Automation is leverage only when it is applied to a structured motion. Applied to a messy one, it just produces mess faster.
Automation does not fix a broken motion. It accelerates whatever is already happening. If the underlying process is messy, automation just produces mess at higher throughput.
Real leverage shows up when you automate the steps that are already structured, repeatable, and worth repeating. Everything else should stay manual until it earns the right to be automated.
The discipline is not technical. It is editorial — knowing what deserves to be systematized and what does not.