Most leaders are using AI to write faster emails and clear busywork. That is the smallest thing it can do. The real payoff is strategic: better thinking, better hiring, and better conversations with the people you lead.

In this episode of The Leader's Mindset, Jason LeDuc sits down with Jason P. Carroll — founder of Aptive Index — to talk about "people intelligence" and why the next wave of AI wins will not come from shiny features. It will come from helping leaders solve real human problems.

Jason walks through how Aptive Index pairs a scientifically validated behavioral assessment ("a personality test on steroids") with an AI coach named Aria — think Brené Brown meets Simon Sinek meets an I/O psychologist in your pocket. The result is a tool leaders use to hire the right person for the right seat, onboard them well, coach them when they struggle, and spot team friction before it turns into dysfunction.

💡 This episode is for:

- Founders who want to scale without hiring mistakes

- Executives trying to reduce friction and improve team execution

- Managers coaching strong performers who still have blind spots

- Leaders who want AI to build better humans, not just faster tasks

🤔 What you will learn

- Why AI is "actually useful" only when you treat yourself as the thought leader and AI as your thought partner — not an email shortcut

- The "then what?" problem with most personality tests, and how behavioral data plus AI finally turns insight into action

- Why your strengths derail you more than your weaknesses — and the "volume knob" every leader needs to dial in

- Why a résumé is the weakest leg of the hiring "stool" — and what values, motivations, and wiring tell you instead

- The real definition of self-awareness: not noticing a behavior, but understanding its impact and the driver beneath it

- Why most leaders overestimate their ability to "lead anyone," and how to work with the gap instead

- A founder's honest take on knowing your gaps, choosing the right partner, and building a real go-to-market plan

🔑 Practical ideas you can use this week

1. Before you reach for AI to do a task, ask the bigger strategic question first — lead the thinking, and let AI be your thought partner.

2. Name one behavior you default to (steamrolling meetings is Jason's example). Identify its impact on your team, then the need driving it — and choose a different behavior that meets the same need.

3. Audit one strength you lean on hardest and ask where you are cranking the volume knob too high.

💬 Question for you

Where are you using AI just for speed — when you could be using it for sharper thinking, better hiring, and better leadership? Drop your answer in the comments.

Onward and Upward! 🚀

✅ If you got value from this episode, do these 3 things:

1) Like this video – It helps more leaders find these insights.

2) Subscribe – New leadership conversations every week.

3) Share this episode with a leader who needs to hear this.

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How to reach Jason P. Carroll:

Website: https://www.aptiveindex.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonpcarroll/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aptiveindex/

How to reach Jason LeDuc:

Email: info@leducleadership.com

Website: https://www.leducleadership.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-leduc-3469823/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leducleadership