“It is hard to be productive when there is a lot of uncertainty.” An HR leader said this to me the other day after we’d both attended a workshop on using AI more sustainably, and her words jumped out at me.
AI has the potential to make us all a lot more productive and yet there are so many forces that are challenging our productivity at an individual and organizational level right now: job uncertainty, rapid change, skill gaps (so much to learn!), overwhelming information, and shifting strategies and priorities (is our product or service even relevant anymore!?).
Almost everyone — even tech experts — feel late to the party because it’s impossible to keep pace with the current state of change. Exciting? Yes. But feeling like we’re in a constant state of missing the train? Also, yes.
Leaders are asking us some version of the following questions in almost every conversation we have…
- How do I keep my organization and team moving forward when the ground keeps shifting under us?
- What foundation and scaffolding do I need to put in place so that my team can build and fill in the gaps?
- What decisions do I need to make right now, and which ones can evolve?
- What understanding and expertise do I need to build to lead this change effectively?
- How do I create a culture that enables experimentation and innovation in a way that’s aligned with our values, strategy, and priorities?
These are all good questions. If you’re asking these questions as a leader right now, you’re on the right track. Here’s where we’re telling our clients to start.
Find the Solid Ground First
You do not need to have AI all figured out to lead well through it. You need solid ground to stand on while you figure it out.
That solid ground is your organizational values. Before you decide which AI tools to adopt, the policies to put in place, or how fast to move, go back to what your organization already believes about how people and customers should be treated, how decisions should be made, and what good work looks like. AI does not change any of that. It tests it.
At Paradox, our core belief has always been that good for people is good for business. AI does not replace people; it works alongside them. Are jobs and work changing? Definitely, yes. But we can make sure that change is implemented in a way that is both good for people and good for business.
Every AI decision your organization makes, from which tools you implement to how work is reorganized either builds trust or erodes it. Those decisions can either strengthen your culture or quietly undermine it.
So the first job of leadership right now is not to become an AI expert. It is to be the person in the room who keeps asking how you’re implementing AI in a way that reinforces your values. When your values are clear and people know the basis for decisions, it gives them more freedom to explore, innovate, and build.
What You Actually Need to Learn
Right now, it’s important to understand enough to make good decisions and ask good questions. That means knowing what your team is already using AI for, where the vast opportunities are, and where the real risks are, too. Take time to get curious and listen: to your team, your experts, the people experimenting and exploring. Who is asking for resources? Frustrated by the pace of change? Hear what they have to say and make note, find patterns, and gain insights.
Your job is not to become the smartest person in the room about AI. Your job is to be the person who makes sure your organization is using it thoughtfully – being aware of risks but also the expansive opportunities – and helping access resources that enable progress.
Measuring What Matters
One trap we see leaders fall into is treating AI adoption itself as the goal. Usage is not the same as productivity, and productivity is not the same as impact. This is exactly why we built the Paradox Productivity Framework, and it applies directly here.
Real productivity has three dimensions, and AI initiatives should be measured against all three:
- Movement. Is this actually moving us toward our goals? Faster output means nothing if it is not aimed at what matters. Using AI to tackle real business priorities will help prevent wasted resources.
- Usage. Are people actually using these tools to learn, create, innovate, and make better business decisions? More noise isn’t helpful right now if it’s not being applied. (And if it’s not being applied, ask yourself why because there’s a good chance it’s an organizational roadblock and not an AI one).
- Experience. How does this feel for the people doing the work or experiencing the outputs? Are they more capable and more engaged, or more anxious and more disconnected from your organization or team?
Measure all three, together, and measure the adverse impact alongside the positive one. A tool that saves hours but erodes trust or quality is not a win (until that’s fixed). Long-term progress and impact requires sustainable innovation and learning.
Be Disciplined with Your Questions.
With so much uncertainty and change, we’ve found that every question often leads to ten or twenty more questions. In order to avoid the rabbit hole and constant analysis paralysis, we’ve found that identifying and sticking to a few disciplined questions can help your team stay focused on forward progress in a way that’s aligned with your values and strategy.
At Paradox, we’ve identified three questions to help us stay focused, as we implement new AI tools into our daily work:
- How are we continuing to build our own skills, knowledge, and expertise? AI should enhance our expertise, not replace it. We want to continue to be a learning organization and value our team’s ability to ask questions and interpret information. We want to intentionally create and reinforce opportunities to stay thoughtful and inquisitive while using new tools.
- How are we protecting data and information? Trust is critical for us to do our work, and data protection is table stakes for any new tool or process we explore.
- How are we ensuring accuracy and quality in our outputs? We all know it’s easy to believe outputs that look clean and pretty. Quality over quantity every time.
You may identify similar questions for your organization or different ones that are more relevant to your business or priorities. By asking a few questions consistently, the thought pattern becomes part of how your organization operates.
Progress With Purpose
You do not have to have all the answers about AI to lead well right now. You have to be clear about your values, honest about what you are measuring, and disciplined about the questions you keep asking. That is solid ground. That is how you keep your team moving forward without losing yourself, or your culture, in the process.
This is what it means to play the long game and lead in the midst of constant change. Focus on building the organizational culture and operational discipline that will enable your people to continue learning, growing, building, and innovating. Because good for people IS good for business.
Do you want to be intentional about designing your organization for the future? Contact us to learn how we can help.
Emma Browning is the Founder & Managing Director at Paradox Consulting Partners, a management consulting company and Certified B Corporation that aligns talent strategy with business strategy to create high-performing, great places for all to work. She has 20 years of experience designing the processes, structures, and systems that build productive, innovative, and equitable organizations. She has her BA from Wake Forest University and MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. Follow her at linkedin.com/in/emmabrowning.
