I received an e-mail from Harward Business Review this morning, saying:

"AI strategy is now part of every leader’s job
AI is part of nearly every leadership decision, from major strategic decisions to how everyday work gets done. Getting it right takes a clear strategy, real fluency with the tools and a team that's actually using them. Not many leaders have all three at once."

I agree, it's a combination of strategic decisions and everyday work. Two things that doesn't necessarily keep equal pace... On that note I want to highlight this part: "a team that's actually using them."

Because what does it actually take for a team to use new tools?

Change comes with feelings. Emotions. Reactions. It doesn't matter what kind of change we are talking about. Change creates reactions by default.

When I speak to leaders in healthcare, they describe the emotions that arise from changing the purpose of a single room in a hospital. When I speak to change leaders in industrial companies, they describe the fear that comes with changing processes as digitalization impacts the way people work. And when I speak to leaders and senior engineers in the tech industry, they describe how the buzz around AI is completely different from how it actually works in day-to-day work.

Three completely different contexts. Three different perspectives. They have very little in common except for one thing: how difficult it is for people to adapt to change. Because people fear change. And changing behaviours is hard.

In general, people fear change. Of course, some are early adopters. But most people are not.

Another email this morning (while writing this article) came from Mindtools, said the following:

"Psychological safety - what is it and why does it matter? Psychological safety exists when people can speak up at work, share ideas, raise concerns and admit mistakes without fear of blame or negative consequences. It's a key driver of trust, wellbeing and strong performance."

This is the part I really miss in the discussion about implementing and adopting AI tools.

I don't believe a team will fully use these tools without psychological safety being in place. And if that is true, no organization will see the real value from investing in expensive AI tools, combined with highly skilled and highly paid employees, if the people using those tools don't feel psychologically safe in their team.

Google's Project Aristotle showed years ago that psychological safety is the single most important factor behind high-performing teams. More important than seniority, experience or knowledge.

High-performing teams are the teams that create innovation. AI tools are becoming essential for innovation.

So what should we focus on right now?

Creating the psychologically safe environments that allow both humans and machines to reach their full potential.