The people getting the most out of AI aren't often the most technically sophisticated. They're the ones who persist.
Boring answer?
Perhaps. But the good news is, persistence isn't something you need a degree in. And it's not something you're born with (nor is it Maybelline). It's a learnable practice. And right now, it's one of the biggest differentiators between the people who are transforming their work with AI and those who aren't.
(That, and recognizing it can do way more than replace Google.)
Recently I've worked with a handful of clients who had every credential you'd want: a senior leader with technical chops, a founder, an executive. All knew they were leaving something on the table with AI.
They'd wonder if they were doing it wrong (is there a "right" in a technology that changes hourly?), if AI weren't meant for this task (sometimes that's true, but you usually don't know til you try), or if it might be easier to do it without AI (often at first, yes).
When I build with clients, I screen-share some of my own work so they can see how I actually use these tools. It's a little like showing someone a kitchen after making an elaborate dinner and before cleaning it. Embarrassing, but real. And helpful. Because without fail, clients observe: You iterate a lot.
I'm not special. I'm just doggedly persistent. And that's exactly the quality I see in colleagues and clients who get a lot out of AI.
But also, I'm not expecting that I'll come out of the gate with the perfect prompt. (Despite what you see on LinkedIn, there is no perfect prompt.)
Which is exactly where light actions come in.
Persistence sounds big. Light actions make it small. Every interaction with AI is miniscule. One prompt, one redirect, and dozens more like that. It's the aggregate of trying, learning, iterating that moves you forward.
Here's what I'm guessing is happening for many leaders in that stall moment, and I know this because it happens to me too:
We're hitting the gap between a first draft and a good one. That gap exists in every creative and intellectual process. Yet, at a certain point in our careers, we're used to that first draft being really good. With AI, it's not.
AI right now is humbling in that way. The good news is: AI will never get tired of you asking for help (or of eating tokens! ;).
Here's one of my most radical hacks: when I'm stuck somewhere, and I don't know what to do next, I take a screenshot of where I'm stuck and ask Claude: I want to do this. I don't know how. Tell me what to do now. Sometimes it's not a screenshot, it's a thought bubble. Sometimes it's even a hand-drawn note.
So go on, open up Claude or ChatGPT or Gemini, navigate to that thread you gave up on, and ask it: "What do I do now?"
Do it on your own, or (better!) do it with me: sign up for an AI in Action hour. It's a free 1:1 where we find your edge and take you one step further. And get you a taste of what's on the other side of persistence.
