Companies are investing in AI, launching pilots, and telling employees to experiment. But too often, leaders expect transformational outcomes without actively participating in the transformation itself.

In this episode of Leading Change in the Wild, I unpack why so many AI initiatives are getting stuck in the messy middle and what you can actually do when the leader sponsoring your project doesn’t seem to care.

Here’s what I unpack:

• Why the “go experiment with AI” approach isn’t delivering the transformational outcomes companies expected
• The invisible work employees are taking on as organizations roll out AI
• Why leadership participation matters just as much as the technology itself
• How to connect an AI initiative to the outcomes your leader already cares about
• Why you should stop asking leaders to “get more engaged” and start giving them specific actions and decisions
• How to make the cost of executive inaction visible
• What to do when you may simply have the wrong sponsor
• When it might be time to let an AI pilot die instead of forcing it into production

The technology isn’t enough.

If leaders want AI transformation, they have to actively participate in leading the change. That means setting direction, supporting the people doing the work, making decisions, and creating the conditions for an initiative to move beyond experimentation.

And if you’re the person trying to move that initiative forward without an engaged leader?

Sometimes you might need a few Jedi mind tricks.

👇 Let’s discuss:

• What do you do when a leader isn’t engaged in an initiative they’re supposed to sponsor?
• Have you seen an AI pilot stall because leadership wasn’t actively involved?
• What has actually worked for you when trying to get leaders more engaged?

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