Speak Up: Develop Your Executive Presence & Leadership Communication Style

413: Why Your AI Initiative Will Likely Fail Before It Starts and the Leadership Blind Spot No One’s Talking About

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May 28, 2025

Steve Lucas, a three-time CEO and author of "Digital Impact," dives into the vital role of trust in successful digital transformations. He reveals that the key to AI adoption isn’t just about the tech, but how leaders communicate the ‘why’ behind initiatives. Lucas discusses the importance of storytelling and adjusting communication styles to connect with various audiences. He also addresses AI's dual role in job disruption and creation, emphasizing the need for skill development to thrive in this evolving landscape.

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INSIGHT

Trust Over Technology

Digital initiatives often fail due to lack of trust, not because of technology problems.
Leaders should focus on digital impact and how technology benefits people, not just transformation.

ADVICE

Over-Communicate the Why

Over-communicate the why behind AI initiatives to build trust and reduce fear.
Involve people early to make them feel part of the transformation process.

ANECDOTE

Story of Digital Impact

The American Cancer Society automated scheduling rides for elderly cancer patients to improve care access.
This simple solution illustrates the power of digital impact beyond complex technology.

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In today’s episode you’ll discover the exact kinds of communication that get buy in for any AI or other transformation you’re implementing

In this eye-opening episode, we explore why so many digital transformation efforts fail—not because the tech is broken, but because leaders skip the most critical element: trust. If you're a high-performing professional navigating AI adoption, you’ll learn why communicating the why behind your initiatives is more important than the how, and what it really takes to turn skepticism into support.

To chat with Laura to see if her Executive Presence Mastery System is right for you click here.

By the end of today’s episode you’ll know:

🔥How to lead with purpose and storytelling to get team buy-in for AI adoption.

✔️What it means to lead at the Right Altitude to adjust your communication style and level of detail to suit your audience

🚀The overlooked reason digital initiatives fail—and how to fix it with one leadership shift.

Press play now to discover how smart leaders are transforming AI anxiety into opportunity—by focusing less on data and more on people.

If you’d like to assess your own communication through an Executive Presence checklist I created, it's waiting for you here. My compliments. It goes through the 10 qualities that make up executive presence that are essential for success as a senior executive.

For more information visit www.speakupwithlaura.com. Our Speak Up podcast episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday early in the morning.

About our guest:

Steve Lucas, three-time CEO and author of Digital Impact, speaks directly to this moment. He has held CEO and senior executive roles at some of the world’s leading cloud organizations, including Marketo, iCIMS, Adobe, SAP, Salesforce and BusinessObjects. Led both Marketo and iCIMS’ growth and transformation as CEO, driving successful multi-billion-dollar acquisitions and billion-dollar strategic investments for both organizations.

As a type 1 diabetic, Steve dedicates time to raising awareness, education and funds to find a cure. Served on the boards of the American Diabetes Association and Children’s Diabetes Foundation.

In Speak Up communication and executive presence coaching, high performing leaders and executives learn to enhance their influence and confidence, refining their communication style to increase visibility and effectiveness in promotion opportunities.

By honing communication skills and fostering a trusted advisor mindset, aspiring executives cultivate mastery in public speaking and beat imposter syndrome. Your leadership becomes more strategic and inspiring.