The rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs) like Gemini and ChatGPT is rapidly transforming the business landscape. Authored by T. Alexander Lystad, CTO of Visma, this guide offers leaders practical advice on adopting and leveraging these tools as essential co-pilots for navigating daily tasks and strategic challenges.
For leaders, these tools are no longer a novelty but increasingly essential co-pilots for navigating daily tasks and strategic challenges. This guide, inspired by a workshop I created for Visma leaders, offers practical advice on how to adopt and leverage LLMs effectively in a leadership role (although much applies to non-leaders as well!)
Harnessing LLMs for high-value leadership tasks
LLMs can be powerful allies in numerous leadership functions.
Deep research
Think of this as commissioning a week's worth of research and a summary report, condensed into 5-15 minutes. LLMs can conduct market or company research, compare products/technologies, and identify relevant trends using information discoverable via search engines. For best results, provide ample context, ask multiple models in parallel, and be prepared to post-process the often verbose reports (e.g., summarise for a specific audience or extract key actions).
Example prompt: Analyse the key disruptive technologies emerging in the <your specific industry, e.g., B2B SaaS> sector. What are their potential impacts over the next 3-5 years, and what strategic opportunities or threats do they present for established companies like ours? Focus on actionable insights.
Summarisation
Quickly grasp the essence of news articles, academic papers, industry reports, or even board decks. Be specific about the desired perspective, style, format, and target audience for the summary.
Example prompt: Summarise the attached 50-page industry trend report <or paste text/link> into a concise one-page executive brief. Highlight the top 3 most critical trends for our business, the key opportunities, potential risks, and suggest 2-3 immediate strategic questions our leadership team should discuss.
Writing assistance
Overcome the blank page. LLMs can help create outlines, draft content from first principles or existing material, and refine intros, conclusions, or headlines. I like to write a lot myself to ensure the content remains authentic and personal, but AI is great for suggesting an outline, expanding on your own bullet points, or filling in a missing hole in an article, for example.
Example prompt: Suggest an outline for an article explaining the imperative and efficacy of investing in AI upskilling of developers.
Preparing for meetings and interviews
Enhance your preparation for vendor meetings, internal discussions, job interviews, or press engagements. Use AI for brainstorming and input, but always lean on your personal experience and judgment.
Example prompt: Help me prepare for a meeting with strategic partner <company> about <initiative>. My key objectives: <Objective 1, e.g., Assess strategic fit>, <Objective 2, e.g., Understand their tech capabilities>. Provide a concise brief on <company> (recent relevant innovations, market position, key partnerships). Provide 3 sharp questions to ask them regarding their capabilities, resource commitment, and strategic alignment for this initiative. Anticipate 2-3 challenging questions they might ask us, with suggested concise response strategies.
