Every week, I hear the same story from another executive. Their company just bought an AI tool that promises to revolutionize everything. Three months later, they're wondering why their team isn’t making much progress and they aren’t seeing any return on the investment they’ve made in AI tools and training.
I wonder if that situation sounds familiar.
The problem isn't the technology. It's how we're thinking about it.
AI isn't a magic wand that transforms struggling managers into leadership superstars. If you're already having trouble connecting with your team or making good decisions, adding AI to the mix won't suddenly make you effective. Think of it like this: a great actor can take an average script and make it brilliant, but an average actor with an average script still delivers an average performance.
The real opportunity lies in using AI to amplify what you're already doing well as a leader. Unfortunately, many organizations aren’t doing such a great job implementing AI into the workplace.
The biggest mistake I see leaders make is thinking that AI can automagically take over processes with 99.95% accuracy.
In 2023 Taco Bell started installing voice AI ordering systems in 500 US drive-thrus with the goal of increasing speed and accuracy while reducing human workload. Instead, the AI system could be tricked into absurd scenarios (e.g., ordering 18,000 cups of water), was unable to handle changes to standard menu items, and didn’t recognize Mountain Dew as a drink, continuing to badger the customer on their drink order. Employees spent more time cleaning up botched orders than just taking them in the first place. The CTO suggested that maybe drive-thru AI isn’t the right solution.
McDonald’s has also stopped using AI for order-taking after mistakes turned ice cream cones into “bacon sundaes.” Wendy’s and White
Castle are still testing AI-ordering, but they’re hitting many of the same bumps.
It seems that the lesson learned here is that AI can’t replace human thinking.
Here's the thing: AI isn’t going to replace the need for humans to be human.
The press and many tech executives have been relentlessly touting the benefits of AI tools for months. Organizations have been jumping on the AI bandwagon and declaring their commitment to its use, only to hit roadblocks.
Some of the common mistakes made include:
Research by MIT found that 95% of enterprise AI initiatives deliver zero ROI, even after billions of dollars have been invested in generative AI pilots. According to McKinsey and Stanford, despite dramatic increases in AI usage (78% of companies deployed AI in 2024 vs, 55% in 2023), financial returns remain elusive. Only 1% of companies have successfully scaled AI for real impact, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Companies may spend millions (or billions) of dollars on AI only with little to show for it.
Employees become frustrated when they are handed a mandate to implement AI with little guidance and insufficient training.
With all the AI hype, employees may be afraid they’ll lose their jobs and undermine the effort. Resistance is high and progress is slow.
Some AI tools “learn” by sharing information, including the sensitive company information that was inadvertently input when using AI to help solve a problem or make a decision.
Without a clear understanding of how to successfully introduce and implement AI into the workplace, millions of dollars may be wasted, employees become frustrated and/or resistant, and sensitive information may accidentally be put out into the ethos.
Some smart leaders have been working with me on generative AI tools for a while now, with a focus on effectively leveraging AI into their everyday work. What worked best? A combination of hands-on training and consulting to leaders on how to use AI to scale their impact using the concepts in my book, Practical Leadership.
Remember, AI can be used as a powerful tool to support people when used correctly - not substitute for them.
You’d probably be surprised how many leadership use cases there are where AI can play a significant role in producing higher quality results faster. Let’s look at three ways AI can help leaders be more effective and efficient.
AI can serve as a valuable sounding board. Maybe you’re interested in delegating some of your work to team members for growth and development opportunities. AI is a great way to provide ideas on how and what to delegate, who to delegate to based on skills and career goals, and training to consider.
Perhaps you’re thinking about a few options before making a decision. Use an AI tool and have it poke holes in your logic, play devil's advocate, or provide pros and cons of each option.
This isn't about letting AI make decisions for you, but about stress-testing your thinking before going public. Sure, you’re likely to get responses that don’t fit what you’re looking for. It’s your job to review AI output to see what’s helpful and discard what isn’t.
Some teams struggle with productive conflict. They either avoid disagreement entirely or let discussions get personal. AI can help here too.
Present your team's preferred option to an AI tool and ask it to argue against the decision. This creates task-focused conflict without anyone having to be the permanent pessimist.
No one likes to have difficult conversations? Use AI and communication frameworks to help structure that hard conversation you’ve been avoiding or putting off. Use AI to role play so you can practice different scenarios and reactions and maintain professionalism and positive outcomes.
Many of the leaders I work with tell me this is where AI actually becomes useful. Most managers spend way too much time writing status reports and hunting down information that should be easily accessible.
AI note-taking tools can transform your meetings from information black holes into searchable databases. Instead of asking someone to frantically scribble notes while trying to participate, let the AI capture key decisions, action items, and context. When new team members join, they can quickly understand what happened in meetings before they arrived.
One CEO I talked with recently ran his employee engagement survey comments through AI. Instead of waiting weeks for a consultant to create a polished presentation, he got clear insights in a few minutes. The AI identified exactly what employees loved about the company and what frustrated them most. No sugarcoating, no delays, just honest feedback he could act on immediately.
This kind of practical application saves time without replacing human judgment. You still need to decide what to do with the insights, but you get them faster and without the usual corporate filter.
One of the toughest challenges leaders face is clear, consistent communication. Whether it’s writing executive updates, giving feedback, or preparing for difficult conversations, words matter. Yet many leaders spend hours polishing emails or slides that still miss the mark.
This is where AI can give you a major edge. AI tools can help you refine your tone, simplify complex technical information, or restructure a message so it resonates with your audience. You can use AI to generate multiple phrasing options, test for clarity, and even role-play likely responses from the employee so you’re prepared for the conversation.
The same applies to executive communications. Instead of staring at a blank page before your next executive update, feed AI your key points and ask it to suggest formats: a crisp one-pager, a compelling story arc, or a visual outline for slides. You still provide the direction, but AI accelerates the process and makes sure your message lands the way you intend.
When leaders use AI thoughtfully, it becomes less about saving time and more about amplifying impact. Strong communication builds trust, aligns teams, and inspires action - and AI can help you do that at a higher level.
AI will continue advancing whether we embrace it or resist it. The leaders who learn to use it thoughtfully, as described in frameworks like those in "Practical Leadership," will outpace those who either ignore it completely or implement it without considering the human impact.
The goal isn't to replace human connection with algorithmic efficiency. It's to handle routine tasks more effectively so you can spend more time on what actually makes teams successful. Building trust, providing clear direction, developing people, and creating environments where everyone can do their best work.
If you have leadership flaws, AI isn’t going to fix that. In fact, it may amplify bad traits even more. But, if you want to learn how to be a great leader, AI can help you accelerate that journey.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, I’ve developed a four-hour, hands-on workshop to teach leaders how to write better prompts for over 20 use cases, such as the ones above, difficult conversations, coaching, strategic planning, interviewing, expectation setting, and executive communications, to name a few.
I will be offering the Practical AI Uses for Leaders Workshop in January, 2026. If you’d like to jump the line to get information, send me a direct message on LinkedIn or email me at janet@janetply.com.
You are fluent in using AI tools as part of your daily work. You synthesize lengthy reports and huge volumes of data into useful information that you can use for decision-making with reusable prompts and prompt frameworks.
AI is your thinking partner to help you think in unbiased ways and suggest ideas that you haven’t considered before.
You organize and prepare your presentations quickly by using structured, reusable AI prompts.
You find that you’re able to do your work faster, be more creative, and produce higher quality results.
That’s not an impossible dream. That’s leadership done right. I can help you get there.
Schedule a free problem-solving call with me at janetply.me.
Connect with me on LinkedIn