The Skills Gap in AI Adoption

It’s not just a technology gap, it’s a human one.

Everywhere I turn right now, leaders are being asked the same questions:

What’s your AI strategy? How are you implementing it? Which tools are you using?

Those questions matter, but underneath them, there’s something else I’m seeing just as clearly in my work with leaders and teams.

Organizations are not struggling with AI adoption only because of the technology itself. They are struggling because of the human skills required to lead through change.

A few months ago, I wrote about how the hardest part of AI isn’t the tools. It’s the human experience of navigating change alongside them. In this article, I’d like to discuss what is driving a gap in successful AI adoption, and then move from awareness to the skills needed to navigate this change.

The Data Is Pointing to a Leadership Gap

Recent research from Gallup shows that global employee engagement has dropped to its lowest level since 2020.Much of that decline is driven by managers: their engagement has dropped sharply, and that affects the entire organization’s health and productivity.

The people responsible for guiding teams through change are feeling less engaged themselves, and that shows up quickly inside businesses. When the manager doesn’t feel equipped to guide, then change starts to feel like something happening to people, rather than something they’re part of shaping.

Despite rising individual use, organizational clarity around AI remains low. Only 37% of employees say their employer has implemented AI to improve productivity or quality, while nearly one-quarter said they simply didn’t know. (Gallup Data on Allwork)

This is a communication and leadership gap, and it’s impacting exactly the way change management research has always predicted it would.According to Prosci research, more than 70% of organizational changes fail to achieve their objectives due to a lack of attention to the human dimension of change. The top reason employees resist? A lack of awareness about the purpose and reason for the change. (Prosci)

AI adoption is not an exception to this pattern. It is a perfect example of it.

We are in the middle of one of the most significant workplace shifts in a generation. As adoption of AI in business grows, employees in organizations implementing AI are also more likely to report disruption and workforce changes. The tools are here.

The question is whether people know how to lead through the change they bring.

The data says: most don’t — yet.

So we have a clear tension as change accelerates, and support and engagement of the people implementing those changes is wavering.

This can be improved by addressing the skills gap in our leadership teams.

What Change Actually Feels Like

People tend to move through a predictable pattern when something new is introduced.

First comes disorientation: confusion, frustration, resistance. Then reorientation. Questions, exploration, sense-making. Eventually, a new normal.

We can’t skip these stages.

But we can influence how supported people feel while they move through them, and that directly impacts how quickly teams adapt.

Awareness Isn’t Enough Anymore

Most leaders already understand that people respond differently to change. Maybe they’ve been introduced to tools like Everything DiSC® to build awareness.

And yet, in real conversations, things still feel hard. That’s because awareness and skill are not the same thing. Awareness helps you recognize what’s happening. Skill determines what you do next.

The Skills Leaders Actually Need

Inside teams, needs and preferences vary.

• Some people need data and time before they move forward.
• Some are energized by possibility and want to act quickly.
• Others are looking for stability and reassurance.

None of these responses are wrong.

But when leaders communicate only from their default style, it creates friction that has nothing to do with the work.

Tools like Everything DiSC® become practical in rapid change situations like AI adoption. DiSC is not meant to label people, but rather offers a framework to adjust your communication and responsiveness within your teams.

The skill is in noticing where someone is in the change process, creating clarity before pushing forward, and communicating in a way that actually lands.

That starts internally. Under pressure, most of us revert to our default methods. We move faster, simplify, or push. Without realizing it, we can increase the very resistance we’re trying to solve. This is where emotional intelligence becomes a skill set.

Despite some people’s perceptions of EI being touchy-feely, it is a set of concrete and learnable skills that allows us to adapt to change in a more successful way.

• The skill of noticing your own reaction before it shapes the conversation.
• The skill of pausing instead of reacting.
• The skill of truly listening to what someone is actually experiencing.

It’s also the ability to communicate clearly in uncertain moments. To name what’s difficult without escalating fear. To bring clarity without overpromising.

Over time, these become trust-building skills. Skills you can practice, learn, and implement.

The Leadership Advantage Moving Forward

The organizations that will lead in the next five years won’t just be the ones that deploy the best AI tools. They’ll be the ones that develop leaders who know how to bring their people along.

Gallup CEO Jon Clifton puts it plainly: “We stand at the edge of a new era of work. With thoughtful leadership and strong, empowered managers, AI can elevate human potential rather than diminish it.”

That elevation doesn’t happen automatically. It requires skill; the kind that can be learned, practiced, and built.

If you’re a leader navigating AI adoption with your team right now, the most important question isn’t which tool to implement. It’s: do I have the skills to lead my people through this?

If you’re ready to explore that question, I’d love to talk.

👉 Join us for an Introduction to Technical & Emotional Readiness for AI Adoption Lunch & Learn, on June 25th, 12-1pm. A free session designed for businesses that want practical tools for managing AI adoption and the human change that comes with it. Open to all. You can sign up here, or DM me if you’d like more information.

Jessi Kirley

Founder & Lead Strategist, JKirley Collective

I’m a servant leader and strategic thought partner, deeply committed to helping leaders and organizations unlock their full potential. I founded JKirley Collective because I believe in creating workplaces that value dignity and drive high performance.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a Business Advisor for Goldman Sachs 10K Small Businesses, as Executive Director of the Family Business Center of Pioneer Valley, and working at the Smith College Conway Center for Entrepreneurship as an entrepreneur in residence (EIR). Every day, I support clients as an Everything DiSC® Authorized Partner, and as an Emotional Intelligence and Certified Burnout Coach.

I’m also a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, a Smith College alum, and an MBA graduate from UMASS Amherst. I live in Western Massachusetts, where I’m raising three incredible young adults and doing work I love with people who want to lead with clarity, courage, and heart.