AI is no longer a curiosity in our industry - it’s becoming a priority. In this first episode of a new AI-focused solo series, Heather steps back from tools and prompts to explore something more fundamental: is your business actually ready for AI?

Because AI doesn’t fix messy operations - it magnifies them.

This episode introduces a practical framework for building real AI readiness across your organization. It starts with leadership setting clear direction. AI adoption can’t be left to individual experimentation; it needs intention, visibility, and someone responsible for connecting strategy to day-to-day use.

Heather also emphasizes the importance of fixing your processes before layering in AI. If your documentation is unclear or inconsistent, AI will simply reproduce that confusion. Clean structure comes first.

A key mindset shift runs throughout the conversation: AI doesn’t think – it predicts. It has read everything, but experienced nothing. When teams understand this, they begin treating AI outputs as first drafts rather than final answers, dramatically reducing risk.

The episode closes by reinforcing the need for clear guardrails, open visibility across the team, and alignment with your core values of hospitality, responsibility, and trust. This isn’t about chasing tools. It’s about building capability in a deliberate, sustainable way.

Five Things You Can Do This Week:

1. Name an AI point person.
   
   
2. Clean up one messy process and document it clearly.
   
   
3. Ask your team what AI tools they’re already using.
   
   
4. Discuss what it means that “AI doesn’t think.”
   
   
5. Let AI draft one internal document - then review it together.
   
   

Start small. Stay intentional. Build the foundation first.

‍