Most AI strategies start with the tool; we start with the friction. Before you buy another 50-page roadmap, use the AI Strategic Orientation Scorecard to identify the three biggest sources of friction in your organization and determine if AI is the right tool to sand them down.
Most AI “strategies” start with the technology. They ask, “What can this tool do?” In Chapter 5, we argue for the opposite approach. We start with the Friction.
Friction is anything that slows your team down, muddies your data, or drains your energy. It is the “sand in the gears” of your daily operations. By looking at your business through a Friction Lens, you stop being a consumer of hype and start being a surgeon of efficiency.
You don’t need a 50-page AI roadmap. You need to identify the three biggest sources of friction in your organization and ask if—and only if—AI is the right tool to sand them down.
The Question for This Week: If you asked your team today, “What is the single most annoying, repetitive part of your week?” would their answer point you toward a “Quiet Win” with AI?
The Next Step: The first step to shedding the weight is orientation. If you haven’t yet, take the AI Strategic Orientation Scorecard. It is a 2-minute diagnostic designed to help you determine if you are acting as an Architect of your future or a Troubleshooter for your technology.
