I know there are plenty of things on the list of possible strategies for our business, and you might be thinking I am suggesting adding a new one. But for now, I am not (necessarily) suggesting an “AI Strategy” to compete with your Marketing Strategy, Supply Chain Strategy, or Go-to-Market Strategy. Instead, I am asking if you have an AI “little s” strategy. A plan to help you stay aware of and capitalize on it as it evolves.
My Evolution
A couple of months ago, when talking about AI with our team, I shared a slide about my personal evolution in thinking about AI. It looked something like this:
- December – This is interesting.
- January - Is this like NFT and Clubhouse? (i.e. Lots of initial splash, but ultimately narrow in application. Not living up to all the hype.)
- February - We need to try this stuff.
- March - I need to learn (much more) about all this.
- April - How will this transform our business?
So, my creation of an AI strategy started to form in February. That was when I shifted to recognition and awareness that this was going to be more than simply interesting. I didn’t know what this AI stuff might mean to us then, nor do I completely know now. But I do know it needs to be on our radar and a part of our thinking and learning habits.
Where Are You?
Where are you on this journey? If you are where I was in December or January, I urge you to move forward. That is the point of this article.
How to Get Started
Here are five things you can do to start to create a strategy for you and/or your team, and perhaps move the conversation in your organization as well.
- Start a conversation with your team. Learn what they know, are thinking, and what tools they are using. You will likely find champions. Early adopters who start to get everyone thinking about this in the business context.
- Encourage people to try. Even if you don’t know what to use in the business context, encourage people to start playing around with the tools. Even if it is non-work on work time.
- Try it yourself. Start playing around. Don’t try to make it all about business to start, but keep your business hat on too. Don’t know where to start? After your team conversation, you probably will. If not, search YouTube and you will be able to jump in wherever you want/feel led to.
- Start the business conversations. Encourage people to share their ideas and what they have learned. Start looking for ideas that you can replicate or have others try too. You may find ideas for process or productivity improvements or new offerings or enhancements. Don’t start looking for something specific, let testing drive things to start.
- Implement small. As you try these other four tips, you will find things to implement, so do it. Don’t wait for or expect the earth-shattering to start, just find wins for everyone.
What’s Next?
For some businesses in some industries, you will need to create a “big S” strategy around AI. A key part of how you think about and allocate resources moving forward. And as you start to think organizationally, I would urge you to avoid policy and think pilot instead. Things in this area are changing fast. “Policies” may become outdated or have drastic unintended consequences almost immediately.
Perhaps your organization isn’t spending much time on this yet. Maybe you are a mid-level or frontline leader without much top-level, organizational influence. There is still a case for having a “little s” strategy for yourself and your team. I urge you, using the tips above, to start on that journey today.
0 comments