From debugging doubt to deploying action

How the future caught me by surprise 

After a short professional break – after all, I was busy raising a tiny human – I returned to the agency in September 2023. And BAM: the working world was different. Not just a little different, but fundamentally transformed, as if someone had clicked "install update now" while I was offline. AI was suddenly the number one topic of conversation. Our Managing Director Klaus, our innovation driver, leaped into everything with "Artificial Intelligence" in the title with the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy store.

Me, on the other hand? Skeptical. After all, I'm the "let's wait and see if it actually works" type. While Klaus was already juggling tools in his early-adopter euphoria, I was busy debating internally: Do we really need this? Are machines thinking for us now? And how on earth am I supposed to survive in a world where human creativity is flanked by algorithms?

It was a bumpy start. But reality didn't let me ponder for long. The first projects arrived, and I had to deal with AI – whether I wanted to or not.

Trial-and-error or:
How I learned to love the AI 

Admittedly, my first attempt at AI felt like my first dance lesson – clumsy, sometimes awkward, but also surprisingly fun. It started with internal experiments in our AI Lab. Generating copy, analyzing data, conjuring up creative ideas from the machine – much of it was new, some of it confusing, but some of it was also: Wow, this actually works.

And then came the moment where it clicked. A client project, a seemingly impossible deadline, and an AI tool that had my back. Suddenly, I had results on the table that made me think: Could I have pulled this off alone at this speed? Probably not.

"Change is not something you like – until you suddenly realize that you actually do like it."

– Verena Ploberger

Of course, it remains a trial-and-error process. Not everything works right away, and sometimes the AI spits out ideas that even a grumpy intern would have outperformed. But: I became faster, better, and above all, braver. Change is uncomfortable, yes – but it also opens doors to opportunities you didn't even see before.

Change?
Challenge accepted!

What did I learn from this journey? Change needs people who drive it forward uncompromisingly – thanks at this point to Klaus. It also needs people who bring the team along at every step, reduce fears, and show how the transformation becomes a win for everyone.

How do we implement this as an agency? Quite simply: we make ourselves the blueprint. We went through this change – with all its ups and downs – and can now rightfully say: it works. With the right strategy, the matching technology, and a pinch of humanity, change becomes not just bearable, but a real boost for creativity and productivity.

Fancy some change?

Are you facing similar challenges in your company? As an agency, we support you in not just mastering change, but actively shaping it. With our consulting, we guide you through the change process – step by step towards a successful transformation.

In the end, one conclusion remains:

Change management hurts, is exhausting, and is anything but comfortable. But with history's best attitude, a great team, and a bit of courage, it can be something absolutely wonderful.