AI Mistakes in Business

Less Hype, More Healing: What AI Really Needs from You

"Salesforce just fired 4,000 people while claiming AI makes them more productive. Math doesn't add up, does it?"

When Regis Haegler posted this on LinkedIn last week, it struck a nerve.

"AI is a tool, not a strategy. Just like firing 4,000 people is a symptom, not a solution."

Brutal? Yes. Wrong? Not at all.

As someone who works daily at the intersection of leadership, strategy, and AI transformation, I’ve seen this play out in boardrooms and leadership teams. The myth is persistent: that AI can save a company from internal misalignment, weak processes, or poor decisions.

It can’t.

YOU CAN'T FIX A BROKEN SYSTEM BY AUTOMATING IT

AI will amplify what already exists. If your workflows are unclear, your teams are siloed, or your customer journey is confusing, AI will make that dysfunction faster, not better.

I often get called into leadership conversations where the question is, "Where do we start with AI?" My answer is always the same: "Start with what’s broken. Not with what’s shiny."

Because no model, no matter how powerful, can compensate for poor leadership habits or an unclear business model. That $3M AI investment Regis mentioned? That’s more common than most admit. Leadership teams are under pressure. And under pressure, many reach for speed, not clarity.

But speed without alignment just makes you fall faster. I’ve seen organizations throw automation at messy handovers, broken CRMs, and non-existent onboarding flows. The result? A louder mess, not a better process.

Before you touch AI, walk your process end to end. Shadow the people doing the work. Ask the questions no dashboard will answer. Is the process working? If not, what would it look like if it were?

You’ll be amazed what people already know—if you make space to listen.

DON’T REPLACE PEOPLE—EMPOWER THEM

The best outcomes I’ve seen come from leaders who understand this principle: AI should lift the ceiling, not fill the cracks.

Give your top people the right tools, and they fly. Use AI to enhance what works—not to patch what’s failing.

One CEO I work with gave her strategic planners access to AI-powered research and synthesis tools. They reclaimed 8 hours per week, then used that time to run scenarios, coach cross-functional teams, and bring more nuance to board-level decisions.

That’s value.

Another client used AI to shorten the prep time for presentation decks. They went from 3 days of number crunching to a few hours of strategic storytelling. But it only worked because the underlying data structure was clean, and the person using the tool knew how to steer it.

On the other hand, I’ve also seen companies try to use generative AI to handle customer interactions without fixing their internal knowledge base. Result: angry customers, overwhelmed teams, and a brand reputation hit.

The pattern is clear: when AI works well, it works because people do.

AI NEEDS HUMAN STRATEGY, NOT JUST DATA

Here’s the hardest truth: AI won’t give you a strategy. It will execute the one you have. And if you don’t have one? You’ll get chaos, wrapped in code.

Leadership in the AI age isn’t about tech literacy alone. It’s about being courageous enough to pause, reflect, and re-align. To ask:

• Are we designing this for speed, or for impact?

• Are we using AI to cover up pain points, or to create leverage for what already works?

• Are we being honest about what’s broken?

I’ve worked with leadership teams who had the courage to say: "Let’s not rush." Not out of fear, but because they wanted to build something durable. They involved their people early, set clear guardrails, and tested new workflows with feedback loops.

That’s not slow. That’s strategic.

“AI doesn’t fix stupid.”

It’s a punchy quote. And a necessary one.

But let’s reframe it: AI doesn’t fix what leadership refuses to see.

It amplifies what’s already there—whether that’s brilliance or blind spots.

SO WHAT DOES WORK?

This is where real transformation starts:

• Fix before you automate.

• Walk the process.

• Map it.

• Feel the friction.

If the engine is broken, a turbocharger won’t help.

• Design AI for your top performers.

• Who are your internal accelerators?

• What would 10x their impact?

Start there. Don’t try to salvage low performers with expensive tools.Lead with clarity.

Your people aren’t asking for more tech. They’re asking for direction, trust, and support. Make sure AI investments free up time to offer that.

Create reflection time.

AI gives speed. Leaders must give space.

Build in moments for questioning, refining, and learning. It’s not just about what AI can do—it’s about what you choose to do with the space it creates.

• Start with small, real-world pilots.

• Choose a narrow workflow.

• Involve the people doing the work.

• Test and iterate.

Don’t launch with fanfare. Launch with humility.

I say this often: You weren’t born to manage chaos. You were born to change the game.

But changing the game requires courage:

• To face what’s broken.

• To empower the people already doing brilliant work.

• To lead AI not as a savior, but as a servant.

Regis Haegler was right to be blunt. So let’s be clear:

You can’t AI your way out of misalignment. You can’t automate your way past a lack of trust. And you definitely can’t fire your way to innovation.

• Start with clarity.

• Lead with intention.

• Use AI where it makes you more human, not just more efficient.

So, what are you trying to AI your way out of? And what would happen if, instead, you started by reclaiming your leadership clarity?

Curious Where You Really Stand with AI?

If this post hit close to home, and you’re wondering whether your business is ready for AI—or just reacting to pressure, it’s time to find out.

Take my AI Readiness Survey: a professional-grade diagnostic I’ve designed to give you clarity on how ready your business truly is, and where to focus next.

You'll uncover where you stand across 7 mission-critical areas—and when you're done, you'll get a free 15-minute debrief call with me. I'll personally walk you through the results, answer questions and suggest you which actions you should take so AI can help you reclaim time for humans and drives measurabe ROI.

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Let’s move from noise to strategy—from reaction to leadership.

Warmly,

Birgit

YourTransformationalAlly

Inspired by Regis Haegler’s post on LinkedIn, Sept 2025. All reflections are grounded in my work with CEOs and leadership teams across sectors navigating the real-world challenges of AI adoption.