Leaders in the Loop -- Episode 09 -- Greg Allen on AI Practice, Feedback, and The Leaders Lab.io

In this episode, Dan and Gaurav are joined by Dr. Greg Allen, founder of The Leaders Lab.io, co-founder of Ascendant Global Leadership, LLC, and a professor of leadership at The Citadel. In this episode, they explore how AI can support leadership development through structured practice, reflection, and feedback.

Check out the video version here: https://youtu.be/N5f_fzsGl5o

Episode Overview

Greg shares the thinking behind The Leaders Lab.io and explains the developmental gap he set out to address: what happens after a leadership workshop, class, or assessment, when learners need opportunities to practice, receive feedback, and improve over time. The conversation focuses on AI as an augmentation tool for leadership learning, not a replacement for human coaching. Dan and Gaurav connect Greg’s approach to familiar leadership development practices, including assessments, coaching, communication feedback, and role-play.

Topics Covered

• The gap between leadership learning and leadership practice
• Why Greg Allen built The Leaders Lab.io
• The role of Virtual Sapiens in communication feedback
• Transformational leadership as a foundation for the platform
• AI role-play, Practice Mirror, video Q&A, and uploaded video analysis
• Feedback on clarity, empathy, buy-in, framing, and trustworthiness
• Using AI to extend leadership development beyond workshops and assessments
• Greg’s perspective on safe, prosocial, human-centered use of AI

Key Takeaways

• Leadership development often breaks down after the initial learning experience, when people need practice and feedback to turn ideas into behavior.
• The Leaders Lab.io is designed to support rehearsal, reflection, and improvement over time.
• Greg positions AI as a practice partner and feedback mechanism rather than a substitute for human coaching.
• Assessments become more useful when paired with conversation, reflection, and action.
• The platform’s feedback addresses both the content and delivery of communication.
• Practice matters more than simply adding more leadership content.
• Greg emphasizes the importance of using AI in ways that are constructive, ethical, and grounded in human development.

Examples and References Discussed

A recurring theme in the conversation is the difference between acquiring leadership knowledge and building leadership skills. Greg explains that leaders often gain insight from courses, workshops, and assessments, but still need structured ways to rehearse difficult conversations, test approaches, and receive feedback. Dan connects that point to strengths-based development and other assessment tools, while Gaurav emphasizes that the real need in leadership development is not more content, but more meaningful practice.

Greg also walks through the main functions of The Leaders Lab.io, including AI role-play, Practice Mirror, video Q&A, and uploaded video analysis. He describes how the platform can generate feedback on both what a leader says and how they show up while saying it, including factors such as clarity, empathy, buy-in, eye contact, trustworthiness, posture, intonation, and filler words.

The discussion also situates The Leaders Lab.io within the broader landscape of leadership and AI. Dan references an earlier Leaders in the Loop episode with Gary Lloyd and LeadershipSkillsLab.ai, and Greg explains how his work was shaped by leadership scholarship, practical coaching needs, and collaboration with Virtual Sapiens. In the closing segment, Greg also recommends Teaching with AI by José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson.

Resources and Mentions

• The Leaders Lab.io
• Virtual Sapiens
• The Citadel
• Gallup CliftonStrengths
• Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI)
• DiSC
• Myers-Briggs / MBTI
• Toastmasters
• Descript
• Audacity
• OpenAI
• Teaching with AI by José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson

Stay curious. Stay human.