The Problem
Most CEOs are pushing AI adoption, but aren’t fluent themselves.
Why? Their daily work. Decision-making, oversight, relationship-building, doesn’t map cleanly to “obvious” AI use cases. This according to a New York Times report.
Meanwhile, employees are experimenting with AI to boost productivity.
The result? A credibility gap: leaders urging change they haven’t embodied.
The Transformation
Here’s the shift: AI isn’t just a tool for employees. It’s a strategic lens for leaders.
In The Challenger Sale, breakthroughs happened when reps changed the conversation, not just the process.
In AI and Innovation, Lewrick & Hatamleh argue leaders must swap linear thinking for exponential thinking—or risk irrelevance.
And Leslie Grandy’s Creative Velocity reminds us: creativity isn’t optional, it’s a core leadership skill, and AI is the accelerator.
When CEOs fail to use AI personally, they miss the exponential mindset shift their teams desperately need modeled from the top.
Proof
Executives like Bain’s Chuck Whitten are nudging peers toward small but symbolic shifts. Things like using Google’s AI assistant instead of defaulting to search.
But the real proof? Market outcomes.
Companies whose leaders adopt AI thinking are already outpacing competitors in speed, creativity and adaptability.
What You’ll Get (if you close the gap)
If you’re a CEO, founder, or leader, here’s what fluency unlocks:
⚡ Faster clarity — Pressure-test decisions, surface blind spots and synthesize data before big calls.
⚡ Sharper conversations — Use AI to script scenarios, challenger questions or negotiation framing.
⚡ Exponential vision — Spot market shifts earlier with AI-first “what if” analysis.
⚡ Cultural credibility — Your team follows what you do, not what you say. Modeling AI use signals safety and urgency.
Close the Gap
If you’re reading this, don’t be the executive urging change while staying analog. Start with one personal AI habit today:
Run your next board prep through ChatGPT.
Use AI to summarize meeting notes.
Pressure-test your strategy doc with an AI-driven “Challenger” lens.
Because here’s the truth: AI fluency is the new executive literacy.
Without it, you’re not just behind your employees—you’re behind the future.
👉 Ready to see where your bottleneck is hiding? Take the 60-Second Bottleneck Survey and unlock your fastest play to close the AI gap.