Something is happening with AI that feels very familiar.
I saw the same pattern during the pandemic: a disruption that upended how we work. I collaborated with leaders as they wrestled with questions like: Do we hardwire remote or hybrid policies now, or experiment our way forward?
When disruption happens, organizations tend to take one of two paths:
Path one: rush to define a “new normal” and lock it in.
Path two: build the capability to continuously adapt, iterate, and evolve.
Post-pandemic, many organizations chose path one. But I’ll happily take this bet: the organizations that will win long-term are the ones that are choosing path two, a culture of continuous adaptation. With AI, yes. But also with how work gets done, how decisions are made, and with disruptions we haven’t even seen yet.
And yet, path one is incredibly tempting.
Confession: Even though my work is all about helping leaders strengthen the muscles to move forward lightly through iteration, as a business owner, I still catch myself wanting to “set it and forget it.” That instinct is so human. It can feel exhausting to be constantly evolving. But the idea of a stable new normal doesn’t hold up in today’s market.
So I recently challenged myself:
What would it look like to reinvent this business with AI at its core? Not just to make it more efficient, but to rethink how it works entirely?
My first light action: I took one day and built a prototype AI companion.
And… it’s useful. And fun. I’ve been using it myself, and when I shared it with a friend (and fellow leader), here’s what he said:
Re-reading his question, it struck me that the opposite of a Light Action might actually be distracted avoidance or perhaps impatient boldness. What do you think?
Back to the nudge I gave myself: There’s more to do, of course. But momentum matters, and it felt good to move forward.
I’m curious:
- What disruption are you navigating right now?
- And what would a genuinely light next action look like?
If you want help building your organization’s capability to move forward through iteration, that’s what Light Actions are about. We’re partnering with two organizations in Q1. Reach out if you’d like to explore whether one of them could be yours.
