Not Everything Should Be Automated. Part 2

I was speaking with a client in the travel industry about whether parts of his business operations could be automated with simple AI tools.

At first glance, the opportunity looked big: lots of manual, repetitive workflows - copy-pasting, document handling, and routine admin tasks. Normally, this is where automation shines.

But after digging deeper, we concluded together: automation wasn’t the right move for his company.

The company had three key players:

• The owner

• IT Manager

• Business Administrator

The goal was clear: reduce operational costs and minimize errors from manual data handling.

But there were two non-negotiable conditions: no layoffs, and no overwhelming the current employees.

The owner valued loyalty. Both staff members had shown deep dedication during difficult years, especially through COVID. They each had their own ways of managing operations, and change wasn’t easy for them. The “hidden cost” of change management - the mindset shift, retraining, and disruption - was too high.

On paper, AI and automation could deliver strong ROI. Faster processes, lower costs, fewer errors.

But the owner was also considering retirement. While curious enough to explore AI, he ultimately decided not to move forward - not because he didn’t see the benefits, but because the cost of disrupting his people outweighed the operational gains.

He knew efficiency wasn’t the only measure of success. For him, success meant running a business that valued people, not just profits.

The Leadership Lesson

Automation and AI are powerful. But they always come with change, and change is harder and more expensive, than most leaders give credit for.

This client showed me that sometimes, the best leadership decision is to say no to automation, even if the spreadsheets say yes.

His competitors may move faster. They may look “tougher.” But he understood the hidden cost of change management, and made a decision rooted in values. That deserves respect.

GetItDoneWith.AI's Takeaway for Leaders

• Automation is not just a tech decision. It’s a people decision.

  
  

• Efficiency is not the only metric. Loyalty, trust, and stability matter too.

  
  

• Change has hidden costs. If your team can’t absorb it, efficiency gains won’t materialize.

Not everything needs to be automated. Business should be built with humans in mind. What are the challenges you faced as a decision maker, when deciding whether to improve the operation or not? Are there are any not-so-obvious factors you consider, when deciding to implement changes?