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When I started my business nearly two decades ago, I shared the same reservations as many first-time entrepreneurs. As a natural introvert, I doubted whether I had the personality to lead a company. Fortunately, I pushed through those self-doubts and gradually discovered my leadership style. Today, however, many leaders face a new type of challenge: feeling like imposters in the age of AI. A recent Korn Ferry survey of 10,000 workers and executives found that AI contributed to 71% of CEOs and two-thirds of other senior leaders feeling imposter syndrome in their roles. With technology evolving at an ever-faster pace, the fear of falling behind is understandable. But it begs the question: Why are so many professionals adopting a wait-and-see approach to AI? In my experience, the best way to get started with AI is to carve out a bit of time for experimentation, explore new tools, and integrate them into daily workflows. As AI transforms industries, leaders cant afford to sit on the sidelines. If youre not already onboard, here are a few ways AI is helping CEOs run their companies more effectively. Transforming the decision-making process Being a CEO requires navigating an almost constant stream of decisions. While theres an argument for leaning on intuition, data is essential for wading through todays increasingly complex world. George C. Lee, co-head of the Goldman Sachs Global Institute, advocates leveraging AI in the C-suite to enhance effective decision-making. Writing for Fast Company, Lee explained that an AI-enabled system can analyze market trends, customer reviews, and competitive dynamics. He noted that such tools could broaden the context of any discussion, introduce novel insights, and connect the dots across complex scenario analyses. While some companies are developing proprietary AI models, widely available tools like ChatGPT are a great way to get started. They can conduct research and synthesize vast amounts of data in seconds, enabling CEOs to improve the quality of their decisions and make them faster and more confidently. Then, they can dedicate more time to big-picture topics like innovation. Theres a caveat: AI tools like ChatGPT are powerful tools, but they have the unfortunate habit of occasionally hallucinatingmaking things up. Its good practice to always verify essential information before relying on it for major decisions. Streamlining operations to focus on strategic growth As CEO of Jotform, Im always on the lookout for new automation opportunities. Integrating these tools requires an upfront time investment, but once the processes are in place, I regain that investment and more, leaving me wide swaths of time and energy to focus on strategic growth. According to an IBM survey of over 1,600 senior European executives, 82% of the business leaders reported having already deployed generative AI or intending to this year. A common motivation was the desire to improve efficiency by automating manual tasks. Leaders can use AI to automate routine tasks, such as tracking business metrics and trends. Tools like Microsoft Power BI provide centralized dashboards for real-time KPIs, while predictive analytics deliver trend updates and forecast outcomes, obviating the need to gather data manually. Or, take executive-level recruiting: CEOs can combine AI tools with personal insight to connect with talent faster. As Nancy Xu, Founder and CEO of Moonhub, said at Summer Davos this year: In a world where talent is traditionally the bottleneck for growth, I think the really exciting opportunity for AI agents is actually to compress the time scale that it takes to build ideas or companies to impact and make it possible to do that in a much more compressed time frame. As a result, CEOs can focus more on higher-level work, like ensuring their companies are continually evolving. Enhancing soft skills and boosting team morale Soft skills have long been underrated for CEOs, overshadowed by technical skills and business acumenbut that seems to be changing. According to Deloitte research, organizations are increasingly prioritizing soft skills in the C-Suite, like communication and critical thinking. CEOs can leverage AI tools to build and enhance these skills. For example, natural language processing tools, such as Grammarly or ChatGPT, can help leaders refine their communication style and messaging to be clearer, more personalized, and more empathetic. Sentiment analysis tools, like IBM Watson or Qualtrics, can analyze employee feedback or survey responses to take the temperature on team morale. That information in hand, CEOs can pinpoint areas where additional support might be needed and keep employee morale afloat. While AI will never replace leaders or human decision-makers, it can help them work faster, more efficiently, more effectivelyand at the same time, provide more guidance and support to employees. By experimenting with AI tools and integrating them into workflows, CEOs can navigate the increasingly complex modern business world and enhance, rather than eliminate, the human touch.
