Fit For the Future

AI is already here, but many organisations are holding back to ensure safe, ethical, and responsible use. That's fair enough, but what are you doing in the meantime to get your people comfortable, confident, and optimistic about using it? Be proactive, so your people are ready when you're ready.https://swiy.co/go-ai-early-adoptionMany organisations are holding back on letting their people loose on AI – and sometimes for good reasons. They want their people to use it, but are still planning on how they can use it safely, ethically, and responsibly.Fair enough.But are you getting your people ready for that point?Let's contrast two healthcare companies.Company A is building their AI policy and strategy before they let their employees start using it. Healthcare is highly regulated, so they need to be careful about it. Also, so much healthcare technology and infrastructure is outdated, so it’s not as simple as just flicking a switch and turning AI on. So they are telling their people to wait.Company B is in a similar situation. They’re also going through the same process to get ready for using AI, but they’re doing something extra: They are investing in some basic AI training for all their people, to encourage them to start using AI even before the organisation is ready.Of course, they are warning people not to use AI on confidential and private information (such as patient data!). But they are encouraging them to learn how to use AI for other things – such as:* planning a six-year-old’s birthday party* finding out more about a travel destination* having a difficult conversation with a manager* (for a manager) having a difficult conversation with a team memberBoth approaches can work, but Company B’s approach is better. When the organisation is ready for AI, their people are also ready – and with a positive attitude.Unfortunately, most of the media news about AI is negative: AI is going to destroy jobs, destroy humanity, it’s bad for education, and so on. By the time Company A shows their how to use AI professionally, they might be fighting an uphill battle. But Company B is helping people add value to their own lives and get ready for AI.So, what are YOU doing to get your people ready for AI?Are you doing basic education to get people to that base level?I’m always surprised when I run presentations for clients and their general staff about using AI that many people still have never used a tool like ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot.They don’t know what they don’t know.And they don’t know what’s possible.Imagine if you’d never used Google and were still doing all your research at the library. Then somebody showed you Google – it would be mind-blowing!Many people find the same with AI. There are AI tools at their fingertips, but they’ve never used them because they didn’t realise what was possible.I’m running a free public online presentation soon about putting AI into action. I’ll talk about three ways you as a leader and an organisation can do that, and one of them is to get this base level of awareness. If you’re interested, register and invite other leaders in your team as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-ai-early-adoption

If you're not already using AI actively in your team, it's time to take the leap. Don't wait until you have the perfect strategy and policy. Take small steps now to get quick wins, then move to small-scale projects, and eventually tackle the big initiatives.https://swiy.co/go-take-the-leapI was in Sydney last week, speaking at an international conference about thinking like a futurist.Of course, the topic of AI came up, as it always does. After my presentation, one of the attendees asked me,"In terms of AI globally, how ready is Australia for AI? How advanced are we as a country?"There are two parts to the answer.The first is that, on a global scale, we're not really doing that well. One report puts Australia at #31 in AI readiness - behind Malaysia, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Belarus.But the second part is that this doesn’t really matter! Instead of asking how ready Australia is for AI, a better question is,"How ready are YOU for AI?"For most organisations, our national readiness for AI isn't relevant. We're ready enough as a country. The real question is, what are YOU doing in your team or organisation to be ready for AI? Most of the practical things you can do with AI, you can start right now.There are three ways to take the leap:1. Quick wins you can achieve immediately2. Small-scale projects you can implement in a few months3. Bigger projects that need more dedicated time and resourcesSo, how ready are you for AI?For more, join my free public online presentation where we'll be looking at putting AI into action at these three levels. You'll find the link to register here, and please invite others in your team and network.And if you’d like to talk about putting these ideas into action, I'd love to have a conversation with you as well.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-take-the-leap

