The blank canvas and the seasoned eye.
Your AI budget is already gone.
Three Uber executives, three different seats, told the same story this spring. The cost category most boards govern quarterly is moving to hourly.
By April, Uber’s CTO had blown the AI budget he set in December. Three weeks later, the CEO said he was metering headcount and leaning further in. Two weeks after that, the COO asked aloud whether any of it was producing value. Three quotes, three seats, one cost category nobody had experience with. Here is why token spend breaks the quarterly cadence finance was built on, and the three questions a board should be asking by the next meeting.
Continue reading “Your AI budget is already gone.”You signed it. You own it. That is the only test that matters.
The argument over what counts as cheating is the wrong argument. Here is the one worth having, and the three questions that settle it.
A friend asked me last week whether it was cheating to have ChatGPT clean up his English before he sent a client memo. He is fluent, not native; the model fixes a stray preposition, tightens a sentence, lifts the register half a notch. He has been doing this for two years. He has never asked the question out loud before.
I asked him whether he uses Grammarly. He laughed. Of course, he uses Grammarly. Everyone uses Grammarly. Grammarly is not cheating; Grammarly is hygiene.
That is the entire debate, in two minutes.
Continue reading “You signed it. You own it. That is the only test that matters.”Going Deep: My Journey from ChatGPT User to AI-First Builder
Like many of you, I started experimenting with ChatGPT out of curiosity.
Initially, it was a helpful assistant, assisting with tasks ranging from writing emails to drafting summaries and even brainstorming ideas for presentations. I got good at writing prompts. I learned to coax better answers by refining my questions, layering context, and iterating until the output was just right.
But here’s what I quickly realized:
Being proficient at using ChatGPT doesn’t mean you understand how large language models (LLMs) and Generative AI (GenAI) really work, nor what they can and can’t do to transform a business.
I’ve had the privilege of leading global teams, driving SaaS transformations, and delivering meaningful outcomes. I’ve seen firsthand how technology waves come and go, from the early days of web software to mobile, cloud, and subscription models, but what’s happening now with AI is fundamentally different. It’s not just a new tool; it’s a new paradigm for how businesses think, operate, and create value.
And so, earlier this year, I made a decision: If I wanted to lead in this new era, I needed to go deep.
Continue reading “Going Deep: My Journey from ChatGPT User to AI-First Builder”GenAI for Business Leaders: Strategic Lever or Cognitive Trap?
Generative AI (GenAI) and large language models (LLMs), such as GPT-4o, have swiftly revolutionized our work dynamics. They have emerged as indispensable business tools, reshaping the modern corporate landscape. These advanced AI systems promise transformative benefits, driving unparalleled productivity, innovation, and profitability. Despite the complex challenges that come with their adoption, companies embracing GenAI are on the brink of a transformative era. The success of this journey hinges on intentional oversight, robust governance frameworks, and a strategic balance between automation and human judgment. How prepared is your organization to harness the full potential of this transformative era?
Continue reading “GenAI for Business Leaders: Strategic Lever or Cognitive Trap?”Are you leading or just reacting? A look at the systems thinking mindset
Most leaders don’t realize they’re stuck in a cycle of reacting to problems instead of solving them at the source. In this episode, we explore Systems Thinking—the mindset that helps leaders break silos, anticipate ripple effects, and make smarter long-term decisions. From the great toilet paper shortage of 2020 🧻 to business strategies that backfire, we’ll dive into why understanding the bigger picture is the key to effective leadership.
📖 Read the written companion to this episode: ccworld.ca/systems
Continue reading “Are you leading or just reacting? A look at the systems thinking mindset”Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Why Leaders Need a Systems Mindset
Leading a business is like running a control center. Every switch, gauge, and flashing red light represents decisions, external forces, and a network of human relationships. It’s tempting to jump from crisis to crisis, putting out fires. But without stepping back to see the whole system, leaders risk missing the bigger picture. Problems persist, and root causes remain untouched.
Systems thinking shifts focus from firefighting to foresight. It reveals hidden bottlenecks, delays, and inefficiencies. It helps leaders make smarter decisions by understanding how changes ripple across an organization.
My introduction to systems thinking came when I decided to attend an elective course at university. What I learned about seeing the bigger picture and inter-connectedness has shaped my thinking ever since. This mindset has helped me always consider how decisions ripple through organizations over time.
Continue reading “Seeing the Forest and the Trees: Why Leaders Need a Systems Mindset”Go beyond PLG and focus on the Customer Journey
In this podcast episode, I look at why it isn’t about Product-Led, OR Sales-Led, OR Marketing-Led Growth. It’s all the above simultaneously. It’s about Customer-Led Growth. It’s about delivering an end-to-end experience at every touchpoint of the customer life cycle that feels like one, delighting the user at every step.
This episode has a related blog post, and includes a graphical representation of the Customer Journey “Game of Life” and the Product “Ferris Wheel”.
Continue reading “Go beyond PLG and focus on the Customer Journey”V1 innovation within a V+1 organization
In this podcast episode, I look at how mature organization can be successful at disruptive innovation when everything they do if focused around incremental product improvements.
This episode is based on a corresponding blog post I wrote a few weeks ago.
Continue reading “V1 innovation within a V+1 organization”V1 innovation within a V+1 org
Startups are optimized towards launching version 1.0 offerings, identifying product-market fit, and putting in place the best go-to-market organization to attract new customers. Once the “magic” happens (or should I say the challenging work pays off), when users and products find each other in a happy place, the growth loops evolve towards retention in addition to the original focus purely on acquisition. As the company matures, there is a natural tendency to increasingly drive the business towards delivering incremental products, focusing on the existing target audiences. After all, that’s where the revenue has come from historically, so why not concentrate the R&D and go-to-market investments on what we know best and minimize financial risks? Larger companies sometimes have a hard time going after something unproven that will take investing multiple years to become a meaningful part of the revenue. It could even take market share away from existing offerings!
Continue reading “V1 innovation within a V+1 org”