🤯 Don’t Make My Mistake

The day I realized AI isn’t just another tool

I used to treat AI like a shiny app.
Something to explore during downtime.
Something I’d test when I had extra bandwidth.

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Back then, AI felt like a novelty, powerful, sure, but not essential. I’d try a prompt, tweak some settings, generate a few ideas, then move on. A fun experiment. Something for the sidelines.

That changed during a conversation with a mentor.

We were catching up over coffee when I casually mentioned I was “playing around with some AI tools.” He nodded, then asked a question that hit harder than I expected:
“What’s your AI strategy?”

I didn’t have an answer.

Not a real one. Not a thought-out plan. Not even a direction.
I just sat there, blinking.

That question stayed with me.

🧠 Strategy vs. Tools: Why It Matters

Up to that point, I had been collecting AI apps like bookmarks. A summarizer here. A prompt generator there. A chatbot for creative ideas. None of them connected to any larger goal.

And that was the problem.

Tools are only useful when they serve a bigger picture.
Without direction, they’re just noise.

That moment forced me to take a step back and rethink everything.

What was I actually trying to improve?
Where was the friction in my day-to-day work?
Which areas needed clearer thinking, faster iteration, or fewer manual handoffs?

That’s when I realized I didn’t need more tools.
I needed a framework. A way to align AI with what really mattered inside the business.

🔁 From Experimentation to Execution

That mindset shift changed how I approached everything after.

Instead of asking “Which tool should I test next?”
I started asking:

  • “What’s our primary objective this quarter?”

  • “Where are the bottlenecks or delays?”

  • “Which tasks feel repetitive, shallow, or draining?”

  • “Where would better decision-making make a measurable difference?”

Once those questions were clear, the tools became obvious.
And more importantly, they started producing real results. Not because the tech changed. But because my approach did.

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🧭 A Simple Starting Framework

If you’ve been dabbling with AI without much clarity, you’re not alone. Most business leaders are still figuring this out. But the ones making progress tend to follow a simple path.

Here’s a quick way to start thinking more strategically:

  • 🎯 Begin with the outcome.
    Pick one area you’re focused on improving—speed, quality, consistency, decision-making, retention, etc.

  • 🔍 Spot the friction.
    Where are things slow? Where does communication break down? Which tasks feel tedious or overly manual?

  • 🤖 Look for enhancement, not replacement.
    Think of AI as an amplifier. Let it support your team’s thinking, not take it over.

  • 📊 Track meaningful change.
    Don’t just look for volume. Focus on clarity, time reclaimed, or better-quality decisions.

✍️ Try This

Take ten minutes with a blank page.
Write down your top three priorities for the next 90 days.
Then ask: What’s slowing this down?

Wherever you find repeated decisions, fuzzy thinking, or routine tasks—there’s usually a way AI can support that process.

You don’t need a complicated tech stack or a five-year roadmap.
You just need to start asking better questions.

That’s how strategy begins.