AI Readiness Over Fluency

Job descriptions are currently loaded with AI fluency and tool mastery requirements. That in itself is a conversation (remember people and processes over tools? It still matters for overall, sustained success). Set that tools topic aside for now, and think about the job descriptions you’ve seen or maybe written. AI fluency is not enough to get the job. You as a job candidate or an employer need to understand how to plan, navigate the change process, and scale adoption of AI.

As a job candidate, you want to be the person who can help make an organization ready for AI tools and adoption.

Organization readiness is the main differentiator to AI adoption. Make the time and plan for it.

As a hiring manager, you want to hire the person who understands AI tools, and also understands what is needed for an organization to be ready to adopt AI.

If you’re old enough, you remember the wild west of past technology advances like Agile, maybe even (gulp!) SAFe. Most organizations suffered from the chaos. If you’re too young to remember Agile in the tech industry, you are probably already hearing about wild west AI.

Readiness makes the difference in the success of AI adoption. Preparing for change, leading through it, and then taking specific actions to sustain change will lead to more success than tool knowledge.