Hi Reader.

I remember when digital transformation was the big hype. Back then, many of us—including me—thought adapting to new technology was all about learning faster tools and cleaner workflows. Just upgrade the software and move on, right?

The same thing is happening now with the AI revolution. But the more I work with teams leading technical or cultural change, the more I realize: this isn’t a tech problem. It’s a people problem.

The Productivity Myth

There’s a lot of buzz about how AI boosts productivity. Tools that summarize meetings, write code, and draft emails. Tasks that used to take hours now take minutes.

But here’s what most reports won’t say: faster work doesn’t always mean better collaboration. And it definitely doesn’t mean teams are thriving.

A recent Henley Business School study found that while 56% of professionals feel optimistic about AI, 61% feel overwhelmed. Why? Because the tech is moving faster than the support systems. No training, no policies, no roadmap—just a tidal wave of change and a lot of guesswork.

And here’s McKinsey’s take: 90% of employees say they use AI in some way. But only 13% say their companies are early adopters.

The Real Gap

What I’ve learned—and what I spoke about in the Unfiltered with Georgii Speakman podcast—is that most teams don’t fail because they lack the right tools. They fail because they haven’t built the right habits.

. Watch the podcast

You can drop ChatGPT into a team. But if that team doesn’t know how to experiment, learn from each other, or integrate new tools into real workflows? You just automate bad habits—at scale.

The smartest organizations treat AI adoption like gardening, not construction. They don’t micromanage every step—they look for where innovation is already happening and help it grow. As McKinsey puts it, leaders should “nurture the growth that you see,” instead of imposing rigid plans that quickly become outdated.

The Three Skills Teams Actually Need

To stay relevant in the AI era, teams don’t need to become tech experts. They need the right habits around learning, collaboration, and connection.

The pace of AI isn’t slowing down. Teams that wait for formal training will fall behind. What’s needed is a culture of microlearning—quick experiments, peer knowledge sharing, and the willingness to try, fail, and try again.

The British Council ranks learning agility as a top skill in the AI era. I agree. The best teams I’ve seen don’t panic—they prototype.

Working with AI doesn’t mean handing over control. It means knowing when to trust the output—and when to ask better questions. Great teams use AI to move faster, but they still bring human judgment, ethics, and context.

They see AI as a co-pilot, not a replacement.

Here’s the twist: as AI gets better at logic and language, people skills become more valuable—not less. Thriving teams lean into empathy, communication, and trust.

AI can analyze tone—but it can’t build relationships. And that’s still what moves business forward.

Get these three right, and AI stops feeling like a threat. It becomes a multiplier.

TL;DR

We’re entering a workplace where your ability to collaborate—with teammates and with AI—will define your impact. The best teams won’t just learn new tools.

They’ll learn how to learn, together.

This isn’t a secret. But it works.

So here’s my challenge for the week:

Look at your team. Not the tools—the people.

Are you building a culture that’s ready to adapt, experiment, and grow?

Because in this era, that’s the real competitive edge.

See you next Thursday.
​Daria

P.S. Want to dive deeper? Check out the book I co-authored and this podcast, where I share the three core skills teams need to navigate the AI era.

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