Ep 40: From Fear to Confidence: Guiding Teams Through AI Adoption with Leadership Expert Neil Tunnah

In this episode, Kate vanderVoort, Founder of the AI Success Lab, speaks with Neil Tunnah - former elite rugby coach, global leadership consultant and founder of The Performance Chain Group. Neil works with organisations across Australia and North America to help leaders build behavioural consistency, navigate uncertain environments and guide their people through rapid AI-driven change.

Neil brings grounded thinking and honest reflection to some of the biggest leadership challenges of this moment. Together, we explore why clarity is the currency of trust, how fear spreads when leaders avoid hard conversations, and why AI won’t replace good leaders but will absolutely expose the weak ones. He also shares lessons from elite sport on resilience, habit-building and culture that apply directly to today’s workplaces.

The discussion moves through strategy, psychology, culture and the realities facing teams on the ground. Neil also speaks openly about raising kids in this era and what the future of learning could look like with AI in the mix.

What We Cover:

• How AI is disrupting leadership and why behavioural consistency matters more than ever
• Why many leaders are confused about AI strategy - and how that confusion cascades through organisations
• Creating clarity when the truth is that leaders don’t have all the answers yet
• The danger of top-down AI strategies that ignore frontline experience
• Human friction points organisations keep missing when adopting AI
• The cultural gaps that stop AI projects from gaining traction
• Fear, job security and why avoidance only increases anxiety
• Lessons from elite sport that shape how leaders can develop resilience and habits that actually stick
• How AI can enhance coaching, development and performance conversations
• Why the future of learning needs to shift away from memorising and towards real personalised development
• Raising children during an AI-driven transformation and building the foundations they’ll need
• What the “re-engineering” of workplaces and society might look like over the next few years

Guest Bio: Neil Tunnah is a former elite rugby coach turned global leadership consultant and founder of The Performance Chain Group. He helps organisations across Australia and North America navigate change, embed behavioural consistency and lead well in an AI-shaped world. Known for a no-fluff approach to people and performance, Neil works at the intersection of culture, behaviour and leadership. He’s also a dad of two, a gym regular and still deeply connected to the rugby community.

Connect with Neil: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-tunnah-0a2071122/

The Performance Chain Group Listen & Subscribe: If you’re a leader, marketer or business professional wanting to understand how to navigate the human side of AI adoption, this episode offers timely, grounded guidance. Listen on your favourite podcast platform and follow the show for future conversations on practical AI in business.