Every time we have our Quarterly Collaboration or annual planning session, our Visionary spends half the day demoing shiny new AI tools instead of focusing on our company Rocks. How do we keep our strategic planning focused on execution without suppressing our team's creative ideas?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a classic case of what Gleb Tsipursky calls optimism bias. Your Visionary is naturally drawn to the exciting possibilities of new technology, but this enthusiasm can quickly derail your planning sessions and leave your Integrator with a mountain of half-baked ideas. To keep your meetings productive, you must establish clear operational boundaries.

First, protect your strategic planning pulse. Your quarterly and annual sessions are designed to evaluate your business performance and set your company Rocks, not to run software demos. If your Visionary brings up a new AI tool during the meeting, immediately drop it down to the Issues List on your V/TO®. Use the IDS® process to identify, discuss, and solve the issue at the appropriate time, rather than letting it hijack your agenda.

Second, create a dedicated channel for technology exploration. Do not suppress your Visionary's creativity; instead, redirect it. Set up a quarterly technology sandbox meeting outside of your regular strategic planning. This gives your Visionary a structured space to present new tools to the leadership team, provided they can answer two questions:

- What specific bottleneck on our Accountability Chart does this tool solve?
- What is the expected return on investment for our operations?

By separating strategic execution from technology exploration, you keep your leadership team focused on your immediate operational goals while ensuring that any new AI initiatives are thoroughly vetted before they are allowed to disrupt your team's focus.