“How do I introduce automation without making my team feel disposable?”
I remember the moment like it was this morning—because, actually, it was.
Monday. 9:08 AM. We’re all half-caffeinated and pretending to care about this quarter’s dashboard metrics when I say it:
“So we’re exploring automation for customer ops.”
Silence. One person nodded too quickly. Someone else cracked a knuckle.
Another scrolled—not discreetly—on their phone.
And that’s when it hit me.
Not the awkwardness, exactly. The dread. That subtle yet heavy shift in the room—like something sacred had just been violated.
Because to them, “automation” doesn’t mean efficiency or optimization or any of the words I’d rehearsed in my little mirror pep talk. It means:
“Are we getting fired?”
The Invisible Earthquake
See, AI… it’s not just a tech thing. It’s a trust thing.
You bring in automation, and it’s like telling your team: “Hey, we found something that does your job faster and cheaper—but, no worries, you’re still valued.”
Which—let’s be honest—sounds like a lie.
Or at best, a half-truth covered in startup-scented Febreze.
Because this isn’t the first time we’ve promised that “new tools will free us.” Remember CRMs? Slack? Those were supposed to save time too. Now we’re all drowning in pings and JIRA tickets and digital noise masquerading as productivity.
So yeah, I get why people side-eye AI announcements like it’s another broken promise.
Humans Aren’t Scalable—and That’s the Point
I had lunch recently (tacos, too spicy, I regret nothing) with one of our analysts—Jess. She’s brilliant. Obsessively meticulous. She told me she’s been losing sleep since we started using GPT-powered summarization for her reports.
Her words:
“What if the AI nails it? Like actually does it better than me?”
I didn’t have an answer. Not a good one.
But here’s the thing: she wasn’t afraid of the tech. She was afraid of being invisible. Replaceable. Forgotten.
And the weird part? So was I.
Not in the same way. But the more we automate, the more we risk flattening the beautiful chaos of human judgment, emotion, imperfection. The nuance. The gray.
We keep saying AI is here to help. But if we don’t show that—if we don’t build that into the rollout itself—our people will assume the worst. Always.
So What The Hell Do We Do?
Honestly? We slow down. Not the tech. The conversation.
Before you automate a single process—hell, before you even pilot a tool—ask yourself:
- Have I told my team why this matters beyond “it’s trending”?
- Have I explained what will change—and what won’t?
- Do they have any say in this—or are we “informing” them post-decision?
Give them a damn seat at the table. Not just after you’ve bought the software, but while you’re choosing it. While it’s still forming. While things are breakable and messy.
Let them poke holes in your plan. Let them be skeptical. Make them part of the awkwardness—not victims of it.
Real Talk: Everyone’s Faking It
Let’s just say what we’re all thinking:
Most of us have no freaking clue what “doing AI right” looks like.
Everyone’s bluffing. Reading half of a LinkedIn post, regurgitating buzzwords like “intelligent workflow orchestration” (seriously, what does that even mean?), and hoping nobody asks too many questions.
I talked to a founder last week—Series B, high burn, beautifully chaotic. She told me:
“I sold the board on automation saving $250K in ops, but the truth is I’m not even sure it’ll save us 25 minutes.”
And that’s the thing. AI might not deliver on every promise.
It’s shiny. It’s seductive. But it’s not a miracle.
At best, it’s a tool—and your people? They’re the damn sculptors.
If you ignore them, you’re just handing a chisel to nobody and hoping art shows up.
Okay, So What Does “Doing It Right” Even Look Like?
Quick hits. Human stuff. Keep it messy:
- Don’t say “upskilling” without a plan. Put your money (and time) where your mouth is. Learning stipends. Course recommendations. Shadowing. Whatever. Just—do something.
- Make AI a team thing. Start with one low-stakes use case and let the team own it. Let them break it. Laugh about it. Make it theirs.
- Share the wins and the flops. Not just, “Hey, our automation saved 120 hours.” But also, “The chatbot called a customer ‘potato’ and we fixed it by Tuesday.”
- Say the uncomfortable stuff out loud.
Like: “We’re not replacing you.”
Or: “We don’t know how this affects your role yet, but you’ll help shape it.”
Or even: “This feels scary, huh?”
Because pretending nothing’s changing is worse than admitting you don’t have all the answers.
Humanity Is the Real OS
I’m tired of AI articles that sound like they were written by AI.
The truth is messier. We’re all caught in this strange, electric middle-ground where we’re afraid to let go of the old stuff—but also terrified not to evolve.
That fear? That tension? It’s real. And it’s also the exact reason we still need humans in the loop.
Not just because they’re empathetic or ethical or more creative than algorithms. But because they’re flawed. Unpredictable. Prone to weird metaphors and strange coffee orders and decisions that don’t make perfect logical sense—but end up working.
Machines optimize. People imagine. Big difference.
So if you’re introducing AI to your business right now? Lead with imagination. Not just infrastructure.
Remind your team they’re not on the chopping block. They’re holding the map.
And if they don’t believe you yet…
maybe that’s the work.
