From 0 to 1: How to Find Your First Win With AI
The Resistance No One Really Talks About
Earlier this week I walked out of yet another conversation about AI feeling…flat and frustrated.
I had just shared some of the most exciting ways I’ve been using AI as Partner, how it’s helped me think bigger, move faster, create at a higher level. The people I was with nodded, even said things like “That’s amazing!” and “I need to do more of that.”
But then? Nothing. No follow-up questions. Likely no action. No change.
It wasn’t until I sat down to write this article that I realized something important.
No matter how great or impressive it sounded (and has been for us), sharing my experiences wasn’t really changing behaviors or actions for most of the people I was talking to. I wasn’t really creating much positive impact…which by now I hope you’ve learned is what really drives me.
The realization that finally clicked for me?
I’d been so focused on helping people treat AI like a game-changing Partner, that I skipped right over what most of them really needed first: a helpful Assistant — one that saves them time, clears mental clutter, and makes their day a little easier.
No wonder it wasn’t landing. I was trying to help change the game for people who hadn’t even stepped on the field.
They haven’t had that one magical moment where AI just…helps, works. Where they look at the output a second time and think: “Oh wow. That just saved me 30 minutes.”
That’s the moment when something shifts, when resistance softens into curiosity. This is how leaders like you take the biggest, hardest step…going from 0 to 1.
In coaching calls, team meetings, coffee chats, I hear it all the time: “I know I should be using AI more.” “I just haven’t made the time to figure it out.” “I don’t really see the use case in my business.”
And when I gently dig beneath those very reasonable responses, I usually find one of these real culprits: Overwhelm. Fear. Resistance. Perfectionism.
Because starting isn’t just about time. It’s about the discomfort of not being good at something again. It’s about being a stumbling, bumbling beginner, when you’re used to being really good at what you do.
Learning a new way to think and work? That stuff hurts.
Mentally. Emotionally. Sometimes even physically…and trust me, I’ve had the headaches on this journey to prove it.
The Shift: What a Win Really Looks Like
When people say they “don’t have time to learn AI,” what they usually mean is:
“I don’t have time to be bad at something right now.”
But here’s the thing: You don’t need to be good at it to get something out of it. You just need to get to your first win and let that change how you see it.
Not a big win.
Not a fancy CustomGPT.
Not a perfectly worded prompt chain.
Just that first little moment where AI becomes useful in a way that’s specific to you:
- Helps you prep for a meeting faster than you expected.
- Or skips past the blank cursor step saving you mental energy.
- Or explains something complicated in plain language that makes you feel more in control.
That’s what shifts people from “I should use this” to “Why didn’t I try this sooner?”
It’s the moment you go from overwhelm to “Oh… that was actually really easy.”
A Few Ridiculously Simple Ways to Go From 0 to 1
You don’t need to master prompts. You don’t even really need to know what you’re doing. You just need one moment of “Wait…that actually helped.”
Here are 6 easy ways to get your first quick win to save time, clear mental clutter, and build momentum.
Professional Wins
1. Transcribe a photo of a whiteboard or handwritten notes so you can actually use them
“Here’s a photo of my notes. Please transcribe so I can easily copy and paste into a Word doc. If there are any words you are less than 90%+ confident on, put two asterisks “**” before and after the word so I can review.”
2. Summarize a meeting transcript
“Attached is a transcript from my meeting. Create a recap so detailed that someone who wasn’t there could be 95% as up to speed as those who were. Organize by topic and not chronological and make sure to note any decisions made per topic. Include and prioritize any Q&As of the meeting as those are obviously things at least one person specifically needed clarity on. Create a detailed list of next steps and action items at the very beginning of the recap.”
3. Help clean up and organize a prospect list
“Attached is a spreadsheet of prospects which is messy and incomplete. Can you please help clean up and organize this list into a table format so I can copy and paste into Excel so I can upload into my CRM. Column 1 = First + Last Name, column 2 = Company Name, column 3 = email, column 4 = phone number in (###) ###-#### format, column 5 = notes. If any information is missing, leave the cell blank.”
Personal Wins
4. Replace a missing recipe ingredient
“Attached is my chicken rub recipe, but I’m out of paprika. What are three substitution options that would maintain the same flavor profile? Once we determine the substitute, rewrite the recipe with it.”
5. Explain something technical or medical in plain English
“Here are my lab results. Can you explain what these mean so a 5th grader could understand?”
6. Troubleshoot a broken item
“Attached is a photo of my treadmill. It started making a loud noise when I turn it on. What should I check first?”
These aren’t flashy. They’re real. They’re how resistance starts to give way to curiosity, and then to confidence.
The first goal isn’t to master AI, it is just to find your first moment where you say: “That normally would have taken 30 minutes, I can’t believe it only took 30 seconds.”
…and believe me, once you find the first one, you’ll start to see opportunities all around you. But it starts with just one.
Your Leadership Win Is Waiting
If you’re leading a team, this isn’t just about you finding your first win. It’s about what happens when you model that win for others. Because here’s the truth: Most people aren’t waiting for training. They’re waiting for permission. Permission to explore. To experiment. To not have it all figured out. When you say, “Here’s something I asked ChatGPT to help with this week and it actually worked,” you don’t just share a tool, you open a door.
You make it okay to be curious.
You make it okay to be clumsy.
You make it okay to be a bumbling, stumbling beginner.
And once people begin, once they feel that little “OMG” first win for themselves, they don’t go back. They start looking for more ways to create leverage. And more importantly, they start becoming the kind of leader or teammate who’s open, adaptive, and brave enough to try.
All of that starts with one tiny win. Not because it’s flashy. Because it’s yours.
The First Step is the Win
If you’ve been stuck at zero, I see you. I get it. This isn’t about catching up. It’s about starting in a way that feels real, doable, and actually useful.
So here’s your challenge:
Pick one task you were already planning to do today.
Ask AI to help with it.
Just one thing. One time.
Don’t try to make it overly impressive. Don’t aim for perfect. Just try. See if it can give you back even five minutes of your life.
Because the moment AI lightens your load for the first time, you stop thinking “I should learn this” and start thinking, “I wonder how AI could help with this.”
That’s how real adoption begins. Not with a mandate. Not with a strategy deck. With a small win that leads to a bigger shift.
Going from 0 to 1 isn’t just the start. It is the win. And it’s waiting for you.
Lead With Energy and AI,
Derek
P.S. When you pick your task, let me know what you tried and how it worked (good, bad, or somewhere in between). I can’t wait to celebrate the win (or the learning) with you!