I know the demands CEOs face because I am one.
Right now, we’re racing to get the right AI tools into our people’s hands so our organizations can grow.
Here’s what many leaders miss: People don’t change until their leaders do.
We want our people to be agile, innovative, and ready to “meet the moment.” But while we’re looking at them, they’re looking at us—for clarity, confidence, direction, and care.
This is what stalls success. If adoption is slow, it’s not an AI problem. It’s a leadership problem. AI success isn’t only a test of your technology. It’s a test of your leadership.
Employees aren’t lacking tools. They’re lacking trust, clarity, and support. Our survey shows that employees who have received no AI training are enthusiastic about AI if they believe that their leaders will get them trained the right way at the right time. This is all about trust, not training. If people don’t trust their leaders, they feel anxious, unprepared, or left out of decisions that affect them. They worry AI will replace them. That fear doesn’t get solved with software. It gets solved with trust and psychological safety.
So, when CEOs ask me, “Why isn’t AI use translating into real business impact?” I answer their question with more questions:
At the 100 Best, 81% of employees say their workplace is psychologically safe, compared to 56% at typical workplaces. When people feel psychologically safe, they are 44% more likely to feel confident in their leaders, and more than twice as likely to stay.
High-trust leaders don’t hand people AI tools and hope for the best. They lead. They use AI and talk about it. They explain what’s changing and why. They address fear directly. That doesn’t mean promising there won’t be layoffs. If you do, you’ll lose credibility. Layoffs are part of business, and they were long before AI. But they should be the last resort, not the plan.
If your story is “we cut costs,” you’re missing the point. The best protection against layoffs is growth, and AI should help you do that.
The 100 Best leaders focus on what’s effective, not simply efficient—on outcomes, not just usage. Growth, not cuts. Safety, not fear. More humanity, not less. AI is used to make work better for all—not scarier.
When leaders create that environment for every working person, resistance fades. People believe AI will improve their work, their jobs, and their careers. Trust grows, and business performance follows.
Leaders often assume their experience at work mirrors everyone else’s. It doesn’t. The experience worsens as you move down the org chart.
AI is no different. Enthusiasm, encouragement, access, and adoption all drop the further you get from the top.
Executives think they’re communicating clearly about AI. Frontline employees disagree. While 83% of executives say the message is clear, only 37% of frontline workers agree, according to our global survey. Similarly, 81% of executives believe they’re supportive, but only 33% of frontline employees feel encouraged to use AI.
Access tells a similar story. While 82% of executives say their company provides AI tools to help people do their job better, only 48% of frontline managers and 38% of individual contributors say the same.
AI only creates value when it’s used consistently, confidently, and by many people across the organization. Here’s how high-trust leaders close these gaps and make that happen:
Explain what’s changing—and why.
High-trust leaders set clear expectations; share privacy guiderails; and are transparent about what data AI uses, how it’s used, and how it’s protected. They share use cases, wins, and lessons learned from across the organization.
People are more likely to use AI if training is tied directly to their jobs.
Employees with AI training are more than twice as likely to actively use AI in their work compared to those without training, according to our global survey.
At the 100 Best, 85% of employees say training and development furthers them professionally, making innovation opportunities 87% more likely.
AI should support judgment, not replace it. When employees are involved in decisions that impact their work, they adapt faster and are 41% more likely to embrace change.
People are far more likely to try new technology when they feel supported and part of a trusted group. Curiosity turns into confidence, and confidence drives action.
In our global study, 89% of employee resource group members use AI at least once a month, compared to 67% of non-members at typical workplaces.
The best workplaces track and share progress around AI use and confidence.
CEOs love to say challenges are opportunities. They are, but not just for our teams. For us, too.
This moment calls on leaders to build trust, reduce fear, and create confidence.
When people trust their leaders, they trust how AI will be used. And trust that layoffs are a last resort.
In business, the workforce grows, and the workforce shrinks; everyone knows that. What your people really want to know is whether you are doing everything you can to help them grow at your organization, or the next one. Your transparent words and equitable actions will inform them.
Let’s be real and enable people to make the world better with AI.
