Michael W. Allison

AI is not moving too fast. Our accountability is moving too slowly.

I use AI. I build with it. It helps me analyze information, reduce repetitive work and move ideas into ex*****on faster.

But I also see organizations adopting AI without answering some basic questions:

1. What information should it be allowed to access?

2. Who checks its work?

3. When should people be told AI was involved?

4. Who has the authority to stop it?

5. Most importantly, who owns the outcome when it gets something wrong?

We are spending plenty of time discussing what AI can do. We are not spending nearly enough time deciding what it should do, where the boundaries belong and who remains accountable.

This affects more than productivity. It affects jobs, education, privacy, security, trust and the quality of our thinking.

My position is simple:

AI can extend human capability. It cannot absorb human responsibility.

I unpack that position in my latest article, including what leaders, educators and organizations should consider before deploying another AI platform, agent or automated workflow.

Read the article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ai-moving-too-fast-our-accountability-slowly-michael-w-allison-smnwe/

After you read it, I would like to know your answer: Who owns the outcome when AI gets it wrong?

Some Sundays do not need a strategy. They need good weather, a little laughter, and the right person beside you.

Courtney is much better at reminding me of that than I am at remembering it.

If your mind is already in Monday, come back to today. The people you love should not have to compete with work that has not even started yet.

Happy Sunday from us.

I have worked in combat zones, on the railroad, in government, in education, in franchise business and in rooms where billion-dollar decisions were being made.

The environments changed. Human behavior did not.

When pressure rises, people look for clarity. They want to know what matters, what has changed, what is expected and whether the person leading them can be trusted.

That is why I do not believe leadership begins with charisma. It begins with the ability to remain honest, make a responsible decision and communicate clearly when the answer is not obvious.

Experience gave me the situations. Education gave me language. Reflection helped me understand what those situations were trying to teach me.

The responsibility now is to make those lessons useful to somebody else.

The keynote had not started yet. My preparation had.

This faraway selfie was taken before I walked onstage as the keynote speaker for United Way NERC. I was using those few minutes to take in the room, study the distance, feel the atmosphere and mentally rehearse my opening, transitions and response if something changed.

I believe strong performance requires mental repetitions. Visualization is not pretending everything will go perfectly. It is giving your mind an opportunity to experience the environment, pressure and possible adjustments before the stakes are live.

This applies beyond a keynote stage. Your stage may be a boardroom, interview, sales presentation, classroom or difficult conversation. Before you enter, picture how you will begin, identify what matters most, decide how you want people to experience you and prepare for the plan to change.

Comfort is not always something you feel first. Sometimes it is something you build through preparation.

People may call it confidence when they see it in public. Often, they are seeing the private work that happened before the moment began.

There’s something powerful about being in a room full of people who have committed their careers to strengthening communities and creating opportunities for others.

It was an honor to deliver Adversity Leadership: Lead with Precision When It Matters Most at the United Way Northeast Regional Conference 2026.

We talked about what leadership looks like when the pressure is real. When resources are limited. When expectations are high. When the path forward isn’t obvious.

Because leadership isn’t only about how we perform when everything is going according to plan. It’s about how we respond when it isn’t.

Clarity. Courage. Culture.

Thank you to the United Way team for the invitation, and to everyone in the room who leaned into the conversation, shared their energy, and continues doing the work that makes a difference in communities every day.

I’m grateful I had the opportunity to close out the conference with you.

Keep leading when it matters most.

Adversity does not automatically make you stronger. Sometimes it leaves you angry, isolated, exhausted and carrying things other people cannot see.

I know that because I lived it.

When I returned home from Iraq, the battle did not simply end because I was no longer in combat. I had to confront trauma, my mental health and the decisions I was making with my life.

That is part of what Chris Sund and I discussed on the newest episode of the Amplify Speakers Podcast. We talked about combat leadership, faith, discipline, rebuilding after trauma and the origins of Adversity Leadership®.

I also shared my framework of Decision, Direction and Destination. A decision interrupts the pattern. Direction gives that decision somewhere to go. Your destination is shaped by what you repeatedly choose to do next.

This conversation is not about pretending pain was a gift. It is about accepting responsibility for what comes next, even when you did not choose what happened.

Watch or listen here: https://youtu.be/kyXO7F4BW1g?si=0aLDupiL1WUbbN_S

A lot of you have supported Break The Bottle from the beginning. You bought the book. You shared it. You sent me messages about what connected with you. Some of you even bought copies for other people.

I appreciate every bit of it.

Now I have a small favor to ask.

If you've read Break The Bottle, I would love for you to leave an honest review on Amazon.

It doesn't have to be long. Tell me what stood out to you. Maybe it was the 3-D Framework™ of Decision, Direction, and Destination. Maybe it was one of the stories. Maybe something challenged the way you think about adversity, identity, limitations, or where you're going next.

Whatever it was, share it in your own words.

Reviews matter because there is someone out there who has never heard of me or this book. They're trying to decide whether Break The Bottle is worth their time, and hearing from someone who has actually read it can make that difference.

I'm proud that Break The Bottle became a bestseller. But I didn't write it just to sell books.

I wrote it because I know what it feels like to get stuck inside circumstances, beliefs, experiences, and versions of ourselves that can become their own kind of bottle.

And I also know we can break through them.

If you've read the book, I'd appreciate you adding your voice.

Kindle:
https://a.co/d/g8lqHtF

Paperback:
https://a.co/d/6HfaJpn

Hardcover:
https://a.co/d/2NvABEJ

And if you know someone who needs this message right now, share the book with them.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support my work and this journey.

Read it. Review it. Help the idea travel.

Some quality time comes with dinner reservations. Some of ours comes with a simple walk together or a gym workout.

Courtney and I have both made our health a priority, and getting a workout in together makes the work a lot more enjoyable. We spend time together, hold each other accountable, and try to keep smiling between sets.

Building a life together also means taking care of the two people living it.

Not a bad way to spend time with my favorite training partner.