What smart leaders need to know about trust, tools, and timing.
4-minute read | Read post online
Let’s not dance around it:
If your organization doesn’t have a plan for AI, you’re already behind.
The clock isn’t just ticking – it’s automating.
And no matter your role, AI is coming for how your team works, how decisions get made, and how trust is earned (or lost).
So the real question is:
Are you shaping that future, or reacting to someone else’s version of it?
As sure as Beyoncé is going to drop something, and the Dallas Cowboys are going to miss the Super Bowl in 2026 (I say this with love and receipts), your organization will use AI.
The choice is whether you lead early or play catch-up with limited influence.
AI Isn’t Just a Tool. It’s a Trust Test.
In a moment where credibility is already running low, AI adds pressure to every leadership decision:
- Do you trust the AI-generated report or triple-check every line?
- Do you hire the “AI expert” with a shiny LinkedIn but a degree in underwater basket weaving and zero delivery receipts?
- Do you back a tool your team doesn’t believe in just because the rollout’s already live?
These aren’t hypothetical. They’re your reality in the next quarter.
And your ability to navigate them hinges on one thing:
How clearly you understand the strategy driving the change.
The Leadership Gap
Most organizations have an AI ambition.
Few have a leadership plan to go with it.
And that leaves a gap: Your team is already feeling the shifts – automated processes, role confusion, faster cycles – but no one has clarified the why, the how, or the human cost.
So what happens?
- People perform confidence they don’t feel
- Silos deepen
- Trust erodes
You can’t afford to lead blindfolded. Not in this moment.
What This Looks Like in Real Time
Your team’s workflows are suddenly rerouted through a new AI platform.
No heads-up. Just a dashboard link and an “ask IT if you need help.”
You’re told it’s part of a strategic vision for “efficiency and scale.”
But no one defines success. No one owns the people impact.
That’s not resistance. That’s responsible leadership asking the right questions.
How to Read the AI Playbook
Smart leaders don’t wait for the playbook. They read the field.
- Vision – What is AI solving? Cost? Speed? Innovation?
- Structure – Who’s calling the shots? IT? Strategy? A vendor with a polished pitch?
- Shared Services – What platforms, data, or tools are being centralized and how are you supposed to use them?
If those answers aren’t clear, the risk isn’t delay.
It’s irrelevance.
You’re Not Competing With AI. You’re Competing With Confusion.
AI can summarize.
It can automate.
But it can’t sense burnout in a team huddle.
It can’t rebuild trust after a rough quarter.
That’s your edge. But only if you use it.
Silence will not protect your influence.
Start Here
• What’s one AI decision being made around you – not by you?
• Who’s at the center of the strategy – and do they understand the people impact?
• What leadership decision have you made this quarter that no system could replicate?
Then: open the door. Book a 15-minute coffee with someone closer to the AI work.
Ask: “What’s one thing you wish more leaders understood about how we’re using AI?”
Your job isn’t to out-tech the system. It’s to bring the context, clarity, and credibility it can’t replicate.
AI is the tool. You are the translator.
And in a trust recession, that makes you indispensable – if you’re willing to step in.
Let’s start 2026 off right.
Reply to this email or drop a comment if this resonated – or if you completely disagree with this take on AI. I read every response, and this is a conversation worth having.
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