Three Ways We’ve Spurred AI Adoption in our Professional Services Firm

The Real Constraint: Humans, Not AI

In professional services, we pride ourselves on solving complex problems with smart people. But when it comes to adopting artificial intelligence, the constraint is rarely the technology; it’s us. Research shows that people resist, and sometimes even sabotage, AI initiatives. CIO.com, reported in the Pivot 5 newsletter, released a study revealing that 31% of workers (including 41% of Millennials and Gen Zs) are actively undermining their company’s generative AI rollout.

As I examined my own company, Interview Valet, it became clear: The speed of AI innovation wasn’t holding us back. Moore’s Law would keep doubling the power of AI with or without us.   Our constraint is human adoption. As Greg Alexander of Collective 54 so poetically said, “We can choose to design our future or fight for our past”.

Here are three ways we’ve spurred AI adoption in our team.

1. AI Show & Tell

When we first introduced ChatGPT and AI in early 2023, we added a quarterly “AI spotlight” to our all-hands meeting. Instead of pushing adoption from the top down, we invited each team member to present how they had used AI in their work. The results were telling—those who embraced it leaned in, those resisting it stood out, and those in the middle learned by osmosis.

Two years later, the resisters have largely moved on. The embracers now compete with each other, showing off creative uses. This practice has evolved into a monthly “AI Show & Tell”, complete with prizes for the most innovative applications. We’ve gone from sharing new tools to exploring custom GPTs, workflows, and agents. It reflects one of my core beliefs: What’s ordinary to you is amazing to others.

2. Encourage Experimentation with Tools

We standardized on ChatGPT for collaboration, but we didn’t close the door to other platforms. I want my team to be curious, try things, and bring their findings back to the team. If someone finds a tool that works better for a specific workflow, we license it for them, even if just for a few months. Much like agencies once identified as “Mac shops” or “PC shops,” I don’t want us stuck in dogma. Ferris Bueller warned us about “isms”. We’re building a culture of curiosity. Today’s tool may be tomorrow’s relic, but the willingness to experiment is timeless. As a remote team, every employee gets a generous monthly tech stipend they can use to purchase the tools they need to effectively and efficiently do their job.  That could be a computer, chair, or new AI app. 

3. Our Future is A Players Using AI

We’ve made AI adoption a cultural non-negotiable. Inspired by Verne Harnish (author of Scaling Up) and Shopify’s CEO’s leaked memo, we’ve positioned the use of AI as a job requirement, not a nice-to-have. Our goal is to empower A-players with AI tools. We no longer throw labor at problems. We leverage creativity and tools.

A-players can thrive in this environment and will see their compensation grow substantially. Those unwilling or unable to adapt? They self-select out. Harsh? Perhaps. But I fear this isn’t just about our company’s future, it’s about employability anywhere. The world is moving fast, and standing still is not an option. I believe one’s mindset around AI is what will make them irrelevant far faster than their age, degree, or resume. 

Raising Adults, Not Children

When I first launched Interview Valet, Drew McLellan of Agency Management Institute told me that growing an agency is like raising kids. The goal is not to keep them children but to help them become independent adults. The same is true of AI. As a leader, my job is to raise professionals who can adapt, embrace new tools, and thrive. 

Every Agency has access to the same AI. The difference is not in the technology, it’s in the speed of our adoption and execution. That’s our competitive advantage. Our future belongs to those who create it, not those who fight for the past. The ship is sailing, and I’ve made it clear where it’s headed. The choice is simple: Get on board or be left behind.

Final Thought: I’m the leader of a Podcast Interview Marketing firm, not an AI Agency.  For me, winning in this AI world isn’t about technology, it’s about culture. By fostering curiosity, celebrating early adopters, and setting clear expectations, we can turn what feels threatening into something empowering. In the Navy, we had a phrase, “Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way”. Standing still has never been an option. #EndOfRant