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Im someone who does a lot: Ive held multiple tech executive roles, founded and sold a startup, published an award-winning book, served on nonprofit boards, advised and invested in emerging companies, and kept a thriving creative life. Im also raising two kids with my husband. So its not surprising that Im often asked which productivity books I recommend. People are often surprised by my response: I dont read productivity books. Never havenever really wanted to. Why productivity books are BS I realized something recently, after going down a rabbit hole about productivity books from a heavily debated Threads post: the vast majority of best-selling productivity books are written by men91% of the top 100 titles, in fact. And most of these authors have mentioned having a wife at home, an arrangement that often implies shes handling much of the childcare and household management. That reality doesnt match my own. Like so many working women, I carry a substantial portion of the second shift at home: cooking, homework help, bedtime routines, and general emotional support. Research from the Gender Equity Policy Institute backs this up, showing that working women in the U.S. spend twice as many hours on childcare and housework as working men do. The big chunk of uninterrupted time that these authors count onwhether its a 5 a.m. stretch of sacred hours or a mini-sabbatical to reboot creativityjust doesnt exist in my life. If I tried to follow their advice, Id be setting myself up for failure or burnout. Here are just a few staples of popular productivity books that dont mesh with my life as a working mother: Early-Morning Routines: Waking at dawn isnt viable if youre up at night with a restless kid or catching up on work after bedtime. Even if I do manage to rise before the sun, I often have immediate caregiving tasks. Long, Uninterrupted Blocks of Deep Work: A meeting-heavy work schedule coupled with planned obligations, unplanned crises, and countless mom, can you help me? moments mean interruptions are part of my normal. Outsourcing Everything: Emotional laborlike scheduling playdates and tracking immunizationsdoesnt vanish just because you hire a virtual assistant. Plus, not everyone can afford or justify it. Rigid Scheduling or Time Blocking: Kids dont operate on neat timetables (and, really, work doesnt either). Its tough to block off an hour for anything when a single text from school can upend your day. Cutting Obligations. For mothers, certain obligations arent optional (e.g., kids doctor appointments, parent-teacher conferences, emotional support). How I stay productive (and happy) I didnt learn these tactics from a book, but Ive discovered my own methods that workwith motherhood, work demands, and a rich personal life. 1. Appropriate MultitaskingYes, multitasking often gets a bad rep, but Ive found a sweet spot when combining tasks that use different parts of my brain. Years ago, my then-5-year-old refused to sleep unless I sat in the corner of his room. While I waited for him to drift off, I wrote huge sections of my book on my phone. I also created an entire art series using Post-it notes and Sharpies during meetings where I only needed to listen, not present. I listen to audiobooks and podcasts while commuting or walking the dog. For me, its about being respectful to the momentif Im in a collaborative meeting or spending quality time with someone, I focus. But when theres an open lane to combine activities without shortchanging anyone, I take it. 2. Energizing ActivitiesThe biggest productivity hack, in my experience, is to fill my life with meaningful work and relationships. I dont have to muster the willpower to juggle my projects if they invigorate me. If I start feeling drained or resentful, thats a sign I need to rethink how Im spending my time. Surrounding myself with people, initiatives, and side projects that fill my cup ensures I have more energy for everything. 3. Rethinking productivityMaybe the most crucial shift is defining productivity on my own terms. I view time with my family and friends as productiveIm investing in relationships that matter. Creative hobbieslike aerial arts or art projectsare also productive, because they nourish my mental health. And rest is productive, because it replenishes the energy I need to show up fully in work and life. By refusing to measure myself strictly in terms of checked-off tasks or hours of deep work, Im able to free myself from the rigid structures that productivity books champion. Instead, I aim for a life thats fulfilling, balanced, and aligned with my prioritiesfamily, creativity, growth, and community. Im not knocking productivity gurus entirely; some people find motivation and clarity in those pages. But as a busy woman who shoulders domestic responsibilities alongside a big career and personal passions, I quickly realized their methods didnt reflect my world. If youre feeling squeezed by responsibilities and the standard advice rings hollow, dont assume youre doing it wrong. You might just need an approach shaped byand forthe realities of working moms. Remember: Your productivity isn’t measured by how well you follow someone else’s formulait’s measured by how effectively you create a life that works for you. The best lessons about getting things done don’t come from books written by those with different realities; they come from crafting your own path that honors all parts of who you are and what matters to you.
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E-Commerce
Need a little help ordering your next lunch? Starting Friday, fast-casual dining chain Just Salad will roll out a new mobile ordering feature it calls Salad AI, which relies on OpenAIs GPT-4o model to generate text and personalize recommendations that match a customers culinary preferences. Salad AI allows customers to select their dietary restrictions, nutrient priorities, and desired flavor recommendations and within 15 seconds, the AI-powered tool will generate four order ideas. Its a really powerful tool to navigate hundreds of thousands of potential combinations, says Nick Kenner, founder and CEO at Just Salad, in an interview with Fast Company. We felt super confident that the customer wants help. Salad AI will be available at all of Just Salads nearly 100 restaurant locations throughout the Northeast, Florida, and the metro Chicago area. The technology will also be added to the web version on desktop computers a little later this year. The inspiration for Salad AI came about a year ago when Kenner was discussing a personal desire to eat more vegan food, which also incorporated a lot of protein. I said it would be great if AI could tell me what to get on the Just Salad menu, recalls Kenner. And I brought that to our CTO [Matt Silverman] and he said, We can make that happen. The first of three prompt screens asks customers to select on preferences including vegan, avoid gluten, or minimize carbon footprint. Then, nutrient needs like high protein, low calorie, and low sugar are offered. The final step asks about cravings like sweetness, spice, and savory. In a demonstration, Fast Company opted for a vegan, high fiber, spicy salad bowl and the top recommendation was a spicy vegan fiesta that included kale, almonds, sweet potatoes, corn, and a cilantro lime vinaigrette. [Photo: Just Salad] Menu discovery, especially in high SKU restaurant categories like salads, is quite relevant for this [technology], says Mark Abraham, a managing director at Boston Consulting Group who has helped advise restaurant clients deliver more personalized customer experiences. Abraham says that a large chunk of investments in generative and predictive AI in the restaurant sector tend to focus on the employee and back-office operations. These use cases can make scheduling, hiring, and communication easier for employees, helpful for the industry as it faces a persistent labor shortage. AI can also help chains forecast future demand trends and to manage their inventory. But the last piece, which isnt as far along, are the customer-facing use cases. Already, predictive AI is being used to help make accurate, personalized recommendations for add-on items in mobile apps popularized by chains like Starbucks and McDonalds. We have seen up to an 8% lift in sales for customers who are getting