great Leaders Ask Better Questions

Throughout the conversation, one leadership skill repeatedly stands out: the ability to ask good questions.

Pam describes this as one of the most valuable capabilities she developed throughout her career, particularly in the boardroom.

In fast-changing environments, leaders rarely have perfect information.

Success often depends less on having immediate answers and more on asking the right questions early enough.

As she explains:

“My second superpower… is asking really good questions.”

This becomes especially relevant in an AI-driven world.

Technology can generate insights, process data and automate tasks.

But judgment still belongs to humans.

The leaders who succeed in the future will be those who know how to challenge assumptions, think critically and make better decisions with incomplete information.

Leadership Also Means Owning Your Value

Toward the end of the conversation, Pam shares an important perspective on women in leadership, drawing from her own experience navigating senior leadership roles throughout her career.

One lesson stands out strongly.

Many professionals, particularly women, are taught to focus entirely on doing excellent work, assuming recognition will naturally follow.

But that is not always how leadership works.

As Pam candidly explains:

“I have always put my head down and done great work and I expect the work to speak for itself… and that does not always happen.”

Strong leadership is not only about competence.

It also requires confidence, visibility, mentorship and learning how to own your success.

For emerging leaders building long-term careers, this may be one of the most practical lessons in the entire conversation.

Leading with Clarity in a World That Never Slows Down

This episode of 6ixCast is not only about Artificial Intelligence or digital transformation.

It is about understanding how leadership is evolving in a world defined by constant disruption.

Through decades of experience leading transformation across industries, Pam Laycock reminds us that technology will continue changing, but leadership fundamentals remain surprisingly consistent.

Adaptability, curiosity, communication, sound judgment and the courage to make difficult decisions continue to separate effective leaders from the rest.

As organizations navigate the accelerating pace of AI-driven change, one lesson becomes increasingly clear: technology may shape the future, but people will continue defining it.

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Watch the full 6ixCast episode to hear Pam Laycock’s insights on leadership, AI disruption and leading effectively through constant change.

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