I've heard some version of this from senior leaders more times than I can count: "This AI thing is BIG. We need to do something with it."
And then… nothing. No direction. No priorities. Just a room full of people nodding and quietly wondering what that means for their team.
This pattern isn't new. We saw it with the cloud. With mobile. With the internet. Every major technology wave produces a version of this moment where executives feel the urgency without yet having the clarity to act on it. The difference with AI is that the pace is faster, the stakes feel higher, and the gap between "doing something" and doing something strategic has never been more costly.
Technology competency is no longer just IT's job. It's a leadership responsibility across the whole organization.
What Actually Helps
Use AI yourself. You can't lead something you haven't experienced. Spend real time with these tools — not a demo, not a summary from your team. Get hands-on. You'll develop an intuition for both the possibilities and the limitations that no briefing can give you.
Set clear direction. Pick specific areas where AI can move the needle: operational efficiency, customer experience, product innovation. And be equally clear about where it's not the answer. Vague mandates send teams chasing shiny objects and burning cycles on work that doesn't connect to anything.
Have a workforce plan. Who are you hiring? Who are you upskilling? What does "AI-fluent" mean at your organization? Give people permission to experiment — with guardrails that protect privacy and IP — and watch what emerges.
Lead the change visibly. AI adoption is organizational transformation. It requires the same clarity, confidence, and communication as any other major change initiative. If you're not seen engaging with it, neither will your teams.
The leaders who get this right won't be the ones who issued the boldest mandates. They'll be the ones who set direction, built capability, and shaped a culture where thoughtful AI adoption could actually take root.