Three things quietly killing change initiatives everywhere

Hello,

As the summer wound down and my fall schedule filled up — from speaking engagements to podcast invitations — I paused for a final seasonal hurrah:

During a visit to the US Open with my husband and friends, we watched veteran all-star 45-year-old Venus Williams and 22-year-old Leylah Fernandez give a winning lesson in multigenerational communication and collaboration that’s applicable well beyond the tennis court. 

Down 2-5 in the first set against the 6th seeds, neither was ready to give up, and, as Venus shared, “Our energy really matched each other in terms of determination.”

“Used to being the big sister,” Venus asked Leylah what she wanted to do, while Leylah felt “like a kid on Christmas Day.” They won, and the crowd went wild. Venus called Leylah “the best partner I ever played with — outside of Serena.”

The lessons that any multigenerational team can learn from these stars:

1. Offer guidance without taking over.
2. Bring fresh instincts while respecting each other’s experiences. 
3. Combine institutional knowledge with adaptable energy.

Now, imagine what might change if more multigenerational teams operated like Venus and Leylah?

Lessons like these apply directly in today’s workplace. Read on to see some of the greatest challenges that I am seeing businesses facing, and blueprints for moving forward.

“What if you’re solving the wrong problem?”

A big failure point you may be facing right now and don’t even see: what if you’ve focused your time and resources on solving the wrong problem?

Before getting into solution mode, pause to reframe. Here’s an example using two very different problem statements: 

Problem statement #1: “Our customer service team is overwhelmed and needs AI chatbots to handle routine inquiries.”

Problem statement #2: “Customer inquiries have increased 40% while resolution time has doubled, but we don’t understand what’s driving the increase or why resolution takes longer.”

While the first statement assumes the cause – and the solution – the second describes symptoms and seeks understanding, without prescribing fixes just yet. 

Yes, the symptoms are the same, but the paths forward are completely different and will lead to very different actions, solutions, and chances of succeeding.

How to embed AI in your organization — with employee support

Is your team hesitant or even fearful of the company’s AI adoption strategy? During a recent webinar, I was invited to weigh in on this growing challenge. 

My advice is this: Address the root causes. Don’t presume to understand where pushback is coming from. Here’s what you should know:

1. AI failure isn’t about technology; it’s about people. With some experts estimating 70-80% of AI projects failing, the culprit is gaps in strategy, integration, trust, and leadership.

2. Mid-level managers want support. Pressured from above to adopt AI while fielding concerns from below, there is a good chance these critical players fear for their own job security absent clear use cases to guide them towards some wins.

3. Organizations buy tools but ignore mindsets. Too many AI adoption programs focus on buying technology solutions and short change the role of people to create value.

4. Success requires experimentation. The winners create “sandbox” environments for active learning, and find champions to carry these efforts forward towards scaling.

5. Employees are using AI… on their own terms. According to a recent Fortune article, “The ‘shadow AI economy’ is booming: Workers at 90% of companies say they use chatbots, but most of them are hiding it from IT.”

Human skills and engagement with technology are more valuable, not less. As AI handles routine tasks, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, creativity, and strategic leadership are the real differentiators. The leaders who buy into “human + AI” as the winning formula will pull ahead of their competitors.  

This fall, I’m delivering keynotes and workshops focused on these exact challenges — motivating teams, and equipping leaders with fresh approaches to make change happen, no matter what other news comes our way.

Leading change right now is exhausting. Between skeptical teams, failed initiatives, and constant pressure to transform, many leaders tell me they feel like they’re pushing water uphill. If that resonates, let’s talk about creating some wins that actually stick.

Warm regards,