August 7, 2025 | Vol. 105
✔️🚨 Act Fast On AI —Time Is Running Out
AI Integration Series, Part 1
Every tech leap has winners and wait-and-see-ers—AI is the richest leap yet, and the clock on opportunity is already ticking.
Harvard Business Review published an article titled, “A Guide to Building Change Resilience in the Age of AI”.
Most organizations have not seen significant results from their AI efforts, with only 26% achieving value from AI, due to challenges related to people and processes, which is referred to as "change resilience".
Change resilience is the ability to adapt, reinvent, and scale new ways of working, and it requires three key "muscles": sensing, rewiring, and lock-in, to keep up with the rapid advances of AI.
The way to acquire this change resilience is to intentionally work on your mindset toward the challenges that come when meaningful change is made.
In the HBR article they refer to a survey where they found that among the many challenges organizations face in implementing AI initiatives, 70% are related to people and processes.
This change avoidance mindset didn’t just start, we have many examples in history.
ERA: 1970-80s.
“You can’t sell over the phone.
Winners built call-center machines before rivals bought headsets.
ERA: 1990s.
“No one buys on the internet.”
Winners launched e-commerce while skeptics printed catalogs.
ERA: 2020s-Now
“AI is futuristic hype.”
Winners will automate, personalize, and predict—then reinvest the time savings.
How much did waiting cost? If you dragged your feet on phones or the web, you already know. Let’s not do that again.
What this series will cover
What to integrate – spotting high-impact AI use-cases (marketing, ops, CX).
How to vet them – credibility tests so you don’t chase shiny objects.
Integration playbooks – people, processes, tech stack.
Continuous efficiency – building “AI-audit” checkpoints into weekly routines.
Action steps for this edition
Audit attitudes – Ask your team: “Where does AI excite you, and where does it scare you?” Fear flags friction.
Plot the opportunity-cost curve – List one process you delayed adopting (CRM, marketing automation, etc.). Estimate lost revenue/time. Use that as your AI urgency meter.
Schedule a learning sprint – 30-minute weekly slot for the next quarter devoted to AI demos, case studies, or hands-on trials.
Straight Talk from the Crazy 🤪
“Tech doesn’t take your job—indifference does. Curiosity is career insurance.
Stay bold, stay curious, and keep making sense of the crazy.
JIM
