Why “You Got This” Beats “Just Do It” in the AI Era

There's a new kind of motivation...

Okay, it's not new, but it had been lost in the endless quest for productivity.

But lately, I kept getting reminders.

I kept seeing an Adidas ad on repeat. It's two football players — Trevor Lawrence and Travis Hunter (I had to look it up) — training, laughing, and competing.

The tagline: You Got This.

At first, it sounded basic. Then I understood just why it worked.

It wasn’t about domination. It was about connection. Not “grind harder.” Not “prove them wrong.” Just two people pushing each other to be great — together.

What Most People Miss

We’ve built a culture obsessed with individual grit. But the data says grit without support burns people out.

Here’s what decades of psychology and neuroscience tell us:

• Barbara Fredrickson’s research shows positive emotions literally broaden attention and build cognitive flexibility. When you feel supported, you see more options.
• UCLA (and other) studies reveal that labeling emotion lowers amygdala activity — meaning you can think again under pressure.
• Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety proves that teams perform better when they feel safe to experiment and fail.
• James Coan’s experiments found that simply holding the hand of someone you trust reduces the brain’s threat response.

Support isn’t soft. It’s science.

And it may just be what separates the teams that succeed with AI from those quietly drowning in “change fatigue.”

Why This Matters Now

We’re living in the most accelerated work environment in human history.

AI tools evolve weekly. Roles shift monthly. Everyone’s being told to “adapt faster.” Few are being shown how.

The science shows that when people feel fear, their attention collapses to the nearest threat. When they feel safe, their attention expands to possibilities.

If your team feels supported, they experiment more. If they experiment more, they learn faster. And the organization compounds those learnings into a real advantage.

How to Build a "You Got This" Culture

You don’t need a new platform or policy. You need better human systems.

1. Start With State, Not Skill

Before diving into “AI strategy,” ask two quick questions:

• What feels overwhelming this week?
• What’s one small win we can create today?

Acknowledging tension creates bandwidth for focus. You can’t innovate from fight-or-flight.

2. Set a Floor Before You Raise the Ceiling

Instead of overwhelming everyone with a 50-page “AI-first” memo, pick one workflow. Example: draft weekly reports using ChatGPT. Set a clear floor (everyone tries once).

Then iterate after the first version. Progress > Perfection.

3. Make Micro-Help the Default

No one should face the hardest task alone.

Pair up for ten minutes to plan. Five minutes to review. Fifteen minutes of real collaboration beats hours of solo frustration.

4. Build the Feedback Loop Into the Work

Forget the 60-minute debrief. Use three short questions after each deliverable:

• What worked?
• What failed?
• What’s next?

Keep it inside the workflow. Build momentum.

5. Track the Signals That Matter

Don’t measure attendance at “AI training.” Measure interaction. Two weekly metrics:

• Help requests made
• Help given

If both are rising, culture is improving. Adoption will follow.

Plays You Can Run This Week

1. The 10-Minute Prompt Jam. Connect with a colleague. Choose a real task — client email, data summary, report draft. Write three prompts each. Compare outputs and merge the best.

Result: Better prompts, faster learning, and shared confidence.

2. Red Team Review: Pick one AI-generated document. Assign a partner to stress-test it: clarity, bias, missing logic. Swap roles.

Result: Higher-quality outputs and built-in trust.

3. Live Office Hours: Host a 30-minute drop-in every week. No prep. Fix one real work problem using AI in real time. Record it. Share the before-and-after.

Result: Learning that spreads because people see it work.

4. Friday Friction Log: Ask your team: “What slowed you down this week?” Collect three examples. And together, pick one to fix next week using AI or process tweaks.

Result: Continuous small wins that reduce stress and increase flow.

5. 60-Second Social Proof: Have a team member record a quick video or write a short post: “This used to take me two hours. Now it takes 20 minutes. Here’s how.”

Result: Real stories build belief faster than any memo.

The Real Lesson

“You Got This” isn’t a slogan. It’s a reality check.

A reminder that we perform best when we feel seen, supported, and connected — not alone and stressed.

The next era of performance won’t be defined by who’s toughest. It’ll be defined by who builds teams that can stay calm, creative, and collaborative under pressure.

Because in the AI era, the real edge isn’t just intelligence.

It’s emotional regulation at scale.

Your Next Step

If you found this helpful:

• Follow me for more insights on leading with EQ in the age of AI.
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• Or DM me if you’re building teams that want to succeed through transformation.