Bridging Systems and Soul: The Missing Link in Your AI Strategy
Like everyone these days, I’m trying to sort out the clear path forward with this AI thing. But something has been feeling off-kilter to me. Do you ever get the sense that the AI “strategy” conversation is missing something essential?
Most leaders, myself included, are flooded with guidance: choose the right tool, clean up your data, launch a pilot project. But beneath the noise, a deeper unease lingers for me. There’s a reason why even the most seasoned CEOs feel a persistent gap between all the tactical advice and the transformation they actually want. What’s showing up is that organizations stumble through “digital transformation”, while leaders quietly burn out. Teams run faster, but purpose gets blurry. And a sense of existential overwhelm creeps in, disguised as busyness.
There’s a better way. In this month’s newsletter, you’ll discover the hidden dimension absent from nearly every AI strategy, and how integrating systems and soul is the missing link for lasting, regenerative growth.
So, where do we start? Let’s walk through what most consultants overlook and how you can chart a truer course.
What's Absent from Mainstream AI Strategy Conversations
The conversation around AI for small and midsize businesses feels like a checklist. It’s mostly about efficiency: automate processes, analyze data, cut costs. Consultants arrive with frameworks and toolkits, eager to map out your next sprint.
But here’s the reality. This approach barely scratches the surface. What’s absent is any real attention to who is leading this change, and how they are showing up to the challenge. With all my work with EOS, and individual executive coaching, I see the how of showing up as critical to getting to where my clients want to go.
AI disruption isn’t just a technical event. It’s an identity event. Founders, CEOs, and leadership teams aren’t just solving for efficiency; they’re wrestling with who they’re becoming as the ground shifts beneath them. “Which tool should I choose?” is only the surface-level question. Beneath that sits, “Am I ready for this? Can I lead through so much ambiguity?”
Most consultants offer tactics and templates. They rarely talk about the inner work of leadership, or the presence required to guide an organization through real transformation. There’s little space for the big questions:
What’s worth automating?
What’s worth saving?
What kind of leader am I, now that AI is at the helm?
As I see it:
“The over-scheduled leader has no space for transformation.”
And that’s the crux. True change demands not just new systems, but new stances. To ignore the inner terrain is to invite burnout, confusion, and short-term thinking. Yet this is where almost every mainstream conversation falls short.
Where Do I Begin? The Inner Navigation Question
Every leadership team I am working with and facing AI has a version of the same question: Where do we begin?
On the surface, it’s about tech selection or strategy. But scratch that surface, and the real question is about internal orientation. The “where do we begin?” question is not just logistical, it’s existential. It’s an invitation to explore who you need to be, not just what you need to do.
Why does this matter? Because in times of rapid change, inner stance is a strategic lever. A leader’s way of being, how grounded, curious, or overwhelmed they feel, sets the tone for every downstream decision.
When leaders show up scattered, their teams run in circles.
When leaders come from purpose, clarity, and presence, teams sense the shift.
People can feel it, even when no one says it out loud.
I’ve always loved Seth Godin’s inspiring definition of leadership: The leader, pointing to the horizon, says: “That’s where we are going. I don’t know how we are going to get there. Follow me!”
Ontological coaching recognizes this. Positive Intelligence gives language to it. Your identity as a leader—the way you relate to change, ambiguity, and possibility—is either the bottleneck or the breakthrough. Ignoring this is the most expensive mistake in the AI conversation.
If you find yourself asking “where do I begin,” the real work starts inside. It’s about developing the capacity to hold space for uncertainty, to stay centered, and to choose a direction rooted in values, not just urgency. This is what separates leaders who sustain growth from those who chase the next tactic and always feel a step behind.
Sustainable Leadership in Times of Change
Let’s name the real challenge. Most “transformation” advice is built for speed, not for stamina. It’s designed for the sprint, not the marathon.
Yet the organizations that thrive through disruption aren’t those who burn hottest. They are the ones that build for the long game. It’s the difference between pumping out a harvest of fruit with artificial fertilizer and cultivating a resilient permaculture orchard that bears fruit year after year.
