Why 90% of Managers Are Thinking About AI Wrong

I’ve watched dozens of managers approach AI over the past year. Most of them follow the same pattern:

1. Read a headline about AI replacing jobs
2. Feel pressure to “do something about AI”
3. Sign up for ChatGPT
4. Try it once or twice
5. Decide “it’s not that useful for what I do”
6. Go back to doing everything manually

Sound familiar?

The problem isn’t the tools. The problem is how managers are thinking about AI.

The Wrong Way to Think About AI

Mistake #1: Treating AI as a Tech Problem

Most managers hand AI to their IT department. “Figure out how we can use AI” becomes someone else’s project.

This is like handing your calendar to IT and asking them to manage your time better. Time management isn’t a tech problem — it’s a workflow problem. AI is the same.

The fix: AI adoption is a workflow problem, not a technology problem. The managers who benefit most from AI are the ones who examine their daily tasks and ask, “Which of these could an AI assistant handle?”

Mistake #2: Looking for the One Big AI Win

Managers often look for a single transformative use case. They want AI to revolutionize their department in one move.

That almost never happens. The real value of AI is in hundreds of small wins that compound over time.

• 5 minutes saved on every email = 1 hour/week
• Meeting summaries generated automatically = 2 hours/week
• Reports drafted by AI and edited by you = 3 hours/week
• Social media posts created in batches = 2 hours/week

None of these feel revolutionary individually. Together, they free up 8+ hours every week — an entire workday.

The fix: Stop looking for the big bang. Start stacking small efficiencies.

Mistake #3: Comparing Yourself to Tech Companies

“But Netflix uses AI to…” “But Amazon’s AI can…”

You’re not Netflix. You’re not Amazon. Their AI use cases require teams of engineers, millions in data infrastructure, and years of development.

Your AI opportunity is much simpler: use commercially available tools to do your existing work faster and better.

The fix: Focus on tools you can start using today, not on what tech giants do with custom AI.

Mistake #4: Waiting for the “Right” Tool

“I’ll wait for AI to get better.” “I’ll wait until my company picks an AI vendor.” “I’ll wait until there’s a tool specifically for my industry.”

Meanwhile, your competitors are using ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Zapier right now. They’re building AI muscles while you’re reading another “State of AI” report.

The fix: The best AI tool is the one you start using today. Every month you wait is a month of productivity you’ll never get back.

Mistake #5: Thinking AI Will Replace Judgment

Some managers avoid AI because they believe their job is all about judgment, relationships, and experience — things AI can’t replicate.

They’re right that AI can’t replicate those things. But they’re wrong about what this means.

AI doesn’t replace your judgment. It gives you more time and better information to exercise that judgment. A manager who uses AI to draft the first version of a strategy document and then applies their expertise to refine it will always outperform one who spends 4 hours writing from scratch.

The fix: Think of AI as a force multiplier for your existing skills, not a threat to them.

The Right Way to Think About AI

The managers getting the most from AI share a simple mental model:

“AI handles the first 80%. I handle the last 20%.”

This applies to everything:

• Emails: AI drafts, you review and personalize
• Reports: AI structures and fills in data, you add insights and recommendations
• Presentations: AI creates the outline and first draft, you refine the story
• Research: AI gathers and synthesizes, you make the decisions
• Meeting prep: AI summarizes past context, you walk in prepared

The 80% that AI handles is the time-consuming, repetitive part. The 20% you handle is the part that requires your experience, judgment, and relationships — the part you were actually hired for.

The Manager AI Maturity Model

Where do you fall?

Level 1: Aware (Most managers are here)

• You’ve heard about AI tools
• You may have tried ChatGPT once
• You’re not using AI in your daily work

Level 2: Experimenter

• You use ChatGPT occasionally for emails or brainstorming
• You’ve tried 1-2 other AI tools
• AI saves you maybe 1-2 hours per week

Level 3: Practitioner

• AI is part of your daily routine
• You use 3-5 AI tools regularly
• You save 5-10 hours per week
• Your team notices you’re getting more done

Level 4: Leader

• You’ve helped your team adopt AI tools
• You’ve redesigned workflows around AI capabilities
• Your department is measurably more productive
• Leadership sees you as the “AI person” (in a good way)

Level 5: Evangelist

• You’re known across the organization for AI adoption
• You’ve influenced company-wide AI strategy
• Your approach is being replicated by other departments
• You’re invited to speak about AI in professional settings

The jump from Level 1 to Level 3 can happen in 2-4 weeks if you’re intentional about it.

Your 30-Day AI Leadership Plan

Week 1: Personal Adoption

• Sign up for ChatGPT (free is fine)
• Use it for 3 tasks per day: emails, summaries, brainstorming
• Track time saved in a simple spreadsheet

Week 2: Expand Your Toolkit

• Add one more tool based on your biggest time sink
• Lots of meetings? → Otter.ai
• Lots of research? → Perplexity AI
• Lots of repetitive tasks? → Zapier

Week 3: Share With Your Team

• Show your team one AI technique in your next team meeting
• Live-demo a task: “Watch me draft this client email in 30 seconds”
• Share your time-saved numbers

Week 4: Formalize It

• Create a short list of “recommended AI tools” for your team
• Set up a team Slack channel for sharing AI tips
• Propose an AI pilot project to your leadership

By the end of 30 days, you’ll have moved from Level 1 to Level 3, and you’ll be on your way to becoming the AI leader in your organization.

The Competitive Reality

This isn’t about being a tech enthusiast. This is about professional survival.

McKinsey estimates that 60-70% of work activities could be automated or augmented with current AI technology. Not future technology. Current technology.

The managers who learn to work with AI will:

• Get more done in less time
• Make better-informed decisions
• Be seen as innovative leaders
• Advance faster in their careers

The managers who don’t will:

• Fall behind in productivity
• Lose influence to AI-savvy peers
• Miss opportunities they don’t even know exist
• Eventually be seen as outdated

This isn’t fear-mongering. It’s the same thing that happened with email, smartphones, and the internet. Early adopters benefited. Holdouts eventually had to catch up — but they lost years of advantage.

The Bottom Line

Stop thinking about AI as a tech trend to evaluate. Start thinking about it as a professional skill to develop.

You don’t need to understand how AI works technically. You don’t need to code. You don’t need permission from IT.

You need to:

1. Pick one tool
2. Use it every day
3. Stack small wins
4. Share what works with your team

That’s it. That’s the entire strategy.

The 10% of managers who get this right will lead the next decade. Which group will you be in?

Start Here

• AI for Non-Technical People: Everything You Need to Know — The foundation
• The Non-Technical Person’s Guide to ChatGPT at Work — Your first tool
• Best AI Productivity Tools for the Modern Workplace — Build your toolkit
• 7 Ways to Automate Your Work Tasks with AI — Put it into practice

---

This is the kind of thinking we share every week. Subscribe to the AICommandDesk newsletter for practical AI strategies that help managers lead smarter.