I so look forward to this series every week. I'm sure I'll go through withdrawls when it's all over.
I couldn't agree more with your take on this. Being an individual contributor (not an executive, manager or consultant) I live with this "out of sequence" thinking every day. I have lots of tools but have no idea what is expected of me or how I'm expected to work/think/do differently. It's been this way at multiple organizations. While I don't have a "Heartset" issue personally, I might be unique in that regard. I love what's possible from all things AI, and I also know enough to know that not everyone feels that way.
As I was reading through this, I started thinking about why C-Suite and senior leaders behave this way. You've called it out...starting with Mindset doesn't produce a pretty Claude-contstructed slide for the board that shows results. And I think that's something we need to name as well. I'm betting most C-Suite execs WANT to do this differently and likely agree with your philosophy and structure, but they're afraid of not having anything concrete to show for the next board meeting.
Which leads me to...who's talking to boards of directors...and PE firms...and VC firms? Who is helping them understand that if they truly want results, want to see the investments they make and approve bear fruit...they have to get on board this train as well.
And how many board members are operating from old playbooks, passed down from their predecessors, that no longer have relevance and are asking for results in a timeframe and language that is now extinct (thanks to Covid, AI, etc.). How many of them have recently (<5 years) come from operational roles and sat in seat in the modern era of trying to get all of this work done, strategically, at the speed of AI? Perhaps a "board bootcamp" to reintroduce them into the trenches. Nothing like experiencing it first hand...
I believe there's a reckoning there that I'd love to see you and Jason lead. What's that old saying...the fish stinks from the head? I think we need to consider retooling the PE and VC firms and their mindsets/expectations as well.
Maybe another Substack series for you Jess. :) Keep fighting the good fight!
Jess - I've loved this series, and this edition (unsurprisingly) hit just as hard. A really powerful punch around what needs to flip - e.g. moving toolset to the back of the planning bus, rather than the front-loaded approach most companies are taking. YES. And I'd love to learn more about how leadership teams are reckoning with creating the conditions to enable this.
Part of what I think is missing, is the top-down clarity of true north: leadership teams providing the strategic, longer-term view of where the company is going and why (both with AI, and directionally WHY the company exists). So much of the chaos I observe is in the gap from clarity around the long-view (with clear, frequent communication to support the progress against that view) and the daily operations up and down at all levels, being stuck in the now.
The challenge I see is that teams cannot begin to get curious on what AI means for their goals, their mindset, their heartset... and then skillset, toolset... without a clear and tangible view beyond what needs to be delivered this week or this quarter. The problem compounds, because leadership teams are ALSO stuck in the 'move faster, deliver now' cycle, trying to keep up with board-level mandates, so the conditions to set up the 4SET sequencing can feel elusive at best. The three step 'pattern interruption' check is useful, and there needs to be that moment of reckoning for the leadership team to deploy it. Can't wait for edition #7!
Whenever I did a project, I always wanted to talk with those who would be the ones who actually use the tools. The Executives, Directors, and Managers were OK to discuss what they wanted to achieve, it is always the people who will be using the tools that are not consulted. Unfortunately, they are also the ones who can ensure that the AI applications do not work as well as intended.
When working on Mindset, people need to feel that their comments and concerns are heard, and that those comments will not come back against them. That is why I always would strongly encourage a third-party person to hold these discussions. No management around. Total privacy with what is discovered. Without the assurance of security, the entire process will be a sham.
The executives and Wall Street have undermined the Heartset process. They created the fear by seeing job cuts and price increase of their stock. They did not ever consider the impact on the company. I have, personally, witnesses the degrading of customer service and loyalty do to “knee jerk” AI reactions from executives.
I really liked your discussion on Skillset. AI is a tool and not the answer. I have had AI experiences where the answer being provided did not seem correct. After thinking about the issue more, I realized that my request to AI needed to be worded differently. Sometimes, AI just did not know the fix.
Again, thank you for discussing this topic in a clear and concise manner. You outlined the issues we have all been hearing about AI and discussed how to address them. Loved this post.
