Approaches to Cultivating AI Innovation Mindsets

How can leaders transform their teams to be AI-first? It starts with mindset. An AI-first mindset means: Seeing AI as an opportunity, not a threat. Viewing AI as a tool to augment teams, not just automate tasks. Using AI to reimagine work, not just optimize work. As leaders, it’s on us to build this mindset within our teams. Here are 5 ways we do this at HubSpot: Use AI daily: Lead by example—trust grows when teams see leaders embrace AI themselves. I use it everyday and share very specific use cases with our company on how I use it. Now every leader is doing the same with their teams. The result is that we will have almost everyone in the company use AI daily by the end of year. Apply constraints: Give clear, focused challenges. We kept headcount flat in Support while growing the customer base by 20%+. Result - the team innovated with AI and over achieved the target. Smart constraints drive innovation. Establish tiger teams: Empower small, agile groups to experiment, innovate, and teach the organization. We have AI Tiger teams in every function - they share progress in Slack channels and there is so much energy with small groups experimenting and learning. Be a learn-it-all: Foster a culture of continuous learning. Share openly about successes and failures alike. We have dedicated 2 full days to learning and scaling with AI this quarter as a company - we have lined up great speakers, ways to experiment and gamified learning. Measure progress and share it: Measure which teams are completing learning modules, using AI everyday and share that openly. A little healthy competition goes a long way in driving AI-fluency. AI isn’t just a technology shift. It’s fundamentally reshaping how work gets done—and that requires shifting our mindset first. Leaders who embrace AI now will unlock creativity, performance, and impact. Are you building an AI-first mindset with your team? #Leadership #AI #Innovation #Mindset #FutureOfWork

Adopting the latest technology alone won’t build an effective AI roadmap. Leaders need a thoughtful approach—one that empowers their teams and stays true to their values. Over the past few years, we’ve seen AI’s incredible potential, but also its complexity. Crafting effective AI strategies can challenge even the most seasoned tech leaders. To truly unlock AI’s value, we need to put people at the core of our roadmap. At RingCentral, we’ve made it a priority to envision AI in ways that benefit our teams, partners, and customers. Here are a few strategies my team has found essential for building human-centered AI: 1. Emphasize the “why” behind AI adoption: Start by identifying the specific needs AI will address. Help your team see the value of AI as a tool to enhance their work—not replace it. 2. Start with small, targeted wins: Choose use cases that tackle real challenges and show early success. These wins build trust in AI’s potential and create momentum for further adoption. 3. Prioritize transparency and ethics: Set clear guidelines around data privacy and responsible AI use, ensuring that team members feel they’re part of an ethical and trusted process. Guiding AI adoption with a clear, people-first approach enables us to create a workplace where innovation truly serves the people behind it, paving the way for meaningful growth. 💡 How are you approaching AI within your teams?

In a world where AI announcements seem to drop every 15 minutes (seriously, it’s so hard to keep up), I've been reflecting on what actually matters beyond the hype. As a people leader navigating this landscape, I've learned that the challenge isn't just adopting AI tools quickly—it's adopting them thoughtfully. This is especially important at HubSpot, where helping our employees move faster helps our customers win faster. I'm seeing AI reshape not just what we do, but how we make decisions and prioritize our people. Here are some approaches that have worked well for us as we continue to test and learn: 1. Expedite access to AI tools and encourage experimentation. We're experimenting with the latest versions of Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, and more—providing teams access within hours of new releases, not weeks. This creates a culture of experimentation and keeps us ahead of the curve. 2. Foster knowledge-sharing. We've created dedicated channels where employees share their AI wins and habits. Our People team sends a weekly "MondAI" digest featuring different employee use cases that inspire others across the organization. 3. Prioritize leader enablement. We've built AI-first resources, starting with People Leaders who then cascade knowledge to their teams. This isn't just about tools—it's about developing judgment for when AI enhances human work and when human expertise should lead. 4. Seek external expertise. We regularly bring in experts from companies like Anthropic and Google to share insights with our teams. We've cultivated a culture of learn-it-alls, not know-it-alls. 5. Integrate AI into existing workflows. We're incorporating AI tools directly into team processes, focusing on high-impact, repetitive tasks first. Our AI support bot now handles over 35% of tickets while maintaining high customer satisfaction. The most exciting part? Watching our teams develop the discernment to make AI work harder for them, not the other way around. When people and technology make each other stronger—that's the sweet spot. Fellow people leaders: How are you balancing rapid AI adoption with thoughtful implementation that truly empowers your people? Other insights we can learn from?

Most people see AI as a tool. But leaders, innovators, and high performers see AI as a thinking partner. They embrace the 𝗔𝗜 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁. 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗜𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗜 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗘𝗧? The AI Mindset is about embracing AI as a thinking partner—leveraging it to amplify your capabilities, accelerate learning, and unlock new possibilities. 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗘𝗠𝗕𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗜 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗘𝗧 ✅ Think bigger, faster, and more creatively ✅ Break through limits and scale yourself ✅ Turn data into insights, insights into action ✅ Stay ahead in a world moving at AI speed 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗜 𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗘𝗧 1. 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗧𝗦: 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗨𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄? • Ask AI better, more strategic questions to refine your thinking. • Use AI to challenge assumptions, spark new ideas, and synthesize insights faster. • Treat AI like a co-pilot for innovation, not just an answer machine.    ✅ Example: Before a big decision, ask AI: "What are 3 perspectives I might be missing?" 2. 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗘 𝗧𝗢 𝗔𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗬: 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗨𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿-𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗛𝗼𝘄? • Identify repetitive tasks and let AI handle them (emails, scheduling, research). • Use AI to streamline workflows, organize insights, and summarize key takeaways. • Shift from busy work to big thinking—AI does the heavy lifting so you can focus on strategy.    ✅ Example: Use AI to summarize a book in minutes, then apply key takeaways instantly. 3. 𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘 & 𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗩𝗔𝗧𝗘: 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜 𝗛𝗼𝘄? • Use AI to prototype ideas, test solutions, and refine strategies at lightning speed. • Embrace an experimental mindset—ask AI to generate 10 variations of a concept. • Move from passively consuming AI to actively co-creating with AI.    ✅ Example: Instead of asking, "What’s the best way to pitch my idea?" ask, "Give me 5 radically different ways to pitch my idea." Practicing the AI Mindset is NOT about replacing human intelligence— it's about 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 it. Those who use AI to 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿, and 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 will lead the future. #AI #leadership #innovation