Whenever you scroll through LinkedIn, industry experts are time and again sharing posts on how they’re seeing a similar AI-cooked pattern in texts, pitches, and even stories these days. This tool, which is now widely used in every sector, is flinching one question amongst business owners, who are grappling to moderate timelines, efficiency, and bandwidth. But where’s AI taking experts? How are they managing teams in offices that may sometimes close tasks in minutes, and sometimes..?
Business Mindset Coach Shelley Bosworth shared insights on how AI is becoming every entrepreneur’s best friend, yet paradoxically, it’s also creating a sense of guilt among business owners for suddenly “having too much time.”
She shared, “Tasks that used to take hours are now potentially done in minutes thanks to AI. But instead of feeling relief, some are feeling pressure and guilt. Not knowing how they should use this newfound additional time, not knowing how to fill that space with something that feels productive or valuable. For so many, AI conflicts with how they have always learnt and always been, ie, busy. There is the assumption that busy equals productive, it equals worth, and it equals being successful.”
Bosworth believes that “if time freedom is the goal we’re all striving for”, AI is helping reach it faster. “However, to truly benefit, our mindset must evolve; we need to learn to value being just as much as doing,” she noted.
Is AI affecting employees and bosses at the workplace?
“For employees, there’s definitely concern and anxiety around being replaced, not keeping up, or needing to constantly prove their value. For leaders, I think there’s a new pressure to deliver faster, think bigger, and always be on,” asserted Shelley. She added, “If AI can write the report, analyze the data, and schedule the meeting, where does that leave people?”
“That’s where mindset comes in – leaders need to help their teams shift focus from output to impact, from tasks to thinking. Human skills like creativity, emotional intelligence, and leadership are more important than ever,” she further noted.
Now, with regular use of AI, experts are also seeing a shift in how a common man thinks or functions, with a constant barrier of AI-driven results coming in the way of the human mindset. What’s happening then?
Shelly believes “comparison and self-doubt” are coming up more than ever, adding, “People are comparing their speed and ability to AI’s efficiency and knowledge. Unsurprisingly, they feel like they’re falling short.”
Fear around relevance?
Bosworth continued that she’s hearing or seeing fear around “relevance”.
“If a tool can do in seconds what took you hours to do, and maybe years to learn, it can knock your confidence. Logically, we know that AI is a tool, not a replacement, but the mindset work we need to do to actually remember this is significant. The shift we need is for people to work with AI rather than thinking of it being used it to replace us. It enhances us. One quote I read was use AI with your brain not instead of it,” she then shared.
“Is the time AI has freed up for business owners being used wisely, or is it quietly slipping away into busywork and burnout?”, we asked Shelly, to which she shared, “both,” adding, “Some are using AI to create efficiency and give themselves back time to plan, be more strategic, elevate their profile and give themselves the time to recharge that they need, while many are unknowingly or without realizing filling time with scrolling, tweaking, second-guessing, because they don’t know what to do or it’s more comfortable than stepping up.”
“Right now, it’s AI that is creating time faster and for more people, but these challenges existed before as businesses grew and expanded their teams, or broadened their offering. Without a clear vision, time freedom turns into noise, and the space gets filled with more confusion rather than with intention,” she exclaimed.
Where’s the future of AI going with mundane structures being all over the internet, noticeable patterns making leaders feel it’s regular GPT fluff coming their way? It comes down to “intentionality”, shared Shelley, who feels everyone is running at AI and is dabbling with all kinds of AI tools.
However, without a clear strategy for how AI can add value, enhance reputation, or save time, money, and resources, it risks creating disconnection and confusion among teams, with customers or clients, and even around the business’s overall vision.
Lastly, Shelley agrees that AI is making business owners and employees feel like they have no excuse not to perform optimally at all times. There is an “unspoken pressure” to be constantly producing because the tools are always available, and nothing is about needing to be an “expert”.
“AI is a powerful tool, but that’s all it is, a tool, the real value still comes from you: your ideas, your decisions, your leadership,” concluded Shelley.
