Why Your AI Transformation Is Failing (Hint: It's Not the Technology) with Shaara Roman

What if your AI transformation isn't stalling because of the technology, but because of the culture, trust, and leadership behaviors you've built (or failed to build) around it? Shaara Roman has spent years inside global enterprises watching AI initiatives launch with fanfare and quietly fall apart, not because the software failed, but because the people strategy was missing.

In this episode:

• Why AI should be treated as a team member, not just a tool
• The six pillars of AI change management: strategy, org design, culture, workforce capability, motivation/metrics, and ethical guardrails
• Why most AI adoptions fail — and why the human side, not the tech, is the real bottleneck
• Surprising diagnostic findings: middle managers are consistently the least ready for AI adoption
• Three telltale signs an organization isn't ready for AI
• How Shaara's third culture kid upbringing across India, Nigeria, and England shaped her adaptive leadership approach

Guest bio: Shaara Roman is the founder and CEO of the Silvering Group, where she advises CEOs and executive teams on leading through AI transformation. A former senior HR executive at Visa, Fannie Mae, and CGI, she is the author of The Conscious Workplace and creator of the SPARC AIQ Diagnostic.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
02:00 Shaara's TCK journey across India, Nigeria, England
04:30 AI as a team member, not just a tool
08:00 Where leaders get AI adoption wrong
12:00 Why hiring systems aren't built for adaptive leadership
18:40 The six pillars of AI change management
26:40 Three signs an organization isn't ready for AI
32:50 Inside the SPARC AIQ Diagnostic
38:30 Where to find Shaara and her work

Find Shaara Roman at: LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/shaara) | Website (silveringroup.com)

Join us for an exclusive bonus episode with Shaara on Patreon.

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A World of Difference Podcast