Quiet Shift Notes #01 – 6,789-slide deck can’t walk through a door

AIGate 60-X blinks red. Lemon-bleach clings where the touchscreen meets brass rail.

The queue snakes past the coffee cart. A woman nudges her glasses, checks her watch, and mutters, “So much for the ‘future.’”

Security grumbles, “Back to badges,” and the screen drops to plain-swipe mode. Plastic IDs slide—one… by… one. A man in a frayed lanyard rolls his eyes: “Didn’t even download their app—guess I’m ahead of the curve.”

The CEO drifts past with the project VP and slips through a private side door—badge never shown. Heads pivot; someone hisses, “AI or not, they still have their door.”

I replay the 6,789-slide deck the “smart guys” paraded past every steering committee—motion graphs, Excel checklists, all stamped “world-class templates.”

Their project tagline, plastered everywhere, still rings in my ears: “Technology that will reinvent your culture—and the way you walk through the door.”

I tried to be the change leader they budgeted for. Maybe IT will patch the glitch—or the gurus will pitch another 15,081-slide “culture-adjustment.” AI now cranks decks faster than the light blinks.

Meanwhile I’m just one more badge in the queue, billing project hours to watch the red flash.

AI panels and quick behaviour tweaks don’t shift culture; change follows the story—through people, pathways, and the undercurrents no checklist can chart.

— Owen Shore
Reluctant Change Leader . Quiet Shift Notes
(Yes—Owen is a character, not me.)

What red light do you keep noticing while the ‘promised solution’ still waits outside the door?

More Quiet Shift Notes coming soon—follow for the next story.