There are two quick and easy ways to get value from AI: boosting your productivity and enhancing your creativity. AI can efficiently handle repetitive tasks, freeing up time for more strategic work. It can also spark creativity by giving you more ideas for you to choose from.https://swiy.co/go-fast-and-looseAre you playing fast and loose with AI?Whenever somebody engages me to speak at their conference about AI, I also include in the presentation package a follow-up online session that shows them how to use AI in a practical way. So they get the high-level strategies at the conference and the practical tools and techniques in this follow-up online session.At one of those recent follow-up sessions, we had covered many practical examples of using AI. Towards the end, one of the participants asked me,“What are the top two things that you use AI for in your business? What are the must-haves that give you the biggest leverage and value?”I said,“AI helps me in two big areas: productivity and creativity.”This is what I mean by “fast and loose”.Your first big gain is in your productivity. AI helps with the heavy lifting in many repetitive tasks throughout your day. Regardless of your job or role, AI can boost your productivity and help you get things done faster.The second benefit is creativity. Some people think AI can’t be creative, but that’s simply not true. Tools like ChatGPT can be more creative than I in many situations.For example, do you need- titles for a blog post?- ideas for having a difficult conversation with a team member?- innovative methods to meet a challenging goal?Ask ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or your AI tool of choice for help, and it will give you many things you wouldn’t have considered.You still need to apply your human intelligence to these suggestions, but AI often helps loosen up your thinking and provides new ideas, enhancing your creativity.So, be “fast and loose” with AI: fast for productivity and loose for creativity.Consider these benefits for yourself as a leader and for your team and organisation.For more ideas, join my next online presentation about putting AI into action in your team. I’ll share ideas about using AI to be more productive, more creative, and to enhance your customer experience.Register for the virtual masterclass:https://swiy.co/go-fast-and-loose

As a leader, how are you going with creating change in your team and in your organisation? I've been thinking about change a lot recently because I've been working with many leaders and managers, particularly in the AI space. AI has created a lot of external change, and many teams and leaders are looking at how to build their AI capability. I always say to them,"It's about people first and technology second. You can have all the technology in the world, but unless you get your people on board and build a culture where people are open to change, it's impossible to build that AI capability."The same applies to any other kind of change.I was running a workshop last week with a group of leaders - the executive team and their senior leaders - about building a culture of change. This wasn't specifically about AI, but rather about building a culture of change in their organisation.Many people don't think they are the obstacles to change, but they might be, often unintentionally. There are things they say that contribute to a culture that suppresses change and diminishes innovation, and they don't even realise they're doing it.For example ...As a leader or manager, have you ever said any of these things when somebody suggest an idea?"We tried that once, but it didn't work.""That's not part of your job.""Our customers won't like it.""Senior management won't like it.""Where's the business case for this?"All of these things might be legitimate, and as a leader or a manager, it's part of your responsibility to consider them.But every time you say that, the other person hears, "Yes, but"."Yes, but ... we tried it once, and it didn't work.""Yes, but ... it's not part of your job.""Yes, but ... blah blah blah blah blah."In other words, you're immediately creating an obstacle.The next time, they might try again, and get another "yes, but".If they're persistent, they might try again, and get another "yes, but".And then they give up.If you keep doing it, that spreads through the whole team, and becomes part of your culture."Yes, but" can be one of the biggest obstacles to change in your team.The good news is you can turn this around.Using "yes, but" itself!Here's how.Imagine a situation where somebody suggests an idea, and you're tempted to reply (for example):"We tried that once and it didn't work."Now, say "yes, but" - but to the objection, not the idea.For example,"Yes, but that's when we were a much smaller organisation.""Yes, but that's before the regulations changed.""Yes, but that's when we had a more risk-averse management.""Yes, but that's before we had external investors from outside."See how this works? You find as many reasons as possible why that objection might no longer be valid.Try this now. You don't have to wait for it to actually happen. Think about the times when you've said "Yes, but" and do this exercise to find objections to the objection.The next time you're tempted to immediately object to an idea, you'll be a bit more open to change.Try this yourself by downloading my worksheet about removing obstacles to change. You'll see the ten most common obstacles to change, and you can do this exercise in your head. Download it, share it with other leaders in your team, and maybe even share it with your team members.And if you'd like me to help you build a culture of change in your team, I'd love to have a chat.https://swiy.co/go-yes-but

