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🧠 IN THIS EPISODE
📌 Running on empty
The Predictive Index surveyed 1,000+ U.S. employees and found clarity of priorities is the #1 thing that would improve motivation — ahead of recognition, fewer meetings, and autonomy. Yet only 35% say their priorities are actually clear on a typical workday. Chuck and Jenni get into where motivation breaks down, who owns it, and how to separate the data from the sales pitch.
📌 Lead, follow, or get out of the way
Simon Cavendish, Chair of IABC EMENA, published a sharp provocation: IC has become addicted to alignment, even when alignment is the wrong goal. His line — "Being in the room isn't the win. What we do in the room is the win." Chuck and Jenni debate whether the profession has confused diplomacy with deference, and what it actually costs to stay nice instead of necessary.
📌 Adoption is the wrong AI metric
Companies furthest along on AI are quietly abandoning adoption as a measure of success. Microsoft's shift: "We used to pay attention to adoption. Now we just pay attention to performance." Zapier's CPO went further: "97% adoption rates mean almost nothing." Chuck pushes back. Jenni connects it to every digital change programme she's ever run. They don't fully agree.
📌 Your AI rollout is a belief problem
Rebecca Hinds argues the real blocker to AI transformation isn't the tools — it's the narrative leaders encode into culture before the rollout starts. When leaders strip craft and human touch from work, what's left is a hollow shell. Chuck ties it back to the motivation data. The narrative crisis and the meaning crisis may be the same problem.
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🔗 LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE
Running on Empty: How Modern Work Created a Motivation Crisis (Predictive Index)
https://www.predictiveindex.com/learn/talent-optimization/resources/ebooks/motivation-at-work-report/
Lead, Follow or Choice: The Choice Facing Internal Comms (Simon Cavendish)
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lead-follow-choice-facing-internal-comms-simon-cavendish-scmp-wevje/
Why Four Tech Companies Say Adoption Is the Wrong AI Metric (Charter)
https://www.charterworks.com/why-four-tech-companies-say-adoption-is-the-wrong-ai-metric/
The Biggest Threat to Your AI Strategy Isn't the Technology (Inc.)
https://www.inc.com/rebecca-hinds/the-biggest-threat-to-your-ai-strategy-isnt-the-technology/91331197
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👥 YOUR HOSTS
Chuck Gose is the founder of ICology, a community and content platform for internal communications professionals. He's a speaker, facilitator, and advocate for the employee perspective in every conversation about work.
→ https://joinicology.com
Jenni Field is the founder of Redefining Communications, an IC consultancy focused on helping organisations move from chaos to calm. She's a speaker, author, and one of the most recognised voices in the global IC profession.
→ https://redefiningcomms.com