Why Your AI Adoption Is Probably Stalled—And What Actually Works
We just wrapped our second Innovating Out Loud session, and it was packed with takeaways and resources for everyone.
Dean Carignan—my co-author on The Insider’s Guide to Innovation at Microsoft and someone leading AI transformation with a large team inside Microsoft—joined Taryn and me to talk about what’s actually happening on the ground.
Not the hype. Not the theoretical frameworks. The real stuff.
Here’s what struck me most: even inside a technology company building the AI tools, adoption patterns look remarkably similar to what every organization is experiencing. The early adopters are off and running. The early majority is waiting. And a lot of people have tried AI once, found it underwhelming, and written it off entirely.
Dean introduced a concept that we really like: the sampling rate. How often do you go back and try AI tools you’ve dismissed? Because the tools are improving at a pace we’ve never seen in software, what couldn’t work last month might work today.
We also got into:
* Why starting with AI (instead of starting with the workflow you want to change) almost guarantees you’ll stall out
* The “rule of five”—a simple heuristic for deciding what to automate
* How capturing “digital exhaust” from meetings can give you richer information while attending fewer of them
* Why leaders modeling AI use matters more than mandating it (Satya’s onstage demo moment is a perfect example)
* The pioneers, settlers, and town planners framework—and why not everyone should be swinging for the fences
We got into some “say it ugly” territory that I think a lot of organizations need to hear. So if you missed, catch the replay here or on our YouTube channel. And share it with your team.
What resonated with you? Reply and let us know—we read every response.
Coming up next month: We’re diving into regenerative design with the man leading it at HOK for clients in every industry, Sean Quinn. Join us and find out how you can create mutual benefit, accelerate internal and external innovation adoption, and stretch your organization’s imagination by aiming for positive.
Sign up for the next session →Live on January 22, 2026 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET
Thanks for being a part of this community,
JoAnn & Taryn
Resources Mentioned in This Episode
Books
ResourceAuthorLinkCrossing the Chasm Geoffrey Moore Amazon | Author’s Site The Insider’s Guide to Innovation at Microsoft Dean Carignan & JoAnn Garbin Amazon | Simon & Schuster Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature Angus Fletcher Amazon | Simon & Schuster Primal Intelligence: You Are Smarter Than You Know Angus Fletcher Amazon | Author’s Site
Podcasts & Shows
AI Daily Brief Daily 15-minute show breaking down how companies are approaching AI transformation. Dean’s recommendation. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Website Finding Mastery Dr. Michael Gervais interviews high performers on mindset and excellence. JoAnn mentioned participating in a vision webcast. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Website JoAnn’s interview on YouTube
Free AI Training
Microsoft Learn - Copilot Training Free courses on Microsoft 365 Copilot and AI fundamentals Microsoft Learn Google AI Essentials Free course on AI fundamentals from Google (under 10 hours) Grow with Google | Google Skills The Insider’s Guide to Innovation at Microsoft on LinkedIn LearningThe many frameworks of innovation, and how to use them, JoAnn and Dean mentioned from their book of the same name.
