For the past week, it’s been difficult to talk about anything other than how perilous the economy is, how the unfurling trade war and specifically those sky-high tariffs are not only battering stock markets but are pushing countries towards recession in the US and globally. The uncertainty faced by businesses that their leaders must navigate deftly can quickly become existential for the smaller or less flexible ones.

I have started recording very short videos (60-90 seconds) that I am sharing on my LinkedIn profile and on Substack notes (I guess I am finally finding a use for that feature). In the video snippets, I highlight issues leaders must pay attention to and give tips on immediate actions you can take.

It is rather impromptu, but drawing on my experience having had to navigate through several crises, from the Great Recession to the pandemic uncertainties, I want to share practical tips asap as these are times when “wait and see” will not work for many businesses.

Go check out the videos please and give them some likes.

If you would like more specific help, a confidential and safe space to discuss your leadership and business dilemmas, or mentoring support in these highly stressful times you can book individual sessions directly with me here.

In the meantime, all of business must go on. That is one key issue – while retrenching and waiting is a natural instinct, it is in fact more important than ever to keep moving forward. So, here’s part 3 of Building AI into your Business Model – Without Gimmicks.

It is important to note that these pieces were not written by and for engineers, but rather non-technical executives and other leaders who want to understand what all this AI talk means for the operational, sales, customer service and other areas of the business – because this transformation can, should and will impact all functions.

Here’s what we’ve looked at so far:

Part 1 (find it here) – 72% of companies use AI, but is it to their strategic advantage? Can AI create value and help achieve strategic business objectives faster? Why do you need to develop use cases and what are those?

“This is why the conversation has to happen at the executive management and board level – as well as further down the organisation, what I like to call the “shopfloor”. AI cannot be considered in isolation, and it cannot become a “strategy” in and of itself. AI needs to be the enabler of strategic business objectives. But remember, strategic objectives are not necessarily tied to revenue or cost figures; they might be more about the quality of the business’s output, the customer experience or risk management.”

Alignment of AI strategy with the overall business strategy is paramount. Don’t do AI for the sake of doing AI.

Part 2 (find it here) – Why finding the right, non-gimmicky, most impactful use cases for AI in your business is a key step in the process. Which areas of operation do businesses use AI in already, and how to find what’s appropriate for yours.

“For those businesses that are not used to change, this step-by-step, “discover and experiment” approach might provide a way forward, if it finds the right champion within the business. Look for quick, easy changes that are internal-facing and low-risk.

Another area to explore is using Gen AI to help make sense of all the unstructured data your business has. Over the past ten years, we all got very excited about capturing data – the problem is using it effectively. There is an extraordinary amount of data that has been captured in this time and a lot of it is just languishing in the systems.”

In Part 3, let’s look at more detailed examples, and what kind of groundwork the business needs to do in relation to data. (This is still not a technical piece, instead what non-engineer leaders need to understand and explore for this transformational change.)

If you are looking for tangible and practical help, my business, Leading Values Advisors, has teamed up with highly qualified and commercially experienced AI experts to offer solutions. Do get in touch with me to find out more.

While we all get charmed by the constantly evolving capabilities of ChatGPT and its competitors when it comes to turning us into Studio Ghibli-style drawings, action figures or muppets, for most this excitement goes away fast. There are, however, more practical applications that can actually benefit your business flow.

According to Alix Partners’ Disruption Index 2025, business leaders are actively looking for opportunities to transform their businesses – a must, given that we are living in heightened uncertainty of geopolitical and trade war threats, supply chain challenges and quickly worsening business sentiment. Key takeaways from the report include:

• 80% of executives are optimistic about AI’s potential to drive growth and revenue

• 67% of CEOs report feeling highly disrupted, showing that rapid change is reshaping industries

• 57% of CEOs plan to deploy humanoid robots at scale within five years

I must admit I am highly sceptical about that last point. Really, really sceptical – I’d suggest humanoid robot workers will take longer to deploy across many businesses.