Project Failure Files: Letting the Hype Sabotage Credibility
In Episode 87 of the Project Failure Files weekly webcast, Sharon and I talk about how organizations keep falling into the same trap with AI: treating it like a plug-and-play upgrade instead of a behavior change program. The episode frames “instant productivity” as hype-fueled wishful thinking—buy the licenses, flip the switch, watch the charts go up. In reality, meaningful gains require learning, experimentation, and process redesign, and that almost always creates a short-term productivity dip before things improve.
The discussion digs into why leaders misread that dip as failure. Teams are expected to maintain output while learning an entirely new way of working, pilots get measured with shallow or “vanity” metrics, and executive pressure turns innovation into a performance review. That combination creates distorted reporting, premature “this didn’t work” verdicts, and long-term adoption setbacks—especially when organizations confuse purchasing power (licenses) with transformative power (new habits).
The solution theme is simple but not easy: normalize the dip, measure what matters, and invest heavily in training. Set realistic expectations (and timelines), replace speed metrics with decision-quality metrics, and build a structured rollout plan that gives people room to learn and experiment. The episode closes with practical guidance like using a 90-day (or crawl-walk-run) approach: education first, experimentation next, and only then standardization based on what actually works.
Enjoy the episode!
Be sure to tune in next Monday, April 27th at 9am Pacific for the fifth and final episode in our 5-part miniseries, where we’ll discuss how AI adoption isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s an emotional one. Hope you can join us on our NEW YouTube channel (please subscribe!) or find us on LinkedIn.
