Small and medium-sized businesses are at a turning point. AI agents are quickly reshaping how work gets done—making it faster, more flexible, and more efficient. But what does this mean for businesses without massive innovation budgets?
Together with fellow LinkedIn Learning instructor Ian Barkin, I discussed how agentic AI works, how it differs from traditional automation, and how SMBs can start using it without building everything from scratch. Here are the highlights from yesterday’s conversation…
Introducing Goal-Oriented, Digital Team Members
Many people still equate AI with chatbots or rules-based automation—systems that follow simple instructions: if X, then do Y. But AI agents go several steps further. They don’t just wait to be told exactly what to do—they take a goal and figure out how to accomplish it.
For example, you can give an AI agent the following goal: “research competitors in a new market.” Traditional automation would fail. But an AI agent can access data, break down the task into steps, use tools to collect information, evaluate the results, and even draft a recommendation. That’s the evolution: from fixed steps to flexible reasoning.
This distinction matters. If you’re in operations, marketing, or customer service, understanding what agents can do will help you deploy them in the right places. And it helps you avoid being misled by vendors slapping an “agentic AI” label on old systems. Ask: does this tool take goals and dynamically figure out how to deliver on them? If it does, you’re likely working with an AI agent.
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Agentic AI is everywhere in the tech headlines—but what does it really mean for business leaders and their teams? Andreas Welsch and Charlene Li (Author and Speaker) break down the hype and explain what decision-makers need to know about this rapidly evolving space.
Reviewing Your Tech Stack for Built-In AI and Agents
The natural path to using AI agents often starts with what you already use. But don’t start with the tools. Start with the friction.
Where are your teams repeating tasks? Where is your team bogged down by routine? That’s your starting point. Then, check if your current software can help. Odds are, it can. Maybe it’s a customer service tool that answers 80% of questions. Maybe it’s a marketing platform that drafts campaign copy. Maybe it’s a CRM that now recommends actions based on pipeline insights.
Most small or medium-sized businesses’ tech stack includes Microsoft 365, HubSpot, and a helpdesk platform. Those vendors are already embedding AI and agents. That’s why the easiest first step on your company’s AI adoption journey is learning what they’ve shipped into your existing tools over the past two years.
Most importantly, you don’t have to build everything yourself. A lot of times, you can use them with some customization. Let your business need guide the solution and get a head start without the overhead. It also helps you build internal credibility as someone who drives transformation without causing chaos.
Expanding AI Readiness from Technology to People
There’s no shortage of frameworks out there for “AI readiness.” Most start with infrastructure: your data, your tools, your integration capabilities. But that’s only half the story. Readiness is also emotional, cultural, human.
If your team hears “AI agents” or “AI-first” and immediately thinks “job loss,” you’ve already failed your first deployment—before it even starts.
AI agents succeed when people feel like they’re getting superpowers, not pink slips. That means leaders need to communicate clearly: what these tools will do, what they won’t, and how they’ll support—not replace—teams. That also means inviting your team into the process. Ask them: what takes too long? What’s repetitive? What’s frustrating?
That’s where agents come in. They remove friction, not roles.
And here’s the overlooked benefit: involving your team actually helps you discover the right use cases faster. The people who do the work know where the inefficiencies are. Trust them. Empower them. Let them co-design the future of work inside your company. That’s how readiness becomes real—not just technical.
Conclusion
AI agents are starting to change how work gets done. To get real value, small and mid-sized businesses need to:
Understand that AI agents are goal-driven systems—not glorified chatbots.
Start with business friction, not shiny tech, and leverage the AI already built into their existing tools.
Treat readiness as a human question, not just a tech checklist.
Leaders who do this well will elevate their teams, make work faster, more focused, and more human. To get started, ask your team what’s slowing them down. Then explore what agents can do to help.
Request a vendor review and see which of your software already has AI and Agentic capabilities.
Learn all about AI agents with our courses on LinkedIn Learning
Agentic AI: Challenges and Opportunities for Leadership | English | German | Mandarin (by Andreas Welsch)
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