Episode 30: Leading WITH AI, Not Just Through It 

“AI doesn’t replace people-forward leadership™. It amplifies it. But only if you engage with it yourself first.” ~Dr. Carol Parker Walsh 

In this solo episode, Dr. Carol Parker Walsh challenges leaders to rethink their relationship with AI, not as a technology to manage or a disruption to survive, but as a tool that can actually make them better people-forward leaders™. With 70-85% of AI initiatives failing to meet expectations and research showing the biggest barrier isn’t technology or employees but leadership itself, Carol unpacks why AI adoption is fundamentally a trust problem, not a tech problem. She shares the latest research on why employees resist AI, what high-performing organizations do differently, and how leaders can use AI to deepen self-awareness, develop their teams, and create the psychological safety required for transformation. Whether you’re skeptical of AI or already experimenting, this episode will shift how you think about your role in leading through this unprecedented moment of change. 

Key Takeaways: 

1. Employees won’t trust AI if they don’t trust their leaders. 
2. Leaders must go first. 
3. The 10-20-70 rule separates winners from everyone else. 
4. AI adoption negatively impacts psychological safety. 
5. AI can make you a better people-forward leader. 

Resources & Links 

• McKinsey’s AI in the Workplace Report 2025: “The biggest barrier to success is not employees—who are ready—but leaders” – https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai 

• Harvard Business Review: “Employees Won’t Trust AI If They Don’t Trust Their Leaders” – https://hbr.org/2025/03/employees-wont-trust-ai-if-they-dont-trust-their-leaders 

• Boston Consulting Group: AI Adoption Research (10-20-70 rule and high performer insights) – https://www.bcg.com/press/24october2024-ai-adoption-in-2024-74-of-companies-struggle-to-achieve-and-scale-value 

• PwC Global Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025 (psychological safety and motivation) – https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/workforce/hopes-and-fears.html 

• World Economic Forum: “One of the largest change management exercises in history” – https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/01/ai-2025-workplace/ 

• Learn more about the People-Forward Leadership™ framework 

• Get The 3 Pillars of People-Forward Leadership™ 

• Recommended reading from People-Forward Leadership™ 

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