Every week I talk with business owners who tell me:
“We’re using AI.”
When I ask about their AI strategy, the answer is often:
“We’re just trying things.”
That may be the most common AI strategy in business today.
It may also be the most expensive.
AI is creating one of the greatest business opportunities of our lifetime. Companies are using it to improve productivity, reduce costs, accelerate decisions, and enhance customer experiences.
Yet many organizations are approaching AI as a tool rather than a business strategy.
Employees are experimenting.
Departments are buying software.
Use cases are popping up everywhere.
But few leaders are asking the most important question:
Where will AI create the greatest value for our business?
For companies with 25–150 employees, resources are limited. Every investment matters.
Without a strategy, AI becomes a collection of disconnected tools and competing priorities.
With a strategy, AI becomes a force multiplier.
The goal isn’t to use AI everywhere.
The goal is to create measurable impact in:
• Growth
• Profitability
• Customer Experience
• Productivity
• Enterprise Value
The biggest mistake I see?
Treating AI as a technology project.
It isn’t.
It’s a leadership challenge.
The companies that win over the next five years won’t be the ones with the most AI.
They’ll be the ones with the clearest strategy and the strongest adoption.
Because AI doesn’t create value.
People using AI to transform how work gets done create value.
So ask yourself:
Are you implementing AI strategically—or simply winging it?
