Find a Room That's Over Your Head
Surround yourself with people smarter than you. You've probably heard that one (it gets credited to everyone from presidents to CEOs, so I won't guess who said it first).
I agree 100%. But I don't think it stops at your team. It applies to your whole life - the groups you join and the rooms you're willing to walk into.
I Thought I'd Hold My Own
I joined AI Power Hour, a weekly group run by Deborah Thackinh at Clever Analytics. It's a bunch of people using AI in all walks of life.
Going in, I figured I'd be fine. I use AI all day, every day. I build things like crazy.
Then I went to the first meeting, and the conversations were SO over my head. Lots of terminology I didn't know. People were building whole systems and brand new tools, and I was using AI to run my business.
I almost didn't go back.
I Went Back
The next week I showed up anyway. Still uncomfortable. I sat in the background and just listened.
The week after that I hesitated again - but I showed up, and I started making connections. It's a super supportive and collaborative group, which made it a lot easier to keep coming back.
Now I look forward to it. I learn something new every time, and I leave so energized that it's hard not to want to do all the things.
Your Team Is Sitting in That Room
That first meeting is how a lot of employees feel about AI at work. The tools showed up and everyone around them seems to know the words. Nobody gave them time to catch up.
The research backs this up. Microsoft's 2026 Work Trend Index found that only 19% of AI users are both ready to work with AI themselves and backed by an organization that's ready to support them. And in McKinsey's 2025 survey, more than a fifth of employees said they'd gotten minimal to no support for building AI skills.
So people do what I almost did - they stop showing up. They go back to the old way, and the tools the company paid for just sit there.
I went back because I chose to. Most employees need someone to make it feel safe to come back.
Water the Roots
There's a reason we named our company Taproot. A taproot is the main root that grows deep, and it's what lets a tree keep reaching toward the sun.
Learning works the same way. Want to keep growing? Keep watering the roots. For me that means putting myself in rooms where I'm not the expert - and staying long enough to get something out of it.
The uncomfortable part is where the growth starts. If I'd only gone once, I'd have decided that room wasn't for me. Going back is what made it mine.
Building a Culture of Learning
If you lead a team, you can make that room a lot easier to walk into.
Let people be beginners. Say it out loud - it's OK not to know how to do things yet. Most people stay quiet because they don't want to look behind.
Count listening as learning. The person in the back taking it all in is learning. Give them time before you expect them to jump in.
Make looking things up normal. Someone who looks up a term mid-meeting is paying attention. Good! This is what I do constantly in AI Power Hour. Someone throws something out, I don't understand it - I look it up.
Start with your managers. They're learning too, and their teams are watching. In Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report, employees whose manager actively supports their team's use of AI were 8.7 times as likely to strongly agree that AI has changed how work gets done. Give managers room to learn first.
Send people out. Outside groups stretch people in ways your own team can't. Encourage it, and ask them to bring one idea back.
At Taproot we believe in what's possible and we spark curiosity. Both start with being willing to feel a little out of your depth.
A Big Thank You to Deborah
Thank you to Deborah Thackinh at Clever Analytics for running AI Power Hour and building a group where it's OK to be the one with the most questions. If you're looking for a room that stretches you, look her up.
Want to Build That Kind of Team?
If your team has the AI tools and still feels a step behind, we'd love to talk.
People First. Growth Always.