AI champions are the new leaders in today's digital world. Find them, support them, and give them the right tools and resources to help them lead and transform how we work.https://swiy.co/go-your-ai-championsI was in Melbourne recently, speaking at a conference of executive assistants and personal assistants about embracing the digital revolution. When my client booked me last year, it was very much about all things digital - and now AI has taken centre stage.Whenever I speak to leadership groups, I ask them,"Who are the AI champions in your team?"In other words, who are the people who are keen, enthusiastic, excited about AI, and can lead AI in their team?But for this group of EAs and PAs, it's slightly different. For this group, I said to them,"I want YOU to be the AI champions in your team."Executive assistants and personal assistants are digitally savvy already. They are very good with technology, and many of the quick wins with AI come from boosting productivity with emails, spreadsheets, presentations, and managing calendars – all the things they do daily.They are also perfectly placed to assess and refine the use of AI in these tasks – for example:* They know what good writing looks like, so they can spot and correct weird AI output.* They know how to write in a specific style and tone.* They know how to extract and summarise long reports and emails, so they can evaluate how well AI does those tasks.So, when they start using AI, they'll get quick productivity gains and also become the go-to person around AI.What about you?Are you someone in a team who'd like to be an AI champion, or are you a leader looking for AI champions in your team?Either way, to fast-track your AI progress, identify and support those AI champions.Download my worksheet about AI champions, which shows you how to identify and support them.If you want to be an AI champion, use this checklist to promote yourself as an AI champion for your team. And if you are a leader looking for AI champions, use it to identify and support them on their journey.Download the worksheet:https://swiy.co/go-your-ai-champions

To drive innovation and build AI skills, find and support AI champions in your team. These enthusiastic team members are already using AI themselves, can teach and inspire others, and will lead the way in building your AI capability. Your job is to identify them, support them, and remove obstacles in their way.https://swiy.co/go-championing-aiWho are the AI champions in your team and in your organisation? The best way to build AI capability in your organisation is to identify AI champions who will lead your AI initiatives.Whenever clients engage me for an AI keynote presentation at their conference, I also include in the presentation package an online "AI At Work" masterclass for all their staff to help them understand more about using AI. Many people still haven't used tools like ChatGPT, so this gives them a basic understanding of what's possible.I was running this masterclass recently for one of my clients. It was an interactive presentation, where many people asked questions, which I could answer immediately. But what was even more impressive was that other people in the room were answering other people's questions.These were the people who were more advanced than others in the group. They were excited and enthusiastic about AI and had already started using it. Some were even doing it on their own time because they could see its potential. Because they were excited about it, they were racing ahead and were happy to share their expertise and give advice to others in the room.I loved that I didn't have to be the only expert in the room!It was very useful to faciliate that in an online presentation, but you can take that even further. If you're a leader, identify one or two AI champions in your team to lead your AI initiatives. You need to create the space for them and support them, but let them take the lead because - let's face it - they might be better than you anyway! Your job is to clear support them and clear obstacles in their way.If you'd like more help, of course let's talk about how we can work together to engage and empower your AI champions. In the meantime, download my worksheet about AI champions for guidelines on how to identify your AI champions and support them in that role.Download the worksheet:https://swiy.co/go-championing-ai

