Imagine your company bought everyone a super-powered assistant. This assistant can write emails, find information in seconds, and organize your messy calendar.

But there’s a problem: No one knows how to use it. So it just sits there, costing a lot of money, while everyone keeps working the old, slow way.

This is happening in tons of companies right now with AI tools like Microsoft Copilot. They bought the tool, but people aren’t using it.

And I’ll tell you exactly why…

The Big Mistake Companies Are Making

Most companies are doing these four things wrong:

🚫 They just hand out the tool. It’s like giving someone a new car without giving them the keys or lessons on how to drive. They’re stuck.
🚫 They force people to use it. When your boss says “You MUST use this,” it feels like more work, not less. It makes people not want to even try.
🚫 They assume people will “get it.” They provide no training and hope everyone becomes an expert overnight. It doesn’t work that way.
🚫 They focus only on the tech. They spend all the money on the software itself, but nothing on helping their team learn it.

The bottom line? Buying the tool is the easy part. Getting people to actually use it is the real challenge.

What Successful Companies Do Differently

The companies that are winning with AI don’t just buy it; they help their people fall in love with it. They do five simple things:

• Explain the “Why”: They don’t just say “use this.” They say, “This will save you two hours every Monday on reports,” or “This will help you find that document you need in 5 seconds instead of 30 minutes.”
• Give Real Training: They offer hands-on workshops. They show you, step-by-step, how to do your specific job tasks better with AI.
• Let People Play: They give everyone a “sandbox”a safe place to click around, make mistakes, and learn what the tool can do without the pressure of breaking anything important.
• Talk About Worries: They have honest conversations. They say, “This AI is here to handle the boring parts of your job, not to take your job. We’re investing in you to do more interesting work.”
• Have a Clear Plan: They don’t just flip a switch. They have a step-by-step plan to help everyone get comfortable and succeed.

A Simple 3-Step Plan to Get People Using AI

If your AI tool is gathering dust, here’s a straightforward plan to clean it off and get it working for you.

Step 1: Start with the “Why” (The Motivational Speech)

Before anything else, get people excited.

• Connect to Their Day: Show them how it solves their daily headaches. “Tired of long meetings? This tool can write the summary for you.”

• Show the Personal Benefit: Answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” Frame it as less overtime, less boring work, and more time for the important stuff.

• Be Honest About Fear: Say out loud, “This is not here to replace you. It’s here to make your job easier. Your value isn’t in doing tedious tasks; it’s in your ideas and experience.”

Step 2: Teach the “How” (The Driving Lessons)

Now that they’re interested, teach them how to drive.

• Offer Real Training: Run fun, practical workshops. Show them how to write a simple command (called a “prompt”) to get the AI to draft a customer email or plan a project.

• Use Real Examples: Give people a cheat sheet with commands that work for their specific job. Make it easy to get that first quick win.

• Create “AI Champions”: Find the people who are naturally good at this and let them help their teammates. Learning from a coworker is often less intimidating.

Step 3: Provide the “What” (The Ongoing Support)

Keep the momentum going so people don’t give up.

• Have a Rollout Plan: Start with a small group. Get their feedback, fix the problems, and then slowly bring more people on board.

• Listen to Feedback: Ask people, “What’s working? What’s confusing?” and actually use their answers to make things better.

• Celebrate Small Wins: When someone uses AI to save time or do something cool, shout it out! “Great job, Sarah, for using AI to build that presentation in half the time!” This makes everyone else want to try.

Remember This One Thing

A tool is only as powerful as the person using it.

Your success doesn’t come from having the best AI software. It comes from having a team that knows how to use it to do their best work.

Don’t just buy the tool. Build the skills.