I recently had a conversation with the operations manager of a large nonprofit. It wasn’t about which AI tool is best or which platform is trending. It was about something much simpler and, honestly, much more important: why so many teams still struggle to derive real value from AI.
If you’ve spent any time with AI lately, you’ve probably felt the pull. There’s always something new: a new tool, a new feature, a new must-have. It’s exciting and it should be. But there is a model that is worth dwelling on for a moment. Teams first choose the tools and only then try to determine their real place in the work.
It reminds me of buying a new car. You drive it out of the parking lot and it feels great – smooth, fast, everything you hoped for. Then, a week later, you’re on the road and suddenly it feels like everyone else has something newer: a different model, new features, a flashier dashboard. But you don’t stop, you trade in your car on the spot and start again. You enjoy what you’ve chosen, you learn it, you become familiar with it, and you actually use it. When it comes time for something new, you make that decision with intention.
AI should work the same way. If you’re constantly moving on to the next tool, you’re never giving them enough time to actually create value. The value is knowing how to drive the one you’re in.
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The real starting point is when work slows down
Instead of starting with the tool, the most effective place to start is with the work. Start by looking at your day, your team, and your processes through a simple lens. Identify where work is slow, repetitive, or more difficult than it should be. Focus on the moments when time is wasted or momentum fades. It’s on these small points of friction where AI has the biggest impact.
This change seems simple, but it changes everything. AI is no longer something you try to integrate into your workflow. It becomes something that naturally supports and enhances what already exists.
When AI is applied in this way, the changes are noticeable but not overwhelming. Searches that previously took hours can be completed in minutes. Ideas start to flow more easily, rather than getting stuck. Content creation becomes lighter and more manageable. Work moves forward with fewer stops and starts. It’s not just about speed. It’s all about flow.
Once this flow begins, something important follows. People start experimenting more, not because they’re asked to, but because it finally seems easy enough to try. The obstacle to starting falls and with it, the hesitation.
Momentum creates one workflow at a time
The teams that see the most impact from AI aren’t trying to do everything at once. They focus on one workflow at a time – something familiar or something their team already understands. They identify the moments that slow things down and introduce AI into that specific part of the process. Not to replace everything and not to reinvent the wheel, but to make this step easier. From there, they test, learn, adjust and grow.
There is also an important balance to maintain. AI works best when it is combined with, not separated from, human judgment. The goal is not to give up everything. It’s about creating a rhythm where AI supports the work and people guide it. Think of it less like autopilot and more like power steering. You still drive. It seems much smoother.
One of the most common misconceptions about AI is that you need to fully understand it before you can use it. You don’t need technical training or a comprehensive transformation plan. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You just need a starting point. A workflow, task, or time in your day where something can be made easier or more efficient.
The organizations that get the most out of AI won’t be the ones that use the most tools. They will be the ones using AI in the right places. Do not look for what is new, but improve what already exists.
Once you see things this way, AI stops looking like something you have to keep up with and starts looking like something you can actually use. That’s when the real momentum begins.
