By David Fouse
Part 3 of our AI transformation series
In my previous articles, I’ve shared how AI implementation is fundamentally a communication challenge and explored the scarcity of experienced guides in this rapidly evolving landscape. Today, I want to address what I believe is one of the most critical—and least discussed—aspects of organizational AI transformation: the human challenge that extends beyond learning and integrating new tools.
At Pinkston, in navigating our AI journey, we’ve discovered that the real disruption (or lack thereof) isn’t happening in our software stack or our service delivery processes. It’s happening in the hearts and minds of our people. I suspect we’re not alone.
The Uncomfortable Reality
Here’s what I’m learning that most executives aren’t talking about: AI will impact every part of our business—content creation, video production, research, social media, digital marketing, web & design, and PR. But the technical integration, challenging as it may be, pales in comparison to the human integration.
The reality is that succeeding with AI will require a level of personal engagement and adaptability that most of us have never had to have. Not just the creativity to solve problems differently, but the creativity to reimagine our professional value proposition in real time.
This isn’t just about learning to prompt ChatGPT effectively or figuring out which automation tools to deploy—in some ways, that’s the easy part. This is about confronting a fundamental question that strikes at the core of each of us: If machines can now do much of what I have built my career on, where do I bring value, and what is my deeper contribution meant to be?
A Life of Meaning and Purpose
The most profound challenge we’re facing isn’t a new technology—it’s the threat to meaning and purpose that many of us derive from our work.
For years, we’ve learned to build professional identities around being the person who could conduct the most engaging research, write the most compelling content, garner the best coverage for a client, and drive new business. We find meaning in being indispensable experts.
Now we’re being asked to embrace tools that can replicate much of that expertise—and do it faster and in many ways more effectively than we can.
The psychological impact of being replaced is real. When your sense of worth is tied to work that can increasingly be automated, you don’t just feel threatened by technology—you feel existentially displaced.
Our research has found that comfort with AI tools often outpaces understanding of strategic direction. Put another way, people can learn to use the technology, but the deeper question—”How do I remain valuable in this new landscape?”—creates anxiety and resistance that no amount of technical training can resolve.
The Path from Consumer to Creator
What I’m realizing is that the people who will thrive aren’t those who resist AI or those who blindly embrace it. Rather, it’s those who use AI as a catalyst to discover what they were uniquely designed to contribute—and then lean fully into that calling.
This requires a fundamental shift from being a “manager” and “consumer” to being a creator responsible for what will be. But how do we make this transition practically?
Encourage Stillness. Before rushing to learn new tools or defend old processes, people need an environment that encourages them to know and embrace what energizes them at the deepest level. What work makes you lose track of time? What impact do you feel compelled to create in the world? These aren’t career questions—they’re questions about your fundamental design and purpose.
Promote Experimentation. AI is a laboratory that provides tools to explore possibilities that align with your core purpose and passion. It allows us to do things that we couldn’t before. Get comfortable letting AI handle the mechanical work while you focus on vision, meaning-making, and connection.
Put Contributions in Perspective. True creators don’t just make things for themselves—they serve a larger purpose. When your work connects to a purpose that transcends your individual success, AI is a tool rather than a value replacement.
The Creativity Imperative
This shift requires curiosity and agency in outcomes. Throughout history, those who know their deeper purpose are those who create, change, and impact the world.
The core leadership challenge is how to foster this transformation in work environments that have historically rewarded those who manage processes and tasks, when what’s now required is the creativity and boldness to venture into unknown areas.
Herein lies the leadership challenge: How do you nurture this transformation in an environment where managers and processors have been rewarded, when what’s needed now is the courage to explore uncharted territory?
The answer lies in helping our teams transition to a “stewardship mindset”—understanding that we’ve each been entrusted with unique gifts and a purpose that the world needs. Our job is to use every available tool, including AI, to maximize that contribution.
This means:
- Moving from “knowing the answers” to “knowing the questions”
- Shifting from “protecting process” to “owning outcomes”
- Evolving from “delivering what’s expected” to “creating what’s unprecedented”
The most successful team members in our AI integration won’t be those who master the tools fastest. They’ll be those who use the tools to amplify their unique perspective and pursue the contributions they feel called to make.
The Leadership Imperative
For those of us in leadership positions, this creates an urgent responsibility that goes beyond technology implementation. We need to help our teams discover purpose and meaning that complements rather than competes with artificial intelligence.
But we can’t give people purpose. Purpose isn’t assigned—it’s discovered. What we can do is create the conditions where that discovery becomes possible and support people as they courageously step into it.
The companies that will succeed in the AI era won’t be those with the best technology. They’ll be those who recognize that every person on their team has been designed with unique gifts and perspectives. Successful companies will create environments where those gifts can flourish in service of something meaningful.
If we treat people as nothing more than efficient processors, then automation will replace them, and we shouldn’t expect their enthusiastic support. But if we recognize that each person carries something irreplaceable—a unique combination of experiences, insights, and aspirations—then AI becomes the tool that finally allows them to focus on their highest contribution.
The challenge is not easy, but it’s the challenge of our time. As Dylan Thomas wrote: “Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
