AI Adoption Strategist | Change & Executive Communications
Meet colton.
“I get people to actually use the AI you already bought.”
Book a judgment callI'm not the implementation vendor, and I'm not a generalist change consultant. I spent two decades on the people layer inside Fortune 500 organizations, leading executive comms, manager enablement, and the trust-building that decides whether a rollout lands. I treat adoption as a measured number I'm accountable to. Big 4 firms bring a methodology deck. Boutiques bring a comms plan. I bring a diagnosis and a number I've moved before.
Book a judgment call.
Bring the AI initiative that's stalling—a rollout plan, flat adoption numbers, or a launch about to run. You'll leave knowing whether it's a tech problem or a people problem and what to fix first, whether or not you hire me. Paid call fees will credit toward project work if we go deeper.
1. Pick an offering · 2. Pick a time · 3. Confirmed
Strategy Call
PopularFreeStrategy session where I assess your readiness across the CYGNAL dimensions — trust, clarity, culture, executive alignment, manager capability, and adoption infrastructure. You get a scored view of the real break point and a prioritized roadmap before any proposal gets drafted.
Deep Dive
FreeDeep diagnostic where I build the actual adoption strategy with you — map the executive messaging, pressure-test the manager talking points against the hardest questions they'll face, and draft the change communications that survive contact with skeptical employees. You leave with a working strategy, not a template.
I fix the reason AI rollouts stall after the tech ships—the people layer, not the platform. Over 20 years I built internal, executive, and change communications functions inside Microsoft, Salesforce, Optum, UnitedHealthcare, and 3M, and I put that entire background against one problem: getting people to actually adopt the AI leadership already bought. The proof isn't the pitch — it's the number. I took Copilot from 18% to 55% active use across 10,000 employees in nine months. I am PROSCI-certified, have two Emmy Awards, and I hold myself to the adoption metric, not a communications plan.
Diagnose the people layer, build it, and prove it moved. Every engagement opens with a scored readiness assessment across the six dimensions of my CYGNAL Framework, so the fix targets the actual breakpoint—not a generic rollout template. You get a scored diagnosis and a prioritized roadmap, not a 60-slide deck. From there I build the infrastructure that makes adoption stick—executive messaging, manager enablement, and change communications—and stay embedded through rollout, tracking the work against real usage data, not sentiment surveys. Most consultants hand over a plan and leave. I stay involved until the number moves.
What I can do for you.
AI Readiness Diagnostic
$5,000A scored six-dimension CYGNAL assessment and prioritized 90-day roadmap that pinpoints exactly where AI adoption is breaking—delivered as a diagnosis, not a deck. It’s the fastest way to know whether you have a tech problem or a people problem before a board or QBR review.
10 Day Sprint
Embedded Adoption Advisory (CYGNAL Advisory™)
$6,000+Fractional AI change leadership embedded in a live rollout—executive messaging, manager enablement, and adoption measurement, owned end to end. For enterprise rollouts with stalled usage and a board deadline approaching.
Monthly (3 month minimum)
Manager Enablement for AI Change
$250Your managers are the single biggest predictor of whether AI adoption sticks. A working session series that equips them to lead their teams through the change and carry the message in their own words, not just forward an email.
Per Session (2 Session Minimum)
Change Communications for AI-Driven Restructure Change
Project ScopedWhen AI reshapes roles or restructures teams, communicating job changes without eroding trust is a discipline in itself. A change communications engagement designed for the hardest internal announcements.
TBD
Industries
Work that actually moved.
Copilot adoption from 18% to 55% across 10,000 employees in 9 months
At Optum, I diagnosed why a flagship Copilot rollout stalled after launch and rebuilt the people layer—executive messaging, manager enablement, and adoption tracking. Active use nearly tripled in nine months, turning a stalled seven-figure investment into a measurable win.
56% improvement in enterprise technology-initiative effectiveness
Restructured how Optum communicated and enabled major technology change, more than halving the gap between tools deployed and tools actually adopted.
25% employee engagement lift in 90 days
Rebuilt an internal engagement and communications program at 3M that raised employee engagement 25% in a single quarter and lifted employee brand visibility 30%.
Reached 50,000+ employees through global change programs at Microsoft
Led global change and engagement communications reaching more than 50,000 employees, building the messaging and manager-enablement infrastructure behind enterprise-scale transformation.
““Colton is one of the strongest AI adoption communicators I’ve worked with. He connected executive messaging, enablement, and change strategy into a cohesive system that reduced resistance and increased employee confidence. His ability to translate complex AI concepts into role-based clarity was invaluable.””
— , Director of Employee Engagement · Microsoft
““Colton transformed how our organization communicated AI-enabled ways of working. His executive communication frameworks and custom adoption toolkits gave our leaders clarity and confidence during a period of massive transformation. The campaigns he led reached our team of more than 50,000 employees and materially improved alignment across CE&S. His work accelerated Copilot readiness and helped us move from experimentation to real behavior change.””
— , SVP of CE&S · Microsoft
““Colton built the change strategy that made our AI-agent deployment successful. He designed the future-state operating model, clarified handoffs between the agent and our Tier 1 teams, and created the communications that helped employees understand the ‘why’ behind the change. His work moved us from theoretical AI value to real operational impact.””
— , VP of Global Workforce Operations · Salesforce
““Colton stood up our enterprise AI enablement capability from scratch. He built the operating model, governance guardrails, and adoption roadmap that moved Optum Technology from AI experimentation to scaled, measurable use. His Copilot program drastically grew monthly active users, which speaks for itself.””
— , SVP, Optum Technology · Optum
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