Jess,
I so look forward to this series every week. I'm sure I'll go through withdrawls when it's all over.
I couldn't agree more with your take on this. Being an individual contributor (not an executive, manager or consultant) I live with this "out of sequence" thinking every day. I have lots of tools but have no idea what is expected of me or how I'm expected to work/think/do differently. It's been this way at multiple organizations. While I don't have a "Heartset" issue personally, I might be unique in that regard. I love what's possible from all things AI, and I also know enough to know that not everyone feels that way.
As I was reading through this, I started thinking about why C-Suite and senior leaders behave this way. You've called it out...starting with Mindset doesn't produce a pretty Claude-contstructed slide for the board that shows results. And I think that's something we need to name as well. I'm betting most C-Suite execs WANT to do this differently and likely agree with your philosophy and structure, but they're afraid of not having anything concrete to show for the next board meeting.
Which leads me to...who's talking to boards of directors...and PE firms...and VC firms? Who is helping them understand that if they truly want results, want to see the investments they make and approve bear fruit...they have to get on board this train as well.
And how many board members are operating from old playbooks, passed down from their predecessors, that no longer have relevance and are asking for results in a timeframe and language that is now extinct (thanks to Covid, AI, etc.). How many of them have recently (<5 years) come from operational roles and sat in seat in the modern era of trying to get all of this work done, strategically, at the speed of AI? Perhaps a "board bootcamp" to reintroduce them into the trenches. Nothing like experiencing it first hand...
I believe there's a reckoning there that I'd love to see you and Jason lead. What's that old saying...the fish stinks from the head? I think we need to consider retooling the PE and VC firms and their mindsets/expectations as well.
Maybe another Substack series for you Jess. :) Keep fighting the good fight!
Jess - I've loved this series, and this edition (unsurprisingly) hit just as hard. A really powerful punch around what needs to flip - e.g. moving toolset to the back of the planning bus, rather than the front-loaded approach most companies are taking. YES. And I'd love to learn more about how leadership teams are reckoning with creating the conditions to enable this.
Part of what I think is missing, is the top-down clarity of true north: leadership teams providing the strategic, longer-term view of where the company is going and why (both with AI, and directionally WHY the company exists). So much of the chaos I observe is in the gap from clarity around the long-view (with clear, frequent communication to support the progress against that view) and the daily operations up and down at all levels, being stuck in the now.
The challenge I see is that teams cannot begin to get curious on what AI means for their goals, their mindset, their heartset... and then skillset, toolset... without a clear and tangible view beyond what needs to be delivered this week or this quarter. The problem compounds, because leadership teams are ALSO stuck in the 'move faster, deliver now' cycle, trying to keep up with board-level mandates, so the conditions to set up the 4SET sequencing can feel elusive at best. The three step 'pattern interruption' check is useful, and there needs to be that moment of reckoning for the leadership team to deploy it. Can't wait for edition #7!
Jess,
Excellent. This is so spot on and obvious.
Whenever I did a project, I always wanted to talk with those who would be the ones who actually use the tools. The Executives, Directors, and Managers were OK to discuss what they wanted to achieve, it is always the people who will be using the tools that are not consulted. Unfortunately, they are also the ones who can ensure that the AI applications do not work as well as intended.
When working on Mindset, people need to feel that their comments and concerns are heard, and that those comments will not come back against them. That is why I always would strongly encourage a third-party person to hold these discussions. No management around. Total privacy with what is discovered. Without the assurance of security, the entire process will be a sham.
The executives and Wall Street have undermined the Heartset process. They created the fear by seeing job cuts and price increase of their stock. They did not ever consider the impact on the company. I have, personally, witnesses the degrading of customer service and loyalty do to “knee jerk” AI reactions from executives.
I really liked your discussion on Skillset. AI is a tool and not the answer. I have had AI experiences where the answer being provided did not seem correct. After thinking about the issue more, I realized that my request to AI needed to be worded differently. Sometimes, AI just did not know the fix.
Again, thank you for discussing this topic in a clear and concise manner. You outlined the issues we have all been hearing about AI and discussed how to address them. Loved this post.