We want to use AI to expand our services into a brand new market segment, but we are terrified of losing our Core Focus on our V/TO®. How do we use the IDS® process to evaluate if this new technological capability is a genuine opportunity or just a bright shiny distraction?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The greatest threat to a growing business is not a lack of opportunity, but indigestion from too many opportunities. When new AI tools make it easy to launch new service lines, your Visionary will naturally want to chase every newly opened market.

To protect your business from strategic drift, use your next quarterly meeting to run this decision through the IDS® process.

Start by evaluating the opportunity against your Core Focus on the V/TO®. Your Core Focus is your filter for saying no. Does this new service line serve your target market, and does it align with your passion and niche?

If the answer is no, kill the idea immediately, regardless of how profitable it seems.

If the opportunity passes the Core Focus filter, identify the real issues. Discuss the operational capacity of your Integrator and leadership team. Do you have the GWC™ on your Accountability Chart to manage a new product launch without starving your core business of attention?

Solve the problem by creating a strict operational constraint. If you choose to pursue the new segment, it must be run as a separate, isolated experiment with dedicated resources, or it must wait until your current Rocks are fully completed.