Why Your AI Rollout Is Already in Trouble

Rolling out AI at your company shouldn’t feel like chaos, but for most teams, it does. Not because the tech is broken, but because leadership isn’t aligned on the why. I’ve seen it firsthand with clients and in conversations with peers. Employees are overwhelmed, unsure what’s allowed, and scared AI will replace them.

Without clarity from the top, even the best tools won’t land.
This episode of Revenue Rewired breaks it all down, and the blog goes deeper.

🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or YouTube.

Stats say 75% of AI efforts fall short, and it's not because of the tech.

“If your leadership team isn’t aligned on why you’re using AI, your employees will never trust how you’re using it.”

That stat, 75% of AI projects fail, isn’t a tech issue. It’s a leadership one.

At StringCan, I’ve seen otherwise strong teams stall out because they didn’t start with alignment. I’ve had clients freeze their rollout because employees were terrified AI would replace them. One even told me, “We don’t even know what we’re allowed to use.” That’s not a tech barrier. That’s a communication breakdown.

Start With Mindset, Not Software

Most companies chase the AI buzz before they’ve clarified the goal. “Use ChatGPT” becomes the strategy.

But the episode walks through what actually works.

“AI fails when leadership doesn’t lead.”

We didn’t just dump tools on our team; we created a plan, got clear on why we were using AI, and built it into the rhythm of our company. We even made it fun (yes, really). That’s what got our team excited instead of anxious.

The 5 Steps That Made AI Work for Our Team

1. Align at the Top
   Decide together, what’s the point of using AI? Is it to save time? Boost margins? Kill busywork? If leadership can’t answer this, the team won’t trust the move.
   
   
2. Write a Policy and Use It
   Boring? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely. Your team needs clarity. Your clients need reassurance. And yes, ChatGPT can help you write it.
   
   
3. Make It Fun
   We launched monthly 30-minute AI share-outs. Team members brought one tip, tool, or use case, and competed for prizes. It turned AI fear into curiosity.
   
   
4. Use What You’ve Got
   Chances are, your current tools already have AI built in. ClickUp, Grammarly, Zoom, even Google Workspace. Don’t overthink it, start there.
   
   
5. Keep Your Brain On
   AI is helpful. It’s also prone to wild mistakes. I almost sent Jay a budget that was $10K over because I trusted ChatGPT’s math. Don’t do that. Review everything.

Bonus: Start organizing your data and SOPs now. Your future internal AI tools will depend on it. Check out our easy AI SOP process here!

Are You Leading, or Just Hoping?

If you're not actively guiding your team through the AI rollout, you're leaving them to navigate it in the dark. That’s not leadership.

Ask yourself:

• Have we agreed on why we’re using AI?
  
  
• Do my employees know what’s allowed?
  
  
• Am I setting the tone, or expecting them to “figure it out”?
  
  

Rolling out AI is less about tech and more about trust, clarity, and consistency. If your org needs a hand aligning leadership or building a rollout that sticks, StringCan can help.

Shoot us a note or check out how we support alignment and execution at StringCan Interactive. Let’s talk.