At Work with The Ready

• 36. What AI Is Teaching Us About Ourselves

  Get the AI Coffee Club toolkit to start one at your own organization: Download here! AI isn’t coming—it’s here. Every organization is already feeling its impact, whether through new tools, shifting expectations, or the quiet panic of not knowing where to start. But most companies are doing what they always do: treating transformation like a plan instead of an experiment. And as AI reshapes how work gets done, the biggest risk isn’t falling behind—it’s automating the dysfunctions you already have. In this episode of At Work with The Ready, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin take their first deep dive into AI since 2023. They unpack why AI acts as a mirror for your organization’s operating system, how hesitation and hype are both clouding judgment, and what it looks like to design meaningful ways to learn and experiment instead of performative roadmaps. -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? ⁠⁠Let's talk.⁠⁠ Get our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠⁠ Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -------------------------------- Mentioned references: Little Caesar's and Detroit Redwings connection The Ready's AI Coffee Club Dot-com bubble polarities in tension "traditional consulting episode": AWWTR Ep. 8 conference Rodney refers to: Charter Workplace Summit "AI as translation layer podcast" (actually an article) 00:00 Intro + Check-In: What’s good? 03:13 The Pattern: AI is a mirror for everything in your org, and probably making it worse 09:48 Importance of doing your own research, even if you’re a skeptic 12:35 Treating AI as a paint job on your broken org won’t fix anything 16:30 The role of humans at work right now 21:03 Importance of real scaffolding to do this work 24:14 Recasting IT as the enabler rather than the traffic cop 28:03 Nobody is an expert yet and there is no roadmap 33:43 The easiest idea with AI usually isn’t the best one 39:28 What Rodney and Sam are hopeful about with AI 44:23 Counter ideas for engaging with AI 47:10 Wrap up: leave us a review and share the show with your coworkers Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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• AUA: How to Change When People Are Loyal To The Past

  How do you change the way work happens when everyone agrees on what to do—but no one wants to change how it’s done? In this mini episode of At Work with The Ready, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin tackle a listener question about navigating change inside legacy systems where authority, tradition, and “the way we’ve always done it” still rule. They explore why emotional loyalty to old processes can stall transformation, and how small experiments and “pair coding for organizational change” can help teams actually evolve their ways of working. Got a work question like this one you'd like us to answer? Email us at [email protected] -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? Let's talk! Get our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -------------------------------- Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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• 35. Fighting Burnout At Work

  Burnout has become the quiet epidemic of modern work. We tell people to “set better boundaries” or “take more time off,” but the real problem isn’t a lack of self-care—it’s that most organizations are designed to exhaust their people. Fear-based cultures, unclear priorities, and performative busyness have turned overwork into a badge of honor, leaving even the most capable teams running on fumes. In this episode, Rodney and Sam unpack the systemic roots of burnout and why it thrives inside traditional hierarchies. They explore how teams accidentally reinforce it, how leaders unknowingly reward it, and share real steps to change the system instead of blaming individuals. -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? ⁠Let's talk.⁠ Get our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.⁠ Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -------------------------------- Mentioned references: "77% of professionals feel burned out" Prisoner's dilemma Theory Y "American teen experiences as much anxiety as 1950s psych patient" "job market hellscape article" Herbert Freudenberger and 12 stages of burnout "4 day workweek better human outcomes" 00:00 Intro + Check-In: What’a silly or inconsequential project to you’ve done just for fun? 03:23 The Pattern: Systemic burnout keeps being met with individual solves, which leads to more burnout 08:21 Team burnout red flag 1: Overhelptfulness 11:10 Team burnout red flag 2: Defeatism 14:04 Team burnout red flag 3: Procrastination 16:44 Team burnout red flag 4: Overwork on busywork 20:41 Team burnout red flag 5: Impatience 23:35 Burnout is tied to short-termism and fear 27:30 Bureaucracy and gaslighting 29:10 Idea 1: Combat busyness with an outcome audit 32:49 Idea 2: Clarify ways of working to cut through bureaucracy 34:29 Idea 3: Design defaults and rules that reduce systemic burnout 36:14 Idea 4: Learn your own burnout symptoms to steer the ship before you reach critical mass 42:00 Idea 5: Enforce work-in-product limits for your team 45:55 Wrap up: Leave us a review and share the show with your colleagues Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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• AUA: Promotion Problems - Managing Former Bosses

  What happens when your promotion puts you in charge of your former boss? In this mini Ask Us Anything episode of At Work with The Ready, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin answer a listener’s question about one of the trickiest transitions a leader can face—managing the people who used to manage you. They explore how to navigate power shifts, handle ego and shame dynamics, and reset team expectations without alienating anyone. Along the way, they share practical advice for rebuilding trust, holding clear boundaries, and making tough calls when improvement just isn’t happening. Got a work question like this one you'd like us to answer? Email us at [email protected] -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? Let's talk: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theready.com/working-together⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -------------------------------- Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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• 34. Even More Bad Bosses and How to Defeat Them, P2

  Every worker has a bad boss story—but why are they so common? In this two-part series, Rodney Evans and Sam Spurlin dig into the archetypes of dysfunctional leaders and the systems that keep them in power. Because bad bosses aren’t accidents—they’re often a predictable response to organizational pressures. In Part 2, they take on the Ghost—the slippery, conflict-avoiding boss who’s always hard to find when decisions need to be made—and the Self-Promoter, the credit-stealing leader who thrives on claiming other people’s work as their own. From the frustration of canceled one-on-ones to the demoralization of stolen ideas, Rodney and Sam unpack why these archetypes persist, what drives their behavior, and how you can protect yourself (and your team) without burning out. -------------------------------- Ready to change your organization? Let's talk. Get our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow us: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -------------------------------- Mentioned references: Part 1 of Bad Boss conversation "Sam and Wilbur": DF Miniseries Ep. 6 check in round "antiwork subreddit" 00:00 Intro + Check-In: What is the phrase going on your tombstone? 03:37 Recap of part 1 04:46 Bad Boss 4: The Ghost 08:24 Dealing with The Ghost 10:52 Bad Boss 5: The Self-Promoter 11:49 Source of the credit-stealing behaviors 15:24 Dealing with The Self-Promoter 21:08 What all bad bosses have in common 23:26 Self-preservation is always a valid strategy 25:56 Wrap up: leave us a review and send us your bad boss stories! Sound engineering and design by Taylor Marvin of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Coupe Studios⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

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