Why Smart Leaders Are Still Hesitant About AI

(And What They're Missing)

Hi there,

Most organisations haven’t moved past the pilot phase with AI.

Many haven’t started at all.

Your caution makes sense. You’ve seen technology hype cycles before. You’ve watched budgets disappear into tools that promised transformation but delivered nothing. You’re responsible for real teams, real budgets, and real outcomes.

After spending 2025 testing AI tools extensively, I’ve noticed something: most decision-makers haven’t experienced what these systems can actually do right now. That gap matters.

The Experience Problem

The most vocal AI sceptics I encounter haven’t used premium tools with extended reasoning capabilities. They haven’t tried to build side projects with agentic coding tools.

They tried free ChatGPT once. It gave generic responses. They moved on.

You wouldn’t evaluate enterprise software based on a limited free trial and declare the entire category useless. But that’s how many leaders are assessing AI right now.

A US$200 monthly subscription costs less than one day of consultant time. Yet it gives you direct experience with the technology you’re making strategic decisions about.

Why Your Team Resists

I’ve spent my career in project delivery. Technology rarely fails. People and organisational factors do.

Your team isn’t being difficult. They’re worried:

• Is my expertise about to lose value?

• Are we replacing judgment with algorithms?

• What if I champion this and it fails?

Fair questions. They deserve real answers, not dismissal.

Remember spreadsheets. Remember email. Remember smartphones. The professionals who learned those tools didn’t become less valuable. They adapted their skills.

AI adoption is a change leadership problem wearing a technology costume. You can’t solve it by ignoring how your people feel about it.

The Inaction Risk

Boards and executives move cautiously for good reasons. A high-profile failure damages reputations and careers. That’s rational governance.

But right now, others in your market are building capabilities and experience. They’re learning what works. They’re iterating.

Different sectors are moving at different speeds. Some services can now be delivered far more efficiently. Others remain unchanged. That creates market pressure.

You can be proactive or reactive. Both approaches work sometimes. Slow adoption in a changing market carries real risks.

Domain Knowledge Still Wins

Some people think AI makes expertise less valuable.

I see the opposite in practice.

The professionals getting real results have deep domain knowledge. They know what questions matter, how to evaluate outputs, where human judgment is non-negotiable.

AI tools are leverage. Leverage only amplifies what you already bring. An experienced professional with these tools has advantages the tools alone cannot provide.

Your team’s expertise isn’t becoming obsolete. It’s what makes effective use of these tools possible. Will your organisation combine that expertise with new capabilities, or watch competitors do it first?

How To Proceed In The AI Era

You need to move thoughtfully and quickly at the same time. You need to address team concerns and build new capabilities. You need results, not endless pilots.

Successful AI adoption needs four things:

Honest assessment. Where can these tools actually add value in your specific business? Ignore generic vendor pitches.

Change leadership. Address team concerns directly. Frame AI as augmentation, because that’s what it is.

Practical roadmaps. Deliver early results while building towards larger goals. Nobody trusts a three-year plan anymore.

Skills development. Help your team become effective users rather than passive observers.

How I Can Help

You understand AI matters strategically. You’re unclear on practical next steps for your specific business.

I run focused change leadership sessions for exactly this situation. We identify what’s blocking progress in your organisation - technical, cultural, strategic. We develop a clear path forward.

You can credit these sessions towards longer coaching engagements if we work well together. The goal is moving you from uncertainty to implementation, and give you the support needed to overcome blockers and get results.

Your competitors are deciding their AI strategy right now. Will you be leading your market or scrambling to catch up in 18 months?

Ready to move forward?

Book Your AI Change Leadership Session

Regards,

Brennan