To save time with busy clients, create a "synthetic" version in a GPT trained on their public statements and past feedback. This allows teams to get work 80-90% of the way to alignment internally, ensuring human interaction is focused on high-level strategy.

Generic use cases fail to persuade leadership. To get genuine AI investment, build a custom tool that solves a specific, tangible pain point for an executive. An example is an 'AI board member' trained on past feedback to critique board decks before a meeting, making the value undeniable.

The Atlantic CEO Nick Thompson turns hours of meeting prep into a single hour using AI. He prompts it to pull bios of attendees, suggest relevant questions, create digital flashcards with names and companies, and then quiz him. This specific workflow ensures he arrives fully prepared for important networking events.

To overcome the sentiment that AI is just hype, Snowflake's CEO advocates for building and using internal AI agents daily. He personally uses a sales agent on his phone in executive meetings, demonstrating its practical value which drives both internal adoption and external credibility.

A powerful, practical application of AI for leaders is to treat it as a multidisciplinary advisor or "Co-CEO." This framing allows for high-level collaboration on strategic planning, tapping into AI's expertise across finance, legal, HR, and operations.

An Executive Assistant at Zapier built an AI agent that automates her weekly meeting prep. The agent researches external attendees, checks the CRM and internal comms for context, and delivers a digest and tasks. This saves hours of manual work and ensures thorough preparation.

Power dynamics often prevent leaders from receiving truly honest feedback. By implementing AI "coaching bots" in meetings, executives can get objective critiques of their performance. The AI acts as an "infinitely patient coach," providing valuable insights that colleagues might be hesitant to share directly.

Brian Armstrong uses an AI connected to all company data (Slack, G-Docs) as a C-suite coach. He asks it questions like "What should I be aware of?" or "What did I change my mind on most?" to surface hidden issues and get objective feedback, treating the AI as a mentor.

An executive created a custom AI agent to handle repetitive tasks like meeting prep, calendar triage, and email. This "chief of staff" provides analysis, suggests delegations, and even offers blunt feedback, demonstrating how AI can be personalized to augment executive functions.