By Dean Newlund.
How Leaders Can Harness Artificial Intelligence Without Losing Their Humanity
We’re in the midst of an AI gold rush. Across boardrooms and C-suites, leaders are urgently asking: What should we do with AI? But amid the excitement, most organizations are missing a critical point—AI doesn’t fix dysfunction; it exposes it.
In this insightful conversation on a recent episode of Leadovation podcast between leadership expert Dean Newlund and Greg Shove—Silicon Valley entrepreneur, educator, and founder of the AI coaching tool Prof.ai—the message is clear: jumping into AI without foundational clarity is a recipe for failure.
The problem? Leaders are adopting AI tools without first understanding how work actually gets done inside their companies. The solution? Start with clarity, culture, and process—then use AI as a co-pilot, not a crutch.
Key Ideas and How to Implement Them
1. AI is a Truth Serum—It Exposes, Not Fixes
AI isn’t a miracle cure—it reveals the inefficiencies and dysfunctions already embedded in your operations. Leaders need to treat AI as a diagnostic tool first. Begin by auditing workflows across departments. Understand how value is created and where friction exists. This clarity is the foundation on which effective AI implementation can be built.
2. Start with Language-Heavy Roles
AI’s greatest strengths currently lie in language—text generation, summarization, and pattern detection. That makes roles in marketing, sales, and content-heavy teams ideal starting points. Introducing AI here allows for fast wins and scalable improvements in both speed and quality of output.
3. Reframe AI as a Thought Partner, Not a Search Engine
Many still treat AI like a fancy version of Google, inputting keywords and expecting magic. But the power of AI comes through dialogue. Train teams to engage with AI in conversation—to iterate, clarify, and go deeper. The more context you give it, the more valuable its insights become.
4. Set Up ChatGPT for Personalization and Productivity
ChatGPT’s settings allow you to tailor the AI experience to your workflow. Custom Instructions can personalize tone, format, and context awareness. Memory settings help the AI retain key facts about your style and needs. Activate these features to maximize ChatGPT’s efficiency and relevance.
5. Use ChatGPT for Teams to Securely Scale AI
Security, privacy, and collaboration are top priorities when scaling AI use. ChatGPT for Teams allows organizations to standardize use, protect company data, and share GPTs and workflows among users. It’s an essential upgrade for companies taking AI integration seriously.
6. Build AI Projects and GPTs for Ongoing Use Cases
AI Projects and custom GPTs create persistent, shared spaces where work, context, and documents live together. For example, building an internal GPT trained on company values and operating principles provides employees a living, breathing knowledge base they can query and collaborate with.
7. Try Prof.ai for AI Coaching and Upskilling
Prof.ai is a free AI coach built for the workplace. It’s designed to make AI fluency accessible and practical. Whether you’re a novice or experienced user, it walks you through use cases, scenarios, and ideas to enhance your work. Organizations can leverage it to upskill employees at scale and embed AI into daily workflows.
8. Replace Static Training with AI Role Play
Instead of watching generic training videos, employees can now role-play scenarios with AI. From difficult conversations to performance reviews, AI can simulate real-time feedback and help users build confidence. It’s the next generation of learning—experiential, personalized, and scalable.
9. Use the OAT Framework: Optimize → Accelerate → Transform
Greg’s OAT framework offers a roadmap: start by optimizing internal operations, then accelerate customer-facing services, and finally, consider full transformation. This phased approach ensures organizations are grounded before leaping into innovation or disruption.
10. Don’t Wait. There’s No Slowdown Ahead.
AI innovation is compounding rapidly—doubling in capability every six months. Waiting for the dust to settle is not a viable strategy. The best approach? Start today. Allocate 30 minutes a day for hands-on AI use, experiment with premium tools, and integrate learning into daily habits.
Resources & Tools Mentioned
Prof.ai – AI Coach to build fluency and confidence
ChatGPT Plus & Teams – For memory, privacy, and collaboration
Claude.ai – Alternative LLM with powerful ‘Projects’ feature
Gemini by Google – Google’s LLM with deep integration
Use custom instructions and memory in ChatGPT to personalize your AI assistant
Create GPTs and Projects for onboarding, coaching, and knowledge sharing