What if the fastest way through AI transformation is actually to slow down? On this sixth anniversary episode, Lori Adams-Brown unpacks the hidden cost of speed-first AI adoption, and why the leaders who listen before they build are the ones whose people actually stay.
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
Six years ago I started this podcast because I believed the world needed more curious, human-centered leaders. Today, on our sixth anniversary, I am bringing you one of the most important solo episodes I have ever recorded.
The AI race is real. The pressure is real. And the cost most organizations are not measuring is also real.
In this episode I introduce the Speed Tax: the cumulative cost an organization pays, in trust, adoption, performance, and retention, when it deploys AI at speed without the culture architecture to support it. I share the story of a small nocturnal animal in the forests of Sumatra, the data from a landmark Harvard Business Review study, a proof point from a Fortune 100 AI hardware company, and a framework that HR and people strategy leaders can use starting Monday.
If you lead people through change, this one is for you.
Topic bullets:
The story of Kopi Luwak coffee and the Asian palm civet, and what its slow, deliberate selection process teaches us about AI deployment
The Speed Tax: the cumulative cost organizations pay in trust, adoption, and retention when AI moves faster than the culture that supports it
New research from Harvard Business Review, Boston Consulting Group, and the Henderson Institute on "AI brain fry," including sharply higher rates of poor decision-making and quit intent among overloaded workers
The Four Pillars of Culture Architecture for AI Transformation: voice before velocity, designing for transfer, building trust architecture, and measuring what actually matters
A real case study from a Fortune 100 AI hardware company, including a 15% ROI improvement from an AI coaching agent built by listening first
Timestamps:
00:00 Welcome and the coffee-in-hand grounding ritual
01:44 Why this is a solo episode
03:07 Speed, quality, cost: the leadership triangle
04:49 The Honda Prologue and values-driven decisions
07:02 Kopi Luwak, the civet, and what slow selection teaches us
11:39 Introducing the Speed Tax
12:59 Symptoms: low adoption, eroding trust, transformation fatigue
14:44 The HBR/BCG "AI brain fry" study
17:25 Case study: a Fortune 100 AI hardware company
18:21 Building an AI coaching agent by listening first
20:35 The Four Pillars of Culture Architecture for AI Transformation
22:44 Two closing images: the Waymo and the Redwoods
27:15 The Speed Tax Diagnostic and the Slow Down to Win workshop
LINKS AND RESOURCES
The Speed Tax Diagnostic (free)
Take it online, download the PDF, or use it with your team, a free three-question self-assessment to see where your organization is paying the cost of speed right now:
www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/speedtax
The Slow Down to Win Workshop
Half-day intensive for HR and people strategy leaders. Culture Architecture framework, diagnostic debrief, 90-day action plan:
www.bravaglobaladvisory.com/speedtax
Research cited in this episode:
Bedard, Kropp, Hsu, Karaman, Hawes, and Rosen Kellerman. "When Using AI Leads to Brain Fry." Harvard Business Review / BCG Henderson Institute. March 2026. (N=1,488 workers)
Read the full Substack essay:loriadamsbrown.substack.com
Connect with Lori:
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/loriadamsbrown
Brava Global Advisory: www.bravaglobaladvisory.com
Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode.
Visit https://www.aworldofdifferencepodcast.com for more resources, and join us on Patreon for an exclusive bonus episode for this special 6th anniversary episode where Lori reflects on the 6 years and why coming together to listen and make a difference still matters.
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