Beyond the dazzling headlines of Generative AI, a familiar hurdle from past tech rollouts like CRM remains: genuine user adoption. If your organization sees GenAI primarily as a technology challenge, you might be missing the crucial human equation. Join us on Innovation Tales as host Alexandre Nevski and guest Ryan Pollyniak, a seasoned sales professional, share frontline stories and hard-won lessons on navigating the people-side of digital transformation, ensuring your initiatives inspire action, not resistance. Key Takeaways Prioritize People in Every Tech Initiative: Successful Digital Transformation, whether with CRM or AI, depends more on genuine user adoption and addressing the human impact than on the technology itself; understanding personal motivations and ensuring a clear "What's In It For Me?" (WIIFM) for employees is paramount. Executive Sponsorship and True Partnership are Non-Negotiable: Visible Leadership, unwavering executive buy-in, and a collaborative approach with implementation partners are essential to overcome resistance, manage change effectively, and prevent costly deviations from strategic goals. Approach AI Strategically, Starting with Data Readiness: While AI and Machine Learning offer transformative potential, organizations must first ensure their data is clean and aggregated, then strategically integrate AI to solve specific business problems rather than adopting technology for its own sake, focusing on both tactical efficiencies and long-term strategic insights.