#shifthappens in the Digital Workplace Podcast · 2026-05-28 · 33 min
Most organizations treat AI adoption as a technology rollout. However, the ones gaining traction treat it as a leadership and culture challenge. In this episode of #shifthappens, Monica French, USA SMB Director at Microsoft, shares what she's hearing directly from small business leaders navigating AI - and why the human side of adoption is where most initiatives either accelerate or stall. Monica draws on frontline conversations with SMB founders, MSP partners, and her own career pivoting from traditional banking to fintech to explain why experiential learning outperforms passive training, why the chief human resource officer (CHRO) belongs at the AI table alongside the chief technology officer (CTO), and how lightweight governance can coexist with early experimentation. She also unpacks the gap between executive ambition and employee readiness - and what leaders can do to close it.
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