I had a conversation recently with the head of a large non-profit. It wasn’t about which AI tool was the best or which platform was trending. It was about something very simple and, frankly, very important: why so many teams are still struggling to find real value in AI.
If you’ve spent any time around AI lately, you’ve probably felt the pull. There’s always something new — a new tool, a new feature, a new thing to try. It’s fun and it should be. But there is a pattern that deserves pause. Teams pick up tools first and try to figure out where they fit into the work.
It reminds me of buying a new car. You pull it out of place and it feels great – smooth, fast, everything you’d hoped it would be. Then a week later, you’re on the road and suddenly it’s like everyone has something new — a different model, new features, a flashy dashboard. But you don’t tow, trade in your car right there and start over. You enjoy your choice, read it, get comfortable with it and actually use it. When it’s time for something new, you make that decision with intention.
AI should work the same way. If you keep jumping to the next tool, you never give any of them enough time to create value. The value is in knowing how to drive the one you are in.
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The real start is when the work slows down
Instead of starting with a tool, the most effective place to start is work. Start by looking at your day, your team and your processes using a simple lens. Identify when work is slower, more repetitive or more difficult than it needs to be. Focus on moments where time is lost or momentum fades. Those small points of friction are where AI delivers its greatest impact.
This change sounds simple, but it changes everything. AI is no longer something you try to incorporate into your workflow. It becomes something that naturally supports and enhances what is already there.
When AI is used in this way, the changes are noticeable but not incremental. Research that used to take hours can be done in minutes. Ideas begin to flow more easily, rather than being stuck. Content creation becomes easier and more manageable. The work is progressing in small stops and starts. It’s not just about speed. It’s about flow.
Once that flow begins, something important follows. People start trying more – not because they’re told to, but because it finally feels easy enough to try. The barrier to implementation is coming down and with it, doubt.
Momentum builds one workflow at a time
Teams that see the biggest impact of AI aren’t trying to do everything at once. They focus on one workflow at a time – something familiar or something their team already understands. They identify the moments that slow things down and introduce AI into that particular part of the process. Not to reinvent everything and not to reinvent the wheel, but to make that one step easier. From there, they explore, learn, adjust and expand.
There is also an important balance to be maintained. AI works best when paired with human judgment, not isolated from it. The goal is not to give everything away. It’s about creating a rhythm where AI supports the work and humans direct it. Think of it a bit like automatic driving and more like power steering. He’s still driving. It feels very smooth.
One of the biggest misconceptions about AI is that you need to fully understand it before you can use it. You don’t need a technical background or a complete change plan. There is no need to find it perfect. You just need a place to start. A workflow, task or moment in your day where there is an opportunity to make something easier or more efficient.
The organizations that benefit the most from AI will not be the ones that use the most tools. They will be the ones who use AI in the right places. Not a new rush, but an improvement on an existing one.
When you see it that way, AI stops feeling like something you have to comply with and starts feeling like something you can actually use. This is where the real momentum begins.
