I've been doing a lot of reflecting lately. It's something I try to carve out time for between meetings, calls, and that ever-growing to-do list.
Today, I wanted to share 2 realizations that have been on my mind – one about our industry and one that's a bit more personal.
The First
I recently spoke at a leadership offsite for a Fortune 100 company. After my keynote, an exec pulled me aside and said:
“Sol, we’re all in on AI. We just hired a Chief AI Officer and gave them a blank check.”
I smiled. “That’s exciting. What’s their remit?”
He paused.
“Well… to figure it out.”
This happens more often than you’d think.
Hiring someone senior. Throwing budget at the problem. Thinking that signals AI maturity.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: You can’t outsource transformation.
Just like you can’t outsource culture.
AI isn’t a project, it’s an operating model shift.
And a Chief AI Officer, no matter how brilliant, can’t succeed without organizational buy-in, rearchitected data foundations, and a cross-functional plan for scale.
It’s like buying a Formula 1 car and expecting your team to win the race without training the drivers, hiring the pit crew, or even learning how to drive stick.
Adoption ≠ Deployment.
Success with AI doesn’t start with a title or a tool.
It starts with education.
With alignment.
With leadership willing to roll up their sleeves and reimagine how their business creates value.
That’s where my work begins and why I’ve been focused on helping executives not just "do AI," but integrate it in ways that stick.
The Second
On a more personal note, I've been deliberately sharing more of my failures publicly – and it still terrifies me every single time.
For someone who spent years in the corporate C-suite where any sign of weakness could be weaponized.
Despite appearances, at heart I'm still that 5'3" rugby player who was told she was too short, still that data engineer who was told to never touch code again.
Every time I share content that showcases a misstep or failure, there's this moment of panic: "What will people think?"
Unlike those who claim they don't care about others' opinions, I do care.
My reputation has been everything throughout my career. It's how I earned seats at tables where I was often the only woman, the only person of color.
But I keep sharing anyway, because the messages I receive afterward confirm what I suspected – people are hungry for honesty in a world of carefully curated LinkedIn highlight reels.
We're all just figuring this out as we go along. The difference is some of us admit it.
What about you?
Are you leaning into AI as just another tool, or are you brave enough to transform how your organization fundamentally operates?
And where have you been scared but moved forward anyway?
I'd love to hear your reflections too.
Till next time,
Sol