Today is day 2123 of my daily barefoot-style running streak. I recorded the episode in strong wind, gasping between gusts, and I picked a heavy subject to talk through. AI is replacing admin staff work faster than most business owners are prepared for, and I had to tell my own team what that means for them.

What happened this week

I run a relatively small team. There are about eight of us. Four work remotely and four of us, including me, are field based. A couple of the people in that group are external contractors who do a large share of their work for me.

This week I sat down with my remote team and told them plainly that around 90% of their current workload potentially disappears within the next month. The reason is that I am embracing AI agents and automation, and they are taking over the repetitive administrative work.

I did not want to say this in a vague or softened way. They deserved the facts, and they deserved them from me directly.

How the conversation went

At first there was concern, shock and some fear. I understand why. When someone hears that most of their daily work is about to be handled by software, the natural thought is that their job is over.

So I said what I mean. I am not looking to move anyone on. These people have given me loyalty, trust and integrity over the years, and I value that. What I did was set them a challenge. I asked them to think carefully about how they want to add value to this business, or to the group of businesses, now that the work they did before will be done differently.

I also asked them to use the entrepreneurial skills I have been training them in for years. I want them to treat this as an opportunity, not a problem. The value they provide next will look very different to the value they provided in the past.

Once they understood this was not about cutting staff, the mood changed. I watched their eyes light up. I am looking forward to seeing what they bring back over the next few weeks. I do not know yet what the answers will be, and I would rather say so than pretend I do.

Why property is less exposed, and why that is not a reason to relax

I am fortunate that my main business is property. Of all the industries, it looks to be one of the least disrupted by AI. The UK has a growing and ageing population and a national shortfall of homes, and the gap is widening because we do not build enough. Supply and demand support the sector. Property is also physical. You are housing real tenants in real buildings, which is hard for software to replace quickly.

Remote services, professional services, agencies and consultancies face a different situation. Administrative work done remotely was widely praised as a productivity boost not long ago. It is now one of the first areas AI takes over.

My protection is partial. The admin inside my own business is changing regardless of the sector I sit in. That is the point I took to my team.

The lesson I wrote in my diary

AI is disrupting industry like never before. The number of jobs that become less significant or obsolete is frightening to some people and exciting to others. I think the useful response is to accept this is not going away and to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Find ways to add value that look different to what you did before.

That is also a leadership lesson for me. If I see a change coming and say nothing, I have not protected anyone. I have only delayed their chance to prepare. Honest notice, with a fair challenge attached, is the most respectful thing I know how to give.

What this has to do with the streak

Running every day teaches the same discipline. You do not control the weather, the wind or what the day throws at you. You control whether you show up and how you respond. Today the wind made recording hard, and I still ran and still recorded.

Consecutive days do not rely on conditions being good. They rely on adapting while the commitment stays the same. My team is being asked to do the same thing in their work. The commitment to the business stays. The way they deliver it changes.

The mission behind the miles

This vlog is part of a fundraiser. I am attempting the ultimate ultra-marathon by run vlogging on consecutive days, barefoot style, across the distance of a lap of the world, 40,075km. I have now run 16,319.07km, which leaves 23,755.93km to go. The target is to raise £1M for children's causes, because the more people I get in front of, the more money we raise and the more children's lives we save.

A business that treats its people honestly through a major change is a business that lasts. A long streak is built the same way, one day at a time, over many years.

If you lead a team

Ask yourself three questions: - Which parts of my team's work will AI handle in the next 12 months? - Have I told them honestly, and early? - What new value could each person bring, and have I given them room to find it?

If you manage people and recognise this situation, watch today's episode and tell me how you are handling it. If you believe in the mission, subscribe, share, like and comment. Every extra person who sees the vlog helps the fundraiser. I will be back out running tomorrow.

Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/VsQhRwobVSM