This Moment Decides Who Leads in the AI Era. Which path are you taking?
Reading about AI keeps you safe. Building with AI puts you in the game. Learn why the implementation gap is the defining leadership challenge of our time.
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I stared at my screen, cursor blinking in an empty code editor, feeling completely out of my depth.
My background is business, not engineering. I’ve spent my career in strategy, leadership, and nonprofit work. Writing code? That was for other people.
But I had an idea for an app prototype. Instead of adding it to my mental “someday” list, I opened Claude and Bolt and just started.
Within hours, I had a working prototype. Not perfect, but real. Functional. Something I could actually use.
That moment changed everything. The breakthrough didn’t come from reading articles about AI features. It came from building something real.
Right now, two groups are forming based on this realization.
In this article, you’ll discover:
Why the gap between AI learners and AI builders defines leadership success
The fork-in-road moment happening now and why your choice determines everything
The solution I helped create to bridge the implementation gap
Thanks for reading! Leadership in Change Premium members save $325 (50% off) on COZORA yearly, the community where 13 hand-picked AI experts show you how to actually build, not just learn. Check out the Premium Hub for your exclusive discount code.
The Implementation Gap Is Real and Widening
Here’s what’s happening in real time:
One group is collecting AI courses, reading newsletters, and genuinely trying to understand this technology. They’re responsible and strategic. They want to get it right before they move.
Another group is shipping AI solutions, building prototypes, finding technical co-founders, and becoming go-to experts in their fields. They’re not smarter. They just made a different choice: they started building.
According to McKinsey’s latest global survey on AI, while more than three-quarters of organizations now use AI in at least one business function, only 1% of executives describe their gen AI rollouts as “mature.”
This isn’t just a skills gap. It’s a mindset gap creating a leadership divide that will define the next decade.
Why This Is Your Fork-in-Road Moment
Remember Kodak? They invented the digital camera in 1975 but chose not to disrupt their film business. By 2012, they filed for bankruptcy, while digital photography dominated the world they could have owned.
Or Blockbuster, who passed on buying Netflix for $50 million because streaming didn’t fit their store model.
Success today does not guarantee sustained success tomorrow.
The leaders who will define the next decade aren’t necessarily the most successful today. They’re the leaders who recognize this fork and choose to build instead of just learn.
This is that moment for AI.
What Building Reveals That Learning Never Will
When I built that first prototype, instead of reading another article, three things became clear:
First, the technical barrier was in my head. AI tools can bridge the gap between having an idea and making it real. The intimidation I felt wasn’t based on actual difficulty.
Second, building surfaces questions learning never raises. When you’re implementing something real, you encounter decisions and tradeoffs that theoretical knowledge doesn’t prepare you for.
Third, building creates momentum that learning kills. Every unfinished course left me feeling behind. Every prototype I built, even messy ones, left me feeling capable.
You stop being someone trying to understand AI and become someone who builds with it.
The Real Danger: Never Catching Up
AI advancement is exponential, not linear. The gap between early adopters and late adopters isn’t just growing, it’s accelerating.
Leaders who start building now develop:
Pattern recognition for what works
Networks of technical collaborators
Working implementations they can build on
Reputation as experts who deliver
Leaders who stay in learning mode accumulate:
Unfinished courses and overwhelming information
Theoretical knowledge with no application
Growing anxiety about falling behind
No proof of capability when opportunities arise
Six months from now, builders will have shipped multiple solutions and be positioned as experts. Learners will have more courses in their library, still trying to find the perfect time to start.
Why Two Creators and I Founded COZORA
When I realized this fork-in-road moment was happening, I didn’t just write about it. I helped build a solution.
That’s why I co-founded COZORA with Michael Simmons and Claudia Faith.
COZORA is what happens when you stop asking “How do I learn about AI?” and start asking “How do I actually build with AI?”
Here’s what makes it different:
Instead of 40 hours of content dumped on you, you get weekly live sessions with 13 hand-picked industry experts who show you how they work. You watch them build in real time.
Instead of learning alone, you find technical co-founders and implementation partners. This isn’t a discussion forum. It’s a community shipping solutions together.
Instead of hoping you’ll finish this time, you get a structured weekly cadence. One focused session. Real implementation support. Actual progress.
We currently have 13 experts, including:
Jeremy Caplan (79K+ subscribers, former TIME reporter, CUNY journalism director)
Michael Simmons (124K+ subscribers, published in TIME, Fortune, HBR)
Tom Kuegler (Built $100K online business creating AI tools for creators)
Wyndo (10+ years in tech, eliminates 80% of repetitive work with AI)
Jenny Ouyang (PhD scientist turned software engineer building AI products in public)
Claudia Faith ($0 to full-time income in 6 months using AI)
Tam Nguyen (Content automation engineer for founders)
Jonas Braadbaart (10+ year ML engineer building real-world AI automation)
Sam Illingworth (Professor pioneering mindful AI integration)
Ev Chapman (Knowledge systems designer for personal AI workflows)
Max Bernstein (Created “AI-Proof Positioning™”, software engineer)
Zain Haseeb (Founder of StrAItegy Hub cutting through AI noise)
Joel Salinas (bridging leadership and AI strategy, founder of two products generating over $1M yearly each, humanitarian leader)
These aren’t people who just teach AI. They live it daily. They build with it. They ship real solutions. And they’re showing you exactly how they do it.
This is just the beginning. Our vision is to connect hundreds of expert creators with a worldwide audience of builders, creating the largest community of leaders who actually implement AI instead of just learning about it.
What You Get When You Choose to Build
COZORA launched!!! Here are the live sessions coming:
Oct 30: Transcript to Gold ( Tam Nguyen)
Nov 13: Creating Your AI 2nd Brain (ME!)
Dec 4: Build and Ship Your First Web App ( Jenny Ouyang)
Plus live Q&A sessions every other week
We’re launching multiple cohorts throughout 2026—some focused on building, some on technical automation, some on creation. Whether you’re in construction, nonprofit leadership, entrepreneurship, education, or marketing, you’ll learn how to supercharge your skills with AI.
For Leadership in Change Premium members: 50% off yearly membership.
Join COZORA here or direct message me with questions.
The Choice That Determines Everything
You’re at a fork in the road.
One path keeps you safe. Keep learning, reading, and understanding. Stay on the periphery, watching others build.
The other path puts you in the game. Start building, shipping, and becoming the expert who delivers.
The gap widens every day.
Which path are you taking?
Let’s Connect
Direct message me with questions about COZORA or your implementation challenges.
LinkedIn / Community Chat / Email / Medium
PS: Many subscribers get their Premium membership reimbursed through their company’s professional development $. Use this template to request yours.
Starting to build, not just learn, is the real leadership differentiator in AI. Theory informs, but action shapes expertise and influence.
Nice stuff here on your Substack lately, thanks for writing!