Why the majority is always wrong and why AI is key to doing better
The old playbook isn't working anymore.
A TED talk that started as a distraction while drinking coffee made me stop and think. "We live in a world where the questions might be the same, but the answers have changed." The speaker went on to say that if you want results you've never had before, you need to start doing things you've never done before.
Everyone's obsessed with efficiency gains, but the real transformation happens when AI breaks your existing approach entirely.
Take managers at every level, for example. Many are drowning in administrative tasks—reports, compliance checklists, status updates. This leaves little time for what leadership truly demands: stepping up, setting a clear direction, and guiding us forward.
But now, with AI as a sparring partner, managers have the chance to move beyond being glorified administrators. They can synthesise information—corporate knowledge, risk assessments, market shifts, those small signals bubbling up across teams—and finally see the bigger picture that's been obscured by the noise.
This isn't simply about doing the same things faster. It's about unlocking the capacity to step back, think ahead, and lead with clarity and confidence. AI clears the fog. It pushes back with mental models and insights that challenge our assumptions and reveal paths we might never have considered.
We expect our managers to take ownership and create excellence. But the norm is how we've always done things—the same safe steps that have proven "not too bad." Excellence requires the new, the breaking of things.
Leadership emerges when you're freed from the chains of administration and given a thinking partner that brings the knowledge of millions to bear on your specific challenges.
The majority will keep optimising for administrative efficiency. The "normal" keeps you busy while others move ahead.
