Don't Stop Believing

Author and speaker Zig Ziglar says, "When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there."

Many companies undergoing digital transformation often stop their efforts after a significant problem arises.

• When facing challenges such as low adoption rates for pilot projects or insufficient executive support, progress often stalls.

Instead, they should continue to push forward like startup founders, who typically operate with limited funding and tight timelines.

• They need to build a solid business case, refine their pitch, and persuade others to join the effort.

• Whether you're a CIO, HR manager, CFO, or department head, you can contribute to the shift from role-based to skills-based work.

• This initiative begins with AI literacy and culminates in strategic transformation.

In every company I founded, we started with a problem and, in our effort to solve it, encountered new issues.

• Making an impact is not easy.

• It requires the ability to continue trying in the face of failure and not give up.

• What we found, and what executives implementing AI in their organizations will find, is that others have done it before you.

• Ask them for advice.

Leveraging the experience of those who have already navigated this path is a key component of strategic leadership.

• Seek out peers in non-competing industries, join professional networks, and attend webinars—not just to listen, but to connect.

• These conversations can provide invaluable insights, highlighting common pitfalls and revealing non-obvious strategies that led to success.

• They can share which metrics mattered most to their boards and how they overcame internal resistance.

• This approach allows you to change your direction by learning from others' detours and dead ends.

Start with training. Launch pilot programs targeting specific, high-impact business problems.

• Measure everything, from efficiency gains to employee sentiment.

• These early successes will serve as the currency you use to build momentum, secure broader executive buy-in, and fund the expansion of your AI initiatives.

The journey to becoming an AI-powered enterprise is a marathon, not a sprint.

• It will test your resolve and demand resilience.

• Obstacles are not signs to stop; they are signals to adapt, learn, and collaborate.

• By remaining committed to the goal of strategic transformation while staying flexible in your approach, you will reach your destination of success.

Go deeper: Want unfiltered advice on how to move forward? Reach out to Todd Moses & Co.