The truth is, sustainable leadership is an inside-out game. Operational rigor matters. Our work with EOS gives teams structure and rhythm. But without leadership presence, even the best system turns mechanical and lifeless. It becomes just another set of KPIs and meetings. When leaders merge operational discipline with soulful self-awareness and build that into an intentional culture, real results follow.
Here’s a lesson. Don’t fall for urgency addiction. The marketplace loves a hero who “does more with less.” But the deeper need is for organizations that nourish their leaders and teams, create margin for thinking, and leave space for transformation. This Wall Street Journal article says it best:
“The best bet for people hoping to truly cut back might be for businesses to realize employees have limited reserves of deep concentration. AI is supposed to free us of mundane tasks so we can focus on the important things, but can we really think big thoughts eight hours a day, five days a week?”
I know I can’t! And those of you who work with me have heard me say, over and over again: Take your clarity breaks!
Design for renewal, not just productivity. We are in this for the long-haul. The opportunity for sustainable leadership is for shaping environments and rhythms that give energy, not just spend it. That’s what keeps leaders from flaming out and helps teams bring their best over time.
Systems and Energy: Codifying Complexity into Clarity
Here’s the key thing to remember: Lasting change is never just about a smarter system. It’s about designing containers for deep work, creative flow, and renewal.
The social-media fueled narrative is all about chasing the latest framework or strategy, hoping for the one that will “finally” make things clear. But clarity is rarely a gift from a new spreadsheet. It comes from aligning the energy of you as a leader with the structure of the system (see Delegate and Elevate tool and the Unique Ability concept).
Let’s break this down:
EOS creates a 90-day world quarterly rhythm.
Positive Intelligence builds mental fitness.
Ontological coaching shapes identity and presence.
Each framework is a tool for codifying complexity, turning the fog into a compass heading. But tools don’t work in isolation. It’s the integration of systems and energy that opens up creative capacity.
Here’s a mistake many make. They codify everything except their own renewal. They build structures for others, but leave no space for themselves. I see it all the time, leaders wearing their “I’m too busy” badge of honor.
What if you could create an environment in your life and your business where deep work is possible, where rest and focus are designed into the rhythm? It’s not just about doing more with less, it’s about making room for the essential and letting the noise fall away.
What would that look like to you?
Want an actionable step?
Begin by naming the invisible. Ask yourself, “What’s nourishing here? What’s depleting? Where am I solving for symptoms instead of root causes?” Codify your rhythms, not just your strategies. Make space for renewal and let your systems serve your soul, not the other way around.
Here’s a prompt you can try today:
I want to design a more natural rhythm for my week that alternates between focused intensity and intentional restoration. One question at a time, help me identify my "inhale" activities (deep work, creation, strategic thinking) and my "exhale" activities (reflection, rest, connection). Then help me brainstorm how to design my calendar to honor both rather than running on continuous intensity. Ask me questions, one at a time, to help me think through what this ideal rhythm would look like for my specific situation and constraints.
Discover the Power of Strategic Thought Partnership
If you’re ready to move beyond burnout and build something that lasts, I can help.
As your strategic thought partner and navigator of possibility, I blend operational rigor with deep presence and clarity. My approach is not just about implementing another system. I guide leaders to codify complexity into clear, aligned steps, while supporting the energy, creativity, and renewal you need to thrive.
I am rolling out tools that help owners and CEOs who are wrestling with AI and transformation to clarify where to begin, identify the real bottlenecks, and create regenerative rhythms that sustain long-term performance. You get a partner who sees the invisible patterns, holds both the straight line and the undercurrents, and helps you lead with confidence in uncertain times.
If you’re ready to stop settling for surface-level solutions and want to create an organization that truly nourishes you and your team, let’s talk. Reach out to start your ascent.
Sweet Earth Orchard Update
This month we have welcomed our first resident animals, to be incorporated into the permaculture framework. We now have 12 ducks: 6 Runner ducks, and 6 Muscovies. Look out for next month's newsletter when we hope to share news of the chickens arriving, and fingers crossed for the barn building permit issuance.
As you navigate this season of change, I hope you find not just the right systems, but the inner steadiness to lead with purpose.
May your Vision stay clear, your team stay aligned, and your energy stay renewed,
Steve