Making AI Stick: Turning Skeptics into Champions
Proteus International
Proteus is a coaching, consulting, and training firm focused uniquely on supporting leaders to get ready and stay ready.
Whether you're introducing new technology at a global organization or just trying to drink more water, we’re wired to resist the unfamiliar, even when the benefits are clear.
One of the most disruptive and unfamiliar forces organizations are facing right now is AI. It's prompting leaders to rethink strategies, redesign processes, and ensure their teams, the people who make it all happen, are part of the journey from the start.
This week, we’re sharing insights to help you navigate it all, reduce resistance to transformative change, and make it stick.
Let’s dive in…
On podcast episode #105: Making AI a Daily Habit in Entertainment, host Marie Holive sits down with Andrey Fadeev, CEO of GDEV, to explore how leaders can overcome resistance to change and drive true transformation —using AI as a powerful case study.
Andrey shares how GDEV, a leading gaming company, is making AI a daily habit to create personalized, innovative experiences at scale, while tackling the biggest barrier to transformation: human inertia.
“People give up after the first attempt. They try AI once, don’t get immediate success, and revert to old ways. The challenge isn’t technical—it’s getting people to change their habits.” - Andrey Fadeev
Top Takeaways from Episode #105:
- Change resistance is human, not technical: The hardest part of AI adoption isn’t building the tools, but shifting mindsets and habits.
- Lead by example: Transformation starts with leaders using new tools themselves to demonstrate impact and possibility.
- Persistence beats perfection: Real transformation is iterative. Success requires trying, failing, learning, and trying again.
- AI amplifies human creativity: At its best, AI isn’t a replacement—it’s a partner that empowers people to create faster and better.
In this unique episode, you’ll experience a true human-AI collaboration: Andrey’s insights are delivered by his AI avatar, while Marie is there as her "real" self. All the answers come directly from Andrey, but the delivery is AI-powered, showing how technology can transform even the way we have conversations. Tune in and see what you think.
Beating the Odds on Organizational Change in the Age of AI
Organizational change is tough, and everyone's seen the stat - 70% of change efforts fail. Well, recent research from Bain & Company (2024) actually shows an even more staggering rate of failure at 88%.
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This is mostly due to employee resistance and a lack of leadership support. As AI transformation accelerates, leaders must navigate both the technical and human sides of change to drive true transformation.
In the blog, you'll learn how to...
- Define the Opportunity: Identify where AI can solve real business problems and create meaningful improvements.
- Envision the Future State: Paint a clear, compelling picture of what your organization will look like with AI fully integrated.
- Build the Change: Engage key stakeholders early in the process to design thoughtful plans and build buy-in for AI adoption.
- Lead the Transition: Support your people through the change with training, clear communication, and reassurance about AI’s role.
- Keep the Change Going: Embed new tools and ways of working that support making the change a daily habit to realize the full benefits of transformation.
Driving real change isn’t just about systems or strategy; it’s about your people. Read our latest blog post to learn how to guide your team through any major shift, including adopting AI, with higher confidence and success.
In Case You Missed It: The New Old: Living with Purpose in Life's Third Act
Last week on podcast episode #104: The New Old: Living with Purpose in Life’s Third Act, host Marie Holive is joined by Erika Andersen, founding partner of Proteus International, leadership expert, and bestselling author. Erika and Marie talked about how growth doesn’t stop with age. In her newest book, The New Old: Crafting Your Best Later Life, Erika offers a roadmap for embracing life’s “third act” with clarity, intention, and joy.
Is Your Leadership Ready for AI-Powered Change?
It's no secret that AI is already a disruptive force, reshaping how we work and lead, and it’s only going to accelerate. Wherever you are on your AI journey, we’re here to help. Explore our Transformation offerings to learn more about how we can partner to:
- Evolve your Vision & Strategy with AI in mind, defining your AI roadmap and how it fits into your broader business and people strategy.
- Design new processes around integrated tools and technologies.
- Support your teams through the transitions and change AI presents.
And for some immediate, practical tips on supporting your team through change, download our Mastering the Art of Change guide.
Reach out if you want to start a conversation.
This is great - I do think it’s very helpful to look at AI as you would any other major organizational change: success will come from helping everyone through their “change arc” about AI. The folks in your org need to be supported to shift from thinking AI is/will be “difficult, costly and weird” to thinking that it could be “easy/doable, rewarding and normal.”