There’s a common belief that AI is only for the technical crowd. Cheryl Thompson is on a mission to prove otherwise, and she’s living proof that you don’t need a technical background to make AI one of the most valuable tools in your leadership toolkit.

Gayle Lantz speaks with Cheryl Thompson, who began her career on the plant floor at Ford, then worked her way into engineering. After a long career at Ford, she launched an organization serving more than 70 manufacturers in the automotive and manufacturing industries. Today she has turned her full attention to helping operations leaders build practical AI capability.

Cheryl is an operator first, not a technologist, which is exactly why her approach resonates with leaders who feel overwhelmed or behind. In this conversation, she shares why AI adoption fails culturally before it ever fails technically and offers refreshingly simple, real-world ways to start experimenting–no tech background required.

This episode covers:

• Why AI adoption is really a culture and change-management challenge, not just a technology rollout
• How leaders can model AI use authentically, starting with personal, low-stakes examples.
• Practical starting points for teams in healthcare, higher education, and beyond
• How to evaluate the growing sea of AI tools and resources without feeling overwhelmed
• Simple techniques for getting better results from AI, including building a “board of directors” to challenge its output
• Why pushing back on AI’s confident answers is important to do
• How AI can support not just your professional to-do list, but your personal well-being too

Whether you’re just getting started or looking for new ways to build AI fluency across your team, this episode offers a grounded, encouraging perspective on why staying curious matters more than becoming an expert.