What Should I Do Now to Prepare My Team for AI?
I read the headline this morning over coffee:
“Microsoft, OpenAI, and Teachers Launch National AI Training Academy.”
For teachers.
Not coders. Not marketers. Not Big Tech employees.
K–12 teachers.
Read that again.
Because here’s the truth, most entrepreneurs don’t want to hear:
You’re falling behind.
The Pain No One Admits: You’re Not Ready for This
I talk to business owners daily who think they’re “watching AI closely.”
What they mean is that they’ve asked ChatGPT to write a couple of emails and maybe generate a few social posts.
But their actual systems? Their sales process? Their onboarding?
Still stuck in 2019.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is spending $23 million to make sure your kids’ teachers know how to use AI better than your sales team does.
That’s not hyperbole. That’s a warning.
The Threat You Don’t See Coming
Let’s get brutally honest.
If you’re not actively integrating AI into your people, you’re not preparing for the future—you’re preparing to be replaced.
I’m not talking about some sci-fi scenario where ChatGPT fires your employees.
I’m talking about the agency down the street that hires and trains people to use AI natively.
Their media buyers can test 10x as many ad variants simultaneously.
Their sales team can personalize outreach at scale while yours is still copy-pasting from templates.
CRM automations flag their success coaches before a client churns, while yours “just had a feeling” they might leave.
This isn’t theoretical. It’s happening now.
Everyone Says "AI Strategy" — Few Say "AI Hiring"
Here’s the elephant in the room:
Most companies think an AI strategy means buying a new tool.
You don’t have an AI strategy if your people can’t use it.
You don’t have an AI strategy if your onboarding doesn’t teach it.
You don’t have an AI strategy if your hiring process doesn’t test for it.
You have an AI gap.
One that your competitors will happily exploit.
The Contrarian Play: Make AI Part of Your Culture
Let’s get real.
If teachers’ unions can partner with Microsoft and Anthropic to launch a national AI academy, what’s your excuse for not having your own internal “academy”?
I’m not saying you need $23 million.
You need a plan.
Here’s what that looks like:
1. Make AI Literacy a Hiring Requirement
Stop hiring people “willing to learn AI” and start hiring people who already are.
Ask for real examples in interviews.
Make prompt design and workflow automation part of your tests.
2. Onboard for AI from Day One
Your new hire packet should have:
AI tool logins.
Best practices doc.
Assigned training modules.
Real business use cases.
If teachers are getting continuing education credits for this, your team can spend a week learning how to save you money and time.
3. Build Your Own Training Stack
Don’t wait for some vendor to sell you a cookie-cutter training.
Create in-house workshops on your processes.
Record and share the best sessions.
Make it required, not “optional.”
4. Incentivize Mastery
Teachers get credit.
Your team can get bonuses, promotions, and prestige.
AI shouldn’t be a threat. It should be a career boost for the right people.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Your best people want this.
They want to be better.
They want to compete.
If you don’t give them the training and expectation to use AI, they’ll leave and work for someone who does.
Because here’s the thing about Microsoft’s teacher academy:
It’s not about goodwill.
It’s about shaping the workforce of tomorrow.
They’re creating millions of AI-literate workers who will expect every employer to speak that language.
If you don’t, you’re done.
The Bottom Line
If you’re an entrepreneur reading this, ask yourself:
“What will my company’s AI readiness look like in 6 months if I change nothing?”
If the answer is “the same,” that’s not strategy. That’s surrender.
The Call to Arms
Stop thinking about AI tools.
Start thinking about AI talent.
The tools will change every month.
The mindset? That’s what you hire for. That’s what you train for.
The easy path is to wait and see. The profitable path is to act first.
Which one are you going to choose?
The choice is yours. Make it count. Growth demands it.
