Our Visionary wants to build custom AI tools to sell to our clients, but our internal operations are still highly manual and inefficient. How do we align our leadership team on prioritizing internal AI productivity before chasing new market products?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Your Visionary is naturally drawn to shiny new revenue opportunities, but launching customer facing AI products on top of a broken, manual operating system is a recipe for disaster. You must align your leadership team to focus on internal operations first.

During your next quarterly planning session, use the IDS® process to debate this direction. Prioritize using AI to increase employee productivity as a starting point, as employees are a major P&L item and much time is spent on low value tasks.

If your internal team is drowning in administrative work, they will not have the capacity to support new, complex client offerings. By focusing on internal efficiency first, you prove the technology, build your team's AI capabilities, and free up cash flow.

Integrate AI into operations by identifying cumbersome processes that keep employees in low value tasks and use AI to streamline them. Once you have built a highly efficient, automated engine internally, you can package those exact workflows and insights for your clients.

Keep this prioritization clear on your V/TO®. Your current Rocks should focus entirely on internal productivity. Once those operational Rocks are green, you can transition your focus to external revenue opportunities.