Last week we discussed the 4 seasons of Igniting AI in organizations, likening it to growing a garden (awwwww).

This week, we deep-dive on Spring.

Our parents used to tell us when we were kids: “you reap what you sow.” In the world of AI, this couldn’t be more true. Before AI can deliver on its promise, you need to plant the seeds.

That means ensuring that your teams are equipped with both the knowledge and tools they need to explore and leverage AI.

1. Start with Education - Nurture AI Literacy

Education is the first step. This doesn’t mean everyone needs to become a data scientist. However, it does mean that every member of your team, from executives to front-line employees, should understand AI’s potential and how it can be applied to their daily work.

• Start with the Executives: Get them all in a room, for 4 hours of focus time. Show them how things are changing, get them to use the tools, address the risks and pitfalls AND get them to work on ideas they could implement the NEXT day. Their buy-in is crucial, as they set the tone for the rest of the organization.
• Then Go Cross-Functional: Expand down and across. From marketing to HR to finance, every team benefits from understanding how AI can add value to their specific function.

Objective: Develop a mindset where everyone in the organization sees AI as a tool for problem-solving and innovation, not just as a sexy buzzword.

2. Focus on Tangible Examples

One of the best ways to make AI accessible is by showing how it can be used in practical, relatable ways.

• Start Small: Show how AI can improve personal productivity - whether it’s writing emails, analysing documents, or brainstorming ideas.
• Broaden the Vision: Once teams see AI in action on a small scale, expand the scope to more impactful areas - how it can improve efficiency across their value chain, freeing up not only time but resources, energy and brain-power.

Objective: Make AI’s potential feel real by grounding it in examples that resonate with the team’s day-to-day work.

3. Get practical

Education alone isn’t enough — your teams need the right tools to experiment with AI in real-time. This is the stage where your organization should be equipped with access to AI tools that allow for hands-on learning (we've covered my approach to Buy-Build-Borrow in a previous newsletter).

• Make It Interactive: Get your teams involved. For example, hold workshops where they can prompt and apply AI to THEIR daily challenges and their own functions.
• Get Practical: Encourage teams to experiment by using AI tools in everyday tasks. From personal productivity enhancements to little improvements in their functional work, showing AI’s practical use builds confidence and hunger for adoption.

Objective: Inspire teams to think AI-first - where their first instinct when facing a problem is to ask, “How can AI help me solve this?”

Spring is all about laying the groundwork. It’s where you invest in AI education, equip your teams with the right tools, and foster an environment of curiosity and experimentation.

Get this phase right, and you’ll be well on your way to a flourishing AI garden in the seasons to come.

Next up? Summer—the season of action, where we start to see AI use-cases bloom across your organization.

See you next week.

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