Written By: Frank Saulsbery
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A SNEAK PEEK…
“You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a place to begin.”
You bring up the idea of using AI in your business, maybe in a team meeting, and you get a mix of reactions. A couple of people are excited, a few are quiet, and one or two are clearly thinking, “Here we go… another thing we have to learn.”
If you’ve been in business long enough, you recognize that feeling. Any kind of change, even a good one, can make people uneasy. It is not because your team is resistant, it is because they are busy, comfortable with what works, and a little unsure about what this new thing means for them. That’s a very normal place to be.
The reality is this, AI adoption inside a business is not really a technology problem. It is a people problem first. Most organizations that struggle with AI are not failing because the tools are bad. They struggle because the team never truly adopts it, or they try it once and go right back to old habits.
And that’s why simply “rolling out AI” almost never works. What does tend to work is something far simpler and more human. You create an environment where people can try it, talk about it, and slowly get comfortable with it.
One approach I’ve seen work surprisingly well is a simple 30 day challenge. Nothing complicated, nothing overwhelming. Just one hour a day where your team is encouraged to use AI in their daily work.
Here’s why that works. When people are told they have to change how they work, they tend to resist. But when they are invited to experiment, curiosity starts to take over. And AI, for most people, is learned by doing, not by training.
During that 30 days, something interesting usually happens. At first, people use it cautiously. Then they start discovering small wins. Maybe it helps rewrite an email faster, maybe it summarizes a long document, maybe it gives them a starting point instead of staring at a blank screen. Those small wins build confidence, and confidence turns into adoption.
Another piece that makes a big difference is leadership. Changes inside organizations almost always stick when they are modeled from the top. If the owner or leadership team is using AI openly, talking about it, and sharing where it helped, that carries much more weight than any policy ever will.
Then there is the part many businesses overlook. If you want AI to take hold, you have to talk about it regularly. Short check-ins, quick conversations in meetings, even asking simple questions like, did anyone find a new way to use AI this week? Those moments matter more than formal training sessions.
Some organizations even turn it into a bit of a game. A small reward for the most creative use, or recognition for someone who found a way to save time. It doesn’t have to be anything big. The goal is simply to make it visible and positive.
There is also value in letting people be honest, not every experience will be great. Some tools won’t work the way people expect. That’s okay, in fact, talking about what didn’t work builds just as much trust as talking about what did.
It’s also worth saying this clearly, a 30 day challenge is not a magic solution, it is a starting point. Even the best frameworks for adopting AI emphasize that it is an ongoing process, not a one-time rollout. Businesses that succeed tend to test, learn, and adjust as they go. And depending on your business, some roles may benefit more than others. That’s normal too.
So what does this look like in your world? If your team is hesitant, it likely has less to do with the tools and more to do with comfort and understanding. Giving them space to explore, without pressure, is often the best way forward. At the end of the day, the goal is not to force AI into every task. It is to help your team find where it actually makes their day easier.
So here is a simple question to think about. If your team spent just one hour a day trying AI for the next 30 days, what would they discover that they don’t know today? That question alone is usually worth exploring.
If you’re looking for a next step, don’t overcomplicate it. Pick a start date, explain the idea, and invite your team to try it with you. Then check in once a week and just have a conversation about what they are seeing.
You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a place to begin.
That’s how I see it, anyway, and I’d enjoy hearing how you see it. None of this is a sales pitch. It’s just the kind of thing I’d talk through with you if we were sitting across the table. If it raised a question, or you think I have it wrong, I want to hear about it.
My door is always open. Whether you want to talk this through or just say hello, you can reach me anytime.
Network Solutions Unlimited is a generational managed IT services provider based in Decatur, Illinois, serving businesses and nonprofits with genuine support and decades of trusted relationships. Led by Baily Saulsbery and founded by her father Frank, we're not just your IT provider; we're your neighbors who happen to be really good at technology. Contact us today to experience IT support that actually cares.
