AI is moving fast, but most companies are failing to adopt it well, and the reason usually has nothing to do with the technology itself. In this episode, host Mykel Salomon sits down with Ryan Drumheller, a 20-year IT veteran and founder of StellarHorn Group, to talk about what leaders are getting wrong about AI adoption and why it always comes back to people. Ryan shares real stories from the field about companies that rushed AI rollouts without a strategy, tied it to employee KPIs, or used it as cover to cut costs, and why those decisions backfire. They dig into why communication, trust, and involving your team early make or break AI adoption, and why bad leadership gets exposed faster than ever in this new era. If you're a leader trying to figure out how to bring AI into your organization without losing your people along the way, this conversation is for you.

In this episode, you'll learn:

Why AI adoption fails most often because of people problems, not technology problems
What leaders consistently underestimate about rolling out AI in their organization
Why forcing AI adoption through KPIs backfires and how to build real buy-in instead
How to identify your internal AI champions and why involving them early changes everything
Why clean data and a clear governance plan matter more than which AI tool you pick
How bad leadership is getting exposed faster in the AI era, and what to do about it

Connect with Ryan Drumheller
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-drumheller/
Website: https://www.stellarhorn.com/

Connect with Mykel Salomon
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mykelsalomon/
Website: https://thehumanprotocolgroup.com/