A real concern Lincoln leaders raise
We can't tell if AI is actually working for us
Real concern. McKinsey 2025 found only 39% of organizations report any EBIT impact at the enterprise level, and only ~6% qualify as high performers. The answer isn't a better dashboard — it's better metrics.
Text Rosey · Schedule a call →Common questions from Lincoln leaders
- Why is AI ROI so hard to measure?
- Most teams measure activity (token spend, login frequency) instead of outcomes (cycle time, error rate, customer outcomes). Activity gets gamed; outcome metrics produce signal.
- What's the realistic ROI range?
- Wide. Deloitte Q4 2024 found 74% report meeting or exceeding ROI on advanced initiatives, 20% above 30%. McKinsey 2025: 39% report any EBIT impact, ~6% are 'AI high performers'.
- Should we kill our AI initiative if we can't measure ROI?
- Almost never. Switch to workflow-level outcome metrics. If those don't move after 90 days, then yes — but the diagnostic usually finds 'we measured the wrong thing.'
- When does hard EBIT impact show up?
- Usually only after workflow redesign at scale. McKinsey 2025: AI high performers are nearly 3x more likely to have fundamentally redesigned workflows.
- How do we set realistic expectations with leadership?
- Three tiers: 3 months for one workflow, 12 months for cumulative gains, 24+ months for EBIT-level impact. Promising tier 3 in 90 days is how trust erodes.
Sources
- 39% of organizations report any EBIT impact at the enterprise level from AI — The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation, McKinsey & Company (QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey), 2025
- About 6% of organizations qualify as 'AI high performers' — those attributing 5%+ EBIT impact to AI — The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation, McKinsey & Company (QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey), 2025
- AI high performers are nearly 3x as likely as others to say their organizations have fundamentally redesigned individual workflows — The state of AI in 2025: Agents, innovation, and transformation, McKinsey & Company (QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey), 2025
- 74% of respondents say their most advanced GenAI initiative is meeting or exceeding ROI expectations (43% meeting, 31% exceeding) — Now decides next: Generating a new future — State of Generative AI in the Enterprise Quarter four, Deloitte AI Institute, 2025
- 20% of organizations report ROI on their most advanced GenAI initiative in excess of 30% — Now decides next: Generating a new future — State of Generative AI in the Enterprise Quarter four, Deloitte AI Institute, 2025
Related
→ Start here
Text Rosey to begin.
Rosey is our executive-assistant bot. Text the number below — she'll ask two questions, offer three calendar slots, and put a 30-minute call on Jim's calendar.
Text Rosey · Schedule a call →