Stop Explaining, Start Showing
1. Context
I’ve been trying to explain my “AIOS” concept, the system/process I use to turn AI into a reliable partner. Recently, I even tested myself: I fed AI both my reflections and a transcript of me explaining a starter kit companion. Then I asked it to score me, 0–5, on whether I’d delivered a clear, well-run session. It gave me a 2.5/5 Not surprising. I knew something was off, but I couldn’t pin it down.
2. What I Tried
My instinct was to go under the hood: explain the mechanics, the gears, the geeky details of how I built it and why. I genuinely wanted to teach people the way I learned, the paths, the mistakes, and principles to move forward to experiment themselves. But that’s not how most people receive new ideas.
3. What Happened
AI helped reveal what I’d missed:
- I was over explaining the engine, not showing the drive.
- I was teaching from where I am, not meeting others where they are.
- I was repeating a mistake I knew well since I was a young professional: assuming if I can do it, everyone else can too.
4. Takeaway
For most people, the value isn’t in the OS or process or principles. It’s in the Companions:
- How they lighten project load.
- How they carry insights, context, and continuity forward.
- How they expand our project perspectives and reminding us of options and ideas we’d forgotten.
The details can come later. Geeking out belongs in other forums, not in the first team conversation.
5. Reflection
This experience reminded me of something simple I picked up in APAC: show up where they are, not where you want them to be. The irony is I thought I’d already learned this lesson. Reframing was a survival skill in cross-cultural work. Yet here I am, relearning it in a different context. And that’s the point: it’s not a box you check once. It’s a practice, every single day. This week’s lesson? Passion for the mechanics is fine, but start with clarity and usefulness first. Trust and the geek out sessions will come after when we’ve done the first part well.