EP 261 The Four AI Cliff Archetypes

Some AI projects in your organization feel weirdly easy. Others feel impossible. In this solo workshop-style episode, host Susan Diaz introduces the Four AI Cliff Archetypes - Divers, Pathfinders, Operators, and Bridge Builders - and shows how understanding your mix of people (not just your tools) explains most of your AI momentum or lack thereof.

Episode summary

Susan opens with a familiar problem: in the same organization, some AI projects glide and others grind to a halt. The difference, she argues, isn’t the tech - it’s how different types of people respond when they hit a “cliff” moment, where the familiar path disappears and AI represents a big, unknown drop.

Drawing on personality and operating-style frameworks like Kolbe for inspiration, she introduces the Four AI Cliff Archetypes:

• Divers - jump first, learn in motion, create raw experiments and speed.
  
  

• Pathfinders - map risk and opportunity, research, and ask the hard questions.
  
  

• Operators - take a plan and run it, turning ideas into executed workflows.
  
  

• Bridge Builders - turn chaotic experiments into systems, documentation, and “this is how we do it here”

Listeners are invited to score themselves 0-10 on each type as Susan walks through how each archetype behaves at the cliff, what sentences give them away, and how they help or hurt AI adoption if unmanaged. She then moves from personal reflection to organizational design: how to sequence work so each type shines in the right place - especially across the AI flywheel of audit, training, personalised tools, and ROI.

She closes with a “cliff to bridge” sequence - Divers jump, Pathfinders map, Operators ship, Bridge Builders scale - and a practical homework exercise for mapping real people on your leadership team to each archetype so you can stop fighting human behaviour and start designing with it.

Key takeaways

The friction isn’t just tools, it’s temperament. AI feels like a cliff: the path ends, the map is unclear, the bottom is invisible. People respond to that uncertainty in patterned ways - and those patterns shape your AI projects.

The Four AI Cliff Archetypes:

• Divers - “Let’s just try it.” Early experimenters who move fast, download tools before memos, and learn by motion. They create velocity and risk (shadow AI, lack of documentation, burnout).
  
  

• Pathfinders - “Hold on, what does this do?” Risk scanners who research, ask for evidence, and think about policy and edge cases. They prevent disasters but can get stuck in analysis.
  
  

• Operators - “Tell me the plan and I’ll run it.” Execution machines who thrive on clear outcomes, ownership, timelines, and metrics. They build powerful machines… which can be pointed at the wrong target if leadership is vague.
  
  

• Bridge Builders - “No one should have to jump this every time.” System designers who create repeatable workflows, playbooks, and training so experiments become infrastructure. They can over-engineer too early if they don’t have real-world data.

No one type is “best” - you need a mix. A team full of Divers = chaos. Pathfinders-only = analysis paralysis. Operators-only = beautifully executed wrong things. Bridge Builder-only = process with no proof. Balance beats dominance.

Sequence the humans, not just the tasks. Susan offers a simple sequence for AI initiatives:

• Divers jump - generate raw experiments and discover real use cases.

• Pathfinders map - assess risk, compliance, and opportunity.

• Operators ship - turn what works into pilots and deployed workflows.

• Bridge Builders scale - standardize, document, and build bridges so others can cross safely.

Map archetypes onto your AI flywheel. In audit, Pathfinders and Bridge Builders lead with Divers exposing shadow systems. In training, Bridge Builders and Operators lead while Divers provide examples. For personalized tools and ROI tracking, all four types play different roles - from prototyping to governance to metrics.

Design for behaviour, don’t fight it. You can’t force Divers to become Pathfinders or Operators to become Bridge Builders. You can design projects, governance, and sequencing so each type does the work they’re naturally wired for - reducing friction and accelerating adoption.

Episode highlights

[00:02] Why some AI projects feel easy in your org—and others feel impossible.

[00:26] “It’s not the tools. It’s the people.” Setting up the archetype model.

[01:16] The cliff metaphor: the path ends, the map is unclear, and AI = the drop.

[01:57] Inspiration from Kolbe and operating modes for creating these archetypes.

[03:11] Introducing the four types: Divers, Pathfinders, Operators, Bridge Builders.

[04:14] How to play along: scoring yourself 0–10 on each archetype.

[04:53] Deep dive on Divers: language, strengths, and how they accidentally create shadow AI.

[06:41] The “sandbox plus guardrails” playbook for managing Divers (including burnout protection).

[08:02] Pathfinders: risk scanning, research, and how to avoid permanent evaluation mode.

[09:37] Two-week sprints and one-page memos as tools to keep Pathfinders moving.

[11:02] Operators: “tell me the plan and I’ll run it,” and why goals matter more than tools.

[13:04] Translating AI into workflows and metrics Operators can own.

[14:22] Bridge Builders: turning chaos into infrastructure and culture (“this is how we do it here”).

[15:40] Pairing Divers + Bridge Builders, and Pathfinders + Bridge Builders, to avoid over-engineering.

[17:27] Why a team full of any single archetype breaks your AI efforts in predictable ways.

[18:35] Mapping each archetype onto the AI flywheel: audit, training, tools, ROI.

[21:28] Applying the model to your leadership team: spotting overloads and missing roles.

[22:37] The “cliff to bridge” sequence: Divers jump, Pathfinders map, Operators ship, Bridge Builders scale.

[23:38] Homework: map one current AI initiative against the four archetypes and adjust who does what.

Use this episode as a mini workshop for your next AI initiative:

1. Score yourself across Diver, Pathfinder, Operator, Bridge Builder.

2. Pick one real AI project and write actual names next to each type on your team.

3. Ask: “Where are we overloaded, where are we missing a type, and how can we re-sequence the work so each archetype shines at the right moment?”

That’s how you stop treating AI like a terrifying cliff - and start treating it like a crossing your whole team actually knows how to make.

Connect with Susan Diaz on LinkedIn to get a conversation started.

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