Every software vendor we use is pitching new AI features that promise to revolutionize our business, and our leadership team is getting distracted by shiny objects. How do we use our V/TO to filter out the noise and stay on track?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The market is flooded with vendor promises of AI-driven transformation. To protect your leadership team from distraction, you must use your V/TO as a strategic filter. Every new software feature or tool being pitched must align directly with your Core Focus and support your 3-Year Picture. If a tool does not directly accelerate your progress toward these goals, it is a shiny object.

When a department head brings a new AI tool to the table, do not let them pitch the features. Instead, force them to articulate how the tool improves operational efficiency and frees employees from low-value tasks for higher-value strategic work. If they cannot clearly map the tool to an improved metric on your weekly Scorecard, table the discussion.

Prioritize AI use cases that increase employee productivity as a starting point. Your employees represent a significant portion of your operating expenses. Streamlining their existing processes is a high-yield, low-risk strategy compared to adopting entirely new platforms that require massive retraining.

During your next Quarterly Pulsing, review your technology stack against your V/TO. Keep your operations lean and your strategic focus narrow. By filtering out the vendor noise, you ensure your leadership team spends its energy on the critical Rocks that drive profitability and build a clean, exit-ready company.