Managing Projects Successfully
Managing Projects Successfully
Oct 06, 2026
By Deb Samuels-Peretz
I’m managing a team right now.
There are four members, each with a different strength. One keeps everything organized. Another is great at research and outreach. One turns mountains of information into polished writing. And another transforms that content into social media posts.
Sounds like a pretty typical team, right?
There’s just one thing you should know.
None of them are human. They’re AI employees.
I’m managing these AI agents as part of a real project, and what has surprised me most is how much it resembles managing people.
One needs extremely explicit instructions. Another needs clear boundaries. Sometimes I look at something an agent has produced and think, “What on earth made you think this was what I asked for?”
So I clarify instructions. I give feedback. I adjust processes. I learn their strengths and figure out how to communicate with each one.
And gradually, the team gets better.
The technology may be different, but the fundamentals of leadership haven’t changed.
You still need to understand strengths, define roles, create accountability, communicate clearly, and build a team rather than simply assemble a collection of individuals.
The biggest difference?
AI can do an extraordinary amount of work incredibly quickly—including the wrong work.
As more of us begin managing teams made up of humans and AI, I’m starting to believe that one of the most important leadership skills of the future won’t be learning how to use AI.
It will be learning how to lead it.
Deb Samuels-Peretz, PhD, is Co-Founder and Vice President of Learning & Development at TheRealMe, where she helps organizations better understand and develop the human skills that drive workplace success. An educator, entrepreneur, and speaker, she focuses on how communication, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and other human capabilities are becoming increasingly important for hiring, developing, and leading talent in the age of AI.
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