I heard something this week that made me laugh out loud.
“ChatGPT is so polite when you ask it a question. It never makes you feel like you’re not smart enough. We should be more like ChatGPT in our continuous improvement journeys.”
And honestly, they’re not wrong. People will ask AI anything. If you are like me, you will ask it the obvious, the awkward, the “I should probably know this already,” and the “I’m not sure this even makes sense but here goes.” And the AI bot responds kindly without even a hint of judgment.
Imagine if our workplaces felt like that. Imagine if every team member felt safe enough to say, “I don’t understand this process.” “I think there’s a better way.” “I made a mistake; here’s what I learned.” “I have an idea; do you want to hear it?”
That’s the heart of AME’s mission — to inspire a commitment to enterprise excellence through experiential learning by bringing people together to share, learn and grow.
If we can help our people feel as confident asking us questions as they do asking ChatGPT, we unlock a culture where learning is safe, improvement is fun and excellence becomes contagious. If AI can make people feel supported, surely we can as well.
Thanks for being the kind of leaders who make continuous improvement rewarding.
Join us on this journey at one of the many virtual and in person AME events, conferences, summits and lean workshops we add to our schedule weekly.
And if you want to see best practices in action, join us at the AME Portland 2026 Lean Summit. This year’s summit theme “Foundations for the future” brings together forward-thinking leaders, practitioners and innovators to explore what it truly takes to drive transformation in today’s fast-paced, tech-enabled world. From human-centered leadership and resilient team cultures to smart technology, grassroots innovation and visual management systems, you’ll gain actionable insights and proven tools to strengthen your improvement journey.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking for one another.
