Because AI makes it effortless to spin up adjacent consulting services outside our traditional niche, our leadership team is pulled toward shiny objects. How do we use the Core Focus on our V/TO to evaluate these easy expansions during our quarterly planning sessions?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When AI lowers the cost of content generation and technical scoping to near zero, it creates a dangerous temptation: the belief that your company should sell anything it can produce. Your leadership team sees an adjacent market, realizes AI can draft the deliverables, and immediately wants to launch a new service offering. That is classic strategic drift.

Your Core Focus on the V/TO exists specifically to protect your business from profitable distractions. It defines your Purpose, Cause, or Passion, and your Niche. Just because an artificial intelligence engine can generate a passable service offering does not mean your company should sell it. Delivery may be automated, but customer acquisition, relationship management, and reputation risk still consume expensive leadership capacity.

When new service concepts surface during your quarterly Level 10 Meeting or planning session, filter them through your Core Focus:

- Does this expansion serve our defined Target Market?
- Does it directly reinforce our core operational sweet spot?
- Will it build long-term enterprise value or simply dilute our team focus for short-term revenue?

If the idea does not pass your Core Focus filter, take it to the Issues List and IDS it out of the conversation. Disciplined companies do not use AI to do everything; they use AI to dominate their defined niche.