OVERRIDE
You weren't hired to ask permission. You were hired to deliver results.
Change management assumes good faith. This book doesn't.
An AI transformation and organizational resistance playbook for leaders, practitioners, and change agents.
Machiavelli. Sun Tzu. Alinsky. Now You.
The Reality
80% of AI projects fail.
Not because the technology doesn't work.
of AI transformation projects fail to deliver expected value
MIT Sloan / BCG, 2024
of workers actively resist new technology adoption
Gartner, 2023
of transformations fail without structured methodology
McKinsey, 2023
The problem isn't your technology, your budget, or your timeline. The problem is that the people who should want AI transformation are the same people who will lose power, comfort, or relevance when it succeeds.
The Playbook
Machiavelli. Sun Tzu. Alinsky. Now You.
OVERRIDE draws on four strategic traditions to give you a methodology that actually works when the organization is fighting you every step of the way.
Map the Terrain
Decode the resistance genome. Identify who fights you, why, and how.
Build Your Arsenal
Forge stealth coalitions. Create proof that silences skeptics.
Deploy & Survive
Execute the 72-hour framework. Navigate attacks. Protect your position.
Scale & Institutionalize
Transform insurgency into infrastructure. Make change irreversible.
What's Inside
312 Pages of Operational Strategy
15 Chapters
Four-part strategic methodology from reconnaissance to institutionalization
17 Templates
Field-ready worksheets for every phase of your transformation campaign
11 Scripts
Word-for-word scripts for the conversations nobody wants to have
72-Hour Framework
Rapid deployment playbook for time-critical transformation windows
4 Strategic Traditions
Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Alinsky, and Gramsci — operationalized
Real-World Playbooks
Battle-tested scenarios from organizations that actively resisted change
Who This Book Is For
If You've Ever Thought: “Why Won't They Just Let Me Do My Job?”
The Mid-Level Leader
You see the opportunity. You have the mandate. But the organization won't move. You need tactics, not theory.
The AI Practitioner
You can build the solution. But nobody asked you to. And the people who should want it are actively fighting it.
The Change Agent
You've read the change management books. They assumed rational actors and good faith. Your organization has neither.
What You'll Walk Away With
After Reading OVERRIDE, You'll Be Able To
Diagnose resistance patterns — confused, threatened, or hostile — and respond to each
Map the real power structure behind the org chart
Build stealth coalitions that create momentum before opposition mobilizes
Navigate political attacks on AI initiatives without losing credibility
Deploy the 72-hour rapid framework for time-critical transformation windows
Create proof-of-value that silences skeptics with results, not arguments
Institutionalize gains so change becomes irreversible
About the Author
Loren T. Cossette
Applied AI Strategist, Architect & Builder
Loren has led AI strategy and implementation across complex, resistant organizations — from government agencies to enterprise environments. OVERRIDE is built from field experience deploying AI systems where nobody asked for them, doctoral research in AI-augmented organizational change, and two decades of strategic military leadership. He builds the systems, navigates the politics, and writes about what actually works.
Credentials
- 20-year military career — E-9 (top 1% of enlisted leadership)
- Ph.D. candidate in Leadership & Program Evaluation
- M.S. in Organizational Development · M.A. in Psychology
- Prosci Change Management Certified · SHRM-SCP
- AI program mentor at UT Austin & Johns Hopkins
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything You Need to Know About OVERRIDE
OVERRIDE is for mid-level leaders, AI practitioners, and change agents who are trying to drive AI adoption in organizations that actively resist it. If you have the mandate or the vision but the organization won't move, this book gives you the tactics.
Both. Executives get a strategic framework for understanding why AI transformation stalls and how to unblock it. Practitioners get operational templates, scripts, and playbooks they can use immediately. The methodology works whether you have executive support or not.
Traditional change management assumes rational actors and good faith. OVERRIDE assumes neither. It draws on Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, Alinsky, and Gramsci to give you a methodology built for organizations where resistance is political, personal, and structural — not just a communication problem.
All three. OVERRIDE treats AI transformation as an organizational power problem, not a technology problem. You get strategy for reading the terrain, tactics for building coalitions and navigating opposition, and operational templates for deploying and institutionalizing AI systems.
Yes — that's exactly the scenario it was built for. The book's four-part methodology starts from the assumption that you may be operating without top-down buy-in. It shows you how to build proof, recruit allies, and create momentum from the middle of the organization.
OVERRIDE is currently available as an ebook on Amazon and other digital retailers. The hardcover edition is in production and will be available soon through major retailers.
Stop Asking for Permission.
Get the AI transformation playbook built for leaders and practitioners who are done waiting for buy-in.