You don't need to take years and spend millions of dollars to get started with AI. Start with small, self-contained projects that don't need a lot of technical expertise. These projects are effective, practical, create real value for the organisation - and also help people become more confident and comfortable with AI.https://swiy.co/go-ai-projects-todayHow are you going at implementing AI in your teams and in your organisation? The approach you take will make a big difference.Let me give you two contrasting examples.I spoke recently with a senior leader in a large organisation that's keen to implement AI. But they want to do it "properly", so they are spending two years on a massive AI transformation project to build their own AI tool. The catch is, until they’ve built this, - which is two years down the track - they’re not allowing their employees to use AI.Now, we don’t know what AI is going to look like in two years from now, so what they build will almost certainly be obsolete in two years. More importantly, for those two years, their employees don’t get to use and leverage the power of AI right now!There IS a better way.Last week, I was running an online masterclass about AI for a client, showing people how to use AI in their everyday work. Rather than waiting until they do a full AI transformation, they allow people to run small AI projects. Some are about marketing, some about social media, others about productivity and managing calendars, and some about enhancing the customer experience.This is a much better approach for most leaders, teams, and organisations. Let your people run these small, self-contained, safe AI projects that create value, get them comfortable with using AI, and that can then inform your larger AI strategy.The secret to making this work is choosing the right projects. Not everything you want to do with AI can be done in a small self-contained project, but many things can.For some practical examples, download my worksheet about AI projects, share them with your team, and use them to spark ideas for projects you can start - right now - with your people.Download the worksheet:https://swiy.co/go-ai-projects-today

You don't need a huge transformation to get the benefits of AI in your organisation - and in fact, this often gets in the way of making progress. Instead, run small-scale AI projects, which save money, boost productivity, improve well-being, and increase engagement. Plus, they help your team get comfortable with AI, encouraging a culture of innovation.https://swiy.co/go-ai-projectsLet’s talk about two contrasting ways to use and implement AI. Both approaches have benefits, and both can work, but one of them is easier for most leaders, especially if you’re not leading an IT department or a very technical group of people.The first approach is what the giant consulting firm PwC does. They have taken the AI transformation approach - and fully committed to it. They have invested a billion dollars in their AI transformation, with a big investment into technology, including building their own version of ChatGPT called ChatPwC. It’s also for educating their people, bringing in the necessary skills from outside, and providing mentoring from technical experts to help others in the organisation.This is an excellent approach - if you can afford it!If you have a cool billion dollars at hand, it can be a great strategy. 💰But it’s a big job! 🏋️And unless you commit fully, this can take a long time. For example, a senior leader in another organisation (which shall remain nameless!) told me their transformation process would take two years! And during this time, they won’t allow employees to use AI because it’s seen as unreliable and inaccurate. Even leaving aside the obvious fact that AI will have evolved beyond recognition in two years, the entire organisation is stuck in the meantime, unable to use what’s available now!What if there was a better way? 💡🚀 There is: Running AI projects.Rather than a top-down strategy for the whole organisation, AI projects are small, fast, and driven by individual leaders and managers. These projects take 3-4 months, and generate immediate value in several ways: saving money, making money, saving time, boosting productivity, improving well-being, and increasing engagement. 🌟As a bonus, these small projects also help people get comfortable with AI. Instead of fearing that AI will take their jobs, they see how it can enhance their work. This builds confidence and a mindset of using AI regularly in their roles. 🤝So, we have two contrasting approaches: AI transformation and AI projects. The transformation approach might be "better", but it takes longer - much longer. Starting with small-scale AI projects quickly generates value and helps teams get comfortable with AI. That’s the approach I’m using with my clients, and they are seeing success - fast! 🏆The first key to success is picking the right projects. Not everything can be done in a 90-day project, so choose projects that add value and are manageable by non-technical teams. For example, with one recent client, our first workshop started with about 150 projects, and the teams narrowed that down to just six! 🎯If you need help running these projects, feel free to reach out to me. You can also download the worksheet I’ve provided to help you choose the right projects for your team. Start small, create value, and build a culture of innovation with AI. 📈I’ll see you in the future. 🌐Download the worksheet:https://swiy.co/go-ai-projects

Many organisations are working from the top down to add AI throughout the entire organisation. But, unless you have a lot of money and other resources, that's way too slow. Instead, start doing small AI projects that create value - fast. You get quick wins, see real benefits, and build AI skills for everybody.Find out more:https://swiy.co/go-unlocking-ai