Earlier thoughts · Rachel McBride

Earlier thoughts

Earlier thinking. Written in early-to-mid 2026, when my work centred on AI and workflow redesign. I've kept it for the record. It predates my current frames. For where I am now, start with Working frames.

My position on AI, v1.

An earlier statement of position. Kept for the record; the current stance has moved on.

Earlier stance · 6 min

Why Copilot can't fix what's actually broken

The reason AI keeps underwhelming in your organisation isn't the model, it's that knowledge work was never designed to be operated on. No smart layer fixes that.

Field Notes · 5 min

Observation: The grunt-work machine (NZ edition)

Notes on how high-value work gets pulled into low-value effort inside modern businesses.

Field Notes · 1 min

Observation: Not all AI is the same job

The leaders getting real leverage from AI don’t ask "which tool?" they ask "which phase of the work am I in?"

Field Notes · 4 min

Observation: Your judgement is more valuable now, not less

AI replaced the grunt work you were overqualified for, your judgement is more valuable now, not less.

Field Notes · 2 min

Artefact: Daily Capture

How I collect ideas safely, without turning every thought into a commitment.

Field Notes · 1 min

Observation: Saying “no” to AI doesn’t stop AI use. It drives it underground.

Banning AI use doesn’t remove risk; it pushes it out of sight.

Field Notes · 1 min

Observation: The organisations getting ahead aren't adding tools. They're removing friction.

Real leverage comes from removing friction, not adding capability.

Field Notes · 2 min

Observation: Copying your best performer doesn't scale. Their workflow isn't transferable, the pattern underneath it is

Ways of working don’t scale by copying tools; they scale when judgement is transferable.

Field Notes · 1 min

Observation: Your senior leaders are spending their day typing when they should be deciding.

Businesses value judgement, but organise work around typing and memory.

Field Notes · 1 min

Artefact: Daily HQ

How I decide what moves forward and why most things don’t.

Field Notes · 2 min

Observation: Delay creates hidden failure modes

Delayed operating change under AI creates quiet, compounding risk.

Field Notes · 2 min

As of

Last true: 22 June 2026

v1.0 · The archive index, published 22 June 2026. Lists the earlier observations and field notes kept for the record; the entries themselves are unchanged.