The Agency Edge: Turning AIAnxiety Into OrganizationalMomentum

Let's be honest. There's a quiet panic spreading through organizations right now, and it's not about technology. It's about the uncertainty around it. AI is moving fast, the stakes feel high, and for many leaders and their teams, there is REAL fear of being left behind... or worse, the fear of being replaced is very, very real.

And here's what nobody is saying loudly enough: that fear, left unaddressed, is more disruptive than any algorithm.

This emotional contagion can have a domino effect. When leaders panic, teams panic. When teams panic, productivity stalls, decision-making slows (or worse, it’s made too quickly), and profitability takes a hit. That has nothing to do with strategy and everything to do with the state of mind, our perception that we are out of control. The good news? We have more agency at this moment than we think.

Name it to tame it.

If AI anxiety is real, it's contagious, and it is already inside organizations. What can we do right now to equip our executive teams and rising leaders? Acknowledge AI anxiety directly (without dramatizing it) are the ones who stop it from spreading silently through themselves and their teams. You don't need to pretend everything is fine. You need to be the most grounded, compassionate, and confident voice in the room.

If you're an executive or leading a team, start with yourself. The mental preparation and planning for these conversations is just as important if not more so than the words you say. In order to sound like you care, are confident, and have agency, you must feel it before you attempt to communicate it.

What exactly are you feeling? Notice it without judgment. Reclaim your agency on what you do have agency over. For example: “I notice I feel just as worried as my team. It’s ok. What’s most important for me right now that I have control over is: [fill in here]."

Put your oxygen mask on first, then you can assist your team.

Watch my video (above) to get a more in-depth perspective.

Up next time in Part 2: ‘Panic is Data, Not a Directive: Mining Panic for Intelligence and Putting It to Work.’

If I can support you or your team with 1:1 executive coaching, peer advisory mastermind cohorts, or powerful (and highly engaging/fun) speaking events, let’s have a conversation.

To your continued success and cheering you on!
- Sheryl