During our recent "AI for Senior Leaders" live learning event, Geoff Woods, the bestselling author of The AI-Driven Leader, captured a crucial paradox in AI implementation:
"I literally interviewed over 200 execs one-on-one for my book. 100% of them said AI was the future and that they would adopt it, but less than 5% had taken any action."
At Learnit, we've been helping organizations navigate technological change for over two decades. Through our work with thousands of teams and their leaders, we've learned that success with new technology isn't about having all the answers – it's about expertise guiding curiosity, learning by doing, and goal-directed practice.
So, we brought three widely respected experts working on the front lines of AI adoption together with one of our most popular instructors to address this critical question:
The good news? AI is a leadership tool, not just a tech upgrade. And you don't need to be technical to make it work for you.
Three renowned AI experts joined Learnit's Mickey Fitch-Collins to share their transformative insights on how senior leaders can start using AI more effectively.
Our experts identified three key barriers to AI adoption:
The experts shared a game-changing framework for senior leaders that transforms AI from a simple query tool into a strategic thought partner: the Context-Role-Interview-Task (CRIT) method.
Context: Provide rich background about your situation and goals
I’m the CEO of a manufacturing company that’s leased equipment from a company in Japan and we’ll go bankrupt if we can’t restructure our debt.
Role: Assign AI a specific persona (e.g., investment banker, board member)
Your role is to act as an investment banker with deep expertise in restructuring debt.
Interview: Let AI ask targeted questions one at a time
Ask me up to three questions one at a time to deepen your understanding of the situation.
Task: Direct AI toward specific, strategic outcomes
Give me the top 5 non-obvious strategies I should deploy to get the board to restructure our debt.
The panel illustrated the power of this approach with two more compelling case studies: a CEO facing a hostile board who used AI to analyze the directors’ personalities and predict meeting dynamics leading to "the best board meetings we've ever had," and a sales team that transformed their reporting process from hours of manual work into an interactive, real-time dashboard. Additionally, each of our experts provided a demonstration of real-world ways senior leaders can use AI as a thought partner.
Strategic Planning Reviews with AI
(Demonstrated by Geoff Woods)
1. Create a new chat in ChatGPT
2. Structure your prompt with:
Context: "I'm reviewing a strategic plan for [specific goal]"
Role: "Act as an aggressive growth-minded board member"
Interview: "Ask me one question at a time, up to 4 questions"
Task: "Analyze strengths and weaknesses, and provide specific recommendations"
3. Upload relevant documents (e.g., strategic plans, reports)
4. Let AI interview you about the plan
5. Review AI's analysis of strengths, weaknesses, and recommendations
Custom GPT Clusters for Business Intelligence
(Demonstrated by Gabe Keading)
1. Create a central "brain" GPT with your company's core knowledge
2. Build specialized GPTs for specific functions (email, support, sales)
3. Use the "@" command to collaborate between GPTs
4. For sales analysis:
Upload sales data files to Projects
Request specific charts (e.g., "Make me a chart on ROI for sales reps")
Ask, "What data am I missing?"
Use Claude to convert insights into a React-based visual report
Agentic AI for Data Integration
(Demonstrated by Thiago Dasta)
1. Connect data sources (CRM, documentation, transcripts)
2. Let AI analyze patterns across all connected data
3. Ask specific questions (e.g., about pricing discussions)
4. Use insights to automate content creation and analysis
5. Apply findings to improve business operations
Thiago Dasta predicts 2025 will be the year of "agentic AI" - AI systems that can autonomously work toward specified outcomes. The time for senior leaders to build their AI foundation is now. Or, as Geoff Woods so eloquently put it, "Your questions create awareness of use cases. Taking action builds proficiency. Good communication delivers results."
The leaders who take action now will shape the future of their organizations. But success with AI isn't just about technology – it's about bringing your team along on the journey and creating a culture of practical innovation.
Ready to move from insight to action? Join our hands-on workshop, Lead AI Adoption for Your Team. This practical skill-building session helps managers and leaders:
The workshop is specifically designed for leaders who want to move beyond the hype and create real, practical value with AI while keeping their teams engaged and confident.
Want to dive deeper into the insights from our expert panel? Watch the full recording of this engaging session here.
The leaders who take action now will shape the future of their industries. Will your organization be ready?
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