I am becoming a fan of AI.

For someone who has built a career on being a change agent, what could be better? We already had exponential change. Now it feels like we have exponentially exponential change.

That should be job security by definition—assuming AI doesn’t become the change agent. Then I may need a word with management.

Truthfully, I love having a co-writer and editor available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I can explore a thought, challenge it, reshape it, and sometimes discover what I was trying to say through the conversation itself.

From my perspective, it’s easy to understand the enthusiasm.

But I chose this.

Many people experiencing AI implementation in their workplaces will have far less choice. Someone else will decide which tools they use, which processes disappear, and which skills they must develop.

What feels like possibility to me may feel like a threat to someone who has spent twenty years becoming very good at work that is suddenly being redefined.

“Just think of the possibilities!” can land a little differently when one of the possibilities appears to be updating your résumé.

People may understand why a change makes sense and still wonder:

Will my experience still matter? Will I have time to learn? Can I admit that I’m struggling? Will there still be a place for me?

These questions deserve room in the implementation plan. Somewhere before the slide that says “Exciting times ahead!”

Everyone is a novice at something new. Even people with decades of experience need time to build confident competence when the work changes.

Leaders help people develop the courage to begin by making room for questions, early mistakes, and the occasional “Can you show me that again?”—and by reminding people that being a beginner is a natural part of learning.

Pivot Point

Before asking people to share your excitement about a change, ask:

What have I freely chosen that they are being required to navigate—and what support does that ask of me?