**OH SHI(F)T! NOW WHAT? – Book Review
How Kerryn Kathleen Kohl Is Rewriting the Rules of Leadership in the Age of AI**
By Karl Woolfenden — BCN.News
Time is moving faster than ever—or at least it feels that way. Information floods our feeds, workplaces are shifting beneath our feet, and technology evolves before our eyes. For leaders navigating this new reality, the question isn’t if they’ll need to change, but how quickly they can adapt.
That’s why Kerryn Kathleen Kohl’s new book, Oh SHI(F)T! Now What? Navigating the Age of AI, has struck such a nerve with executives across the globe. A leadership strategist based in Australia, Kerryn helps leaders and organizations face the chaos of the digital era while staying grounded in what makes us human.
During our recent conversation on BCN.News LinkedAM, Kerryn took us inside the ideas behind her book—ideas that are reshaping how companies think about talent, culture, collaboration, and the future of work.
What emerged was a powerful message: as AI accelerates, leadership must become more adaptive, more human, and more intentional than ever.
The Myth of Adaptive Leadership
One of the first things Kerryn tackles in her book is the misconception around adaptive leadership. Too many leaders, she says, are sprinting on a technology treadmill—adding tools, rolling out dashboards, and racing to keep up with competitors—while leaving people behind.
“We’re not making good use of the tools available to us,” she explains. “We’re trying to keep pace, but we’re losing the human stuff… We’re trying to lead with technology and leaving the people behind again.”
Her argument is clear:
Technology should support purpose—not the other way around.
The adaptive leader of 2025 isn’t the one who deploys the most software.
It’s the one who slows down, asks the right questions, and reconnects people to purpose.
Digital Transformation Isn’t a Tech Project—It’s a People Strategy
Digital transformation has become a buzzword, but Kerryn reminds us that it’s far more than a procurement exercise.
Most organizations, she says, start by chasing technology:
- What tools should we buy?
- What platform should we migrate to?
- What are competitors implementing?
But the real question should be: What are we trying to achieve?
Only then should technology enter the conversation.
“Be people-led and purpose-led,” she says. “Then choose the technology to support that.”
The danger of tech-first thinking?
Technical debt, overwhelmed employees, scattered communication—and a culture that breaks faster than it can be repaired.
A Digital Culture on the Brink
When I asked Kerryn about early warning signs that workplace culture is cracking under digital strain, she didn’t hesitate:
“I think we’ve missed them already.”
Quiet quitting, disengagement, and burnout aren’t isolated trends—they’re symptoms of an overwhelmed workforce. Employees are drowning in notifications, jumping between 10 different platforms, and struggling to make sense of the noise.
Kerryn argues that leaders must now step back and intentionally rebuild:
- Rebuild trust
- Re-establish clarity
- Reduce noise
- Re-engage people at a human level
And we need to do it thoughtfully—not by rolling out even more tech.
Collaboration Isn’t About Being in the Room
For years, collaboration has been used as the justification for returning to the office. But Kerryn challenges that assumption.
“Collaboration needs to be deliberate,” she says. “It’s not just what happens when people are in a room together.”
In reality, many meetings labeled as “collaboration” are little more than noise:
- Unstructured discussions
- No clear objectives
- Cross-platform confusion
- No decisions made
Real collaboration is purpose-driven and outcome-focused. It requires clarity, structure, and the right tools—not all the tools.
“We really need to cut out the noise,” she says. “Be intentional.”
The Trust Crisis—and the Power of Vulnerability
In one of the most compelling parts of the conversation, Kerryn addressed the trust deficit plaguing modern teams. Leaders, she explains, often respond to uncertainty by tightening control—micromanaging instead of empowering.
But what teams actually need is the opposite.
Leadership today requires:
- Humility
- Authenticity
- Co-solutioning
- Psychological safety
- Space to fail (with guardrails)
“We’re going to get it wrong,” she says. “What matters is that we’re able to fix it quickly and move forward.”
Vulnerability doesn’t mean oversharing—it means being human enough to say, “I don’t have all the answers, and that’s okay. Let’s figure it out together.”
Healthy Boundaries in a Borderless Workplace
Kerryn dedicates part of her book to boundaries—something she believes we’ve collectively lost.
With global teams, multicultural expectations, and 24/7 connectivity, boundaries aren’t optional—they’re survival tools.
Leaders must:
- Create shared team agreements
- Clarify communication norms
- Address cultural differences
- Protect mental well-being
- Encourage employees to know what’s in (and out of) their control
As she puts it:
“We weren’t designed for the volume of information we’re consuming. We need practices that help us know ourselves—and protect ourselves.”
Continuous Learning: The New Leadership Currency
Part III of her book emphasizes continuous learning as the foundation of future-ready organizations. And Kerryn believes we’re still getting it wrong.
Too many companies overwhelm employees with unstructured content, outdated LMS portals, and compliance-driven courses that check boxes but don’t build skills.
Her vision?
- Personalized learning paths
- Skills-based roadmaps
- Intuitive learning experiences
- Daily micro-practices
- AI-powered development plans
“Everyone should be able to upskill at their own pace,” she says.
“With AI today—even free tools—there is no excuse.”
Learning isn’t something leaders do once a year.
It’s a daily habit.
A culture.
A mindset.
The Bottom Line: Leadership Must Change Before Technology Does
After nearly an hour of conversation, one message stood out:
We are not living in a period OF change.
We are living in a period defined BY change.
The leaders who succeed won’t be the ones who chase every new technology.
They’ll be the ones who:
- Stay human
- Stay curious
- Stay adaptive
- Stay self-aware
- Keep learning
- And bring their people along with them
Kerryn’s book doesn’t offer a rigid model for leadership—it offers a compass.
A way to navigate a world with no playbook.
And in the age of AI, that may be the most important leadership tool of all.
Final Thoughts
As we wrapped up our conversation, I told Kerryn what I’ll say here again: Oh SHI(F)T! Now What? is one of the most comprehensive, practical, and human leadership guides to arrive in years.
It will challenge you.
It will center you.
And it will prepare you for a future that’s already here.
If you’re a leader, you need this book.
The link to the book is included below the podcast on BCN.News.
