AI is in the headlines. AI is behind stories in headlines. 

But does AI headline your leadership and technology development?

In a recent survey, less than half of the respondents said yes to some degree, and frankly, only 16% answered with a strong yes.

It’s only a matter of time before those numbers change. Where will you be when that time comes?

I have friends leading out in AI implementation. Their updates are always a thrill to hear. I have other friends who want to lead out, and they are running up against resistance. Sadly, I have friends who are beginning to realize that adopting AI is going to require leaving and finding a company who understands the AI edge.

In a recent post, I introduced you to three arenas of AI leadership: educate, embrace and execute. Leaders educate about AI, get the company to embrace AI, and then execute on AI strategy.

Sounds easy. Except for what else I wrote:

“Recently, Seth Godin asserted the following: If it’s not solvable, we’ll pretend it’s not a problem.If the cultural cost of solving the problem is too high, we’ll pretend there’s no solution. Systemic problems require systemic solutions, and those solutions hinge on culture.”

Denial. Delusion. 

You rarely argue your way through either. Leaders understand that denial and delusion are changed by experience. You can help a person/company experience their way out of a position more easily than you can persuade them out of a position.

Leading By Experience

Let’s look more closely at the three arenas.

Educate

Education is about knowledge and usage.

Experience is only as strong as the knowledge base that supports it. Otherwise, the experience is merely a fad.

You are responsible for educating people about AI. What is possible? What are others doing with it? What are the risks and the guardrails to protect against the risks?

Education needs to address the motivation for AI (effectiveness), the value of it, and the return for its cost. That formula - motivation, value, cost - is a typical pyramid in a sales process. Perhaps the most underutilized relationship you have as a CIO is with your marketing team. 

They are used to leading people through a sales funnel (of which education is key), and used to reducing friction. You need a nice, long lunch with your CMO. 

And there is no substitute for hands-on experience of how AI works. You want AI as close to your employees as possible, to foster an environment of experimentation and creativity. Give them tools to work with that are not integrated with your broader architecture, where struggle is a learning lesson and not a security issue.

Release the citizen developer.

Embrace

Chris Laping in People Before Things introduced us to a simple three-step progression in leading people through adoption.

Awareness - I know what this is (see knowledge above).

Understanding - I see how this will make me more effective and I recognize I have the skills to use it (see experience above).

Preference - I’m ready for this and I want to make the best use of it..

Let’s say you show up for beginner band practice. You aren’t sure what to play, and worse, you haven’t done well when you’ve attempted to play traditional instruments. The band leader hands you a theremin.

It looks weird. You can’t figure out how to play it. Your resistance is high.

You ask, “What is it?” She tells you. Then she explains. You can control it without ever touching it. It only produces one note at a time. You manipulate the sound by the distance of your hands between an antenna and a loop.

You think, “I can do that.” The leader has you try it, and you can do it. Not only can you do it, but you get to make sounds no other instrument can. The theremin is in your skill set. You can contribute to the band.

If all the band leader did was hand you a theremin and tell you to play, you wouldn’t know where to begin. But by the leader pairing your desire and your skill set with its possibility, you choose to become an artist with it. You embrace it.

Execute

Execution is about intentional and measurable usage that advances through three stages: generate, evaluate and expand.

For most companies, the top three uses of AI are to generate code, text summary and content creation. Toss in document reviews and language translation for the fun of it. 

You want initial execution to be in areas that demonstrate effectiveness, efficiency and verification. All three are easily evaluated. 

After basic use cases have served as a foundation of trust, you can expand into other areas. 

Part of execution is to communicate and celebrate findings. A company’s embrace of AI doesn’t end with permission of use; it deepens as the stories build. Tell the stories.

I have my own stories. AI as a champion for literacy. AI as a critical component for care of the unhoused. AI as a research source or option. AI for data visualization. 

And that may be the sum of this article: AI adoption is driven by story. Tell yours. Give people the opportunity to discover theirs. Make it “our stories.”

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