In my experience implementing lean principles in software and design, there are few more lean-enabling technologies than AI. Do hours of research in a few minutes. Upload a spreadsheet, and ask for insights. Summarize lengthier-than-needed articles. With very little effort and investment, anyone can shave minutes to hours off of everyday work. What's more lean than that?

I had the pleasure last October of hosting a live lab at the LCI Congress, focused on the benefits and adoption of AI tools. After the session a number of people came up and said they definitely wanted to use AI more broadly in their company but felt people are uncomfortable with it; they're just not ready. So how do you get your company using AI to lean up more work?

The best thing you can do right now is simple: build a culture of using AI in everyday work.

AI is bringing a complete paradigm shift in how we engage with knowledge, process information, and interact with machines. It will change our work patterns, processes, coordination, communication, and more. That's a lot of minutes and hours of efficiency improvements. Industries will change. The businesses that will succeed are those which adapt and take advantage of the incredible leverage AI gives us. To get your team moving in the right direction, you need everyone to lean in (pun absolutely intended).

As a software builder, I've seen this challenge first hand. No matter how beneficial a new product might be, adopting it can be a huge hurdle. It's hard to imagine before you start that the benefits that are promised by a new tool will outweigh the effort of change. When you learn to use any new tool, you have to rewire your brain a little.

But AI is not just a new tool, it's a completely new way of thinking. Where software traditionally makes certain actions possible, AI tools are very open and flexible. They're capable of so much more than meets the eye; you just have to try it and let your mind run with it. That is learned over time, through using it. Fortunately, though, AI tools are incredibly easy to learn to get quick wins right away. Yes, AI is less predictable, but it also succeeds in helping beyond our initial expectations. I continue to be surprised when I try something new and it works! There are constant wow moments. We just have to get comfortable with all of that to see through and find ways it can benefit us.

The more understood by people across your organization, the more benefits your business will realize---in the short term and the long term. In the short term, your people will find benefits for smaller tasks, from writing better emails, to generating slide decks, to help for those Excel formulas you can't quite get right, to researching for your next project. In the long term, your team will be in the mode of interacting with AI-first tools and it will speed their ability and interest in adopting new tools and advancements as they come---and they are coming faster and faster.

I've seen this transition to AI-first thinking in software organizations. The most tech-forward people often need more time to get used to it, and the least tech-forward people end up teaching the rest about novel AI applications in their work, unlocking new approaches for everyone. It's a reorientation to what we do every day and where our efforts are needed the most. Ultimately, our goal is for humans to do what we're uniquely capable of. Most of what AI can do now will just free us up to do even more valuable work. And only once we get through the initial discomfort can we make progress toward that goal.

So let's get your team using AI. You don't have to buy a lot of products or spend a ton of time trying things out to get the best one for everyone.

My strong suggestion is to go with one of the major products, like ChatGPT, Claude (my fav), or Gemini, and roll it out to your teams, maybe with a simple intro and a few examples of what you can do with it (e.g. ask for help with an Excel formula or review an email before you hit send to make sure it strikes the right tone). Your people will see great benefits out of the box---it will immediately benefit them in their work---and by using it regularly, they will begin to get it.

Once you get them started, here are a few practices you can use to drive learning and usage:

• Identify and support champions in each department. Chances are, there are people in every department or team who are using AI and/or are excited about it. Find those people and lean on them to drive and share uses within their department.
• Build and share a starter project (more about projects: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini). A project or gem (in Gemini) allows you to create a space with certain information already included for context. So you can create one that includes Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), some info about your company and your department's goals, and more. Then anyone you share that project with can ask questions and start with that context, providing even better answers relevant to your business and role.
• Share threads and encourage others to share threads with their colleagues (more about sharing: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini). It helps spread valuable answers and conversations, and it helps people see how others are using these tools to get their gears going.
• Host a regular AI-at-work meetup where anyone in the company or your division can share with others something they've done recently with AI. (h/t Ryan Lynch at Document Crunch who gave me this idea and ran ours so well!). Biweekly is a great cadence to start, and people really enjoy getting to explore with others in the org. Make sure to record, where permissible, and, of course, share!
• Create an AI-at-work Teams or Slack channel for everyone to share new things they're learning with other enthusiasts.

Getting started will give you quick wins and even jumpstart more advanced uses and process improvements in your organization. The relatively low cost of these tools will pay for themselves quickly (e.g. $20/month can pay for itself in time saved with just a couple of emails drafted per person).

Beyond just getting started

As people get comfortable with it, integrate more knowledge sources and specialized AI-first products into the ecosystem. With familiarity with these core AI tools, they will be open to trying more products and may even begin to lead and champion those themselves. Not everyone's going to lean in, but what you need is enough to lead the charge and help the company get over any aversion and friction.

The world is changing---fast. Enabling your team, and driving immediate adoption of AI is a low-cost investment for the benefits you'll reap now and in the future. There's no reason to wait, and there's no leaner tool to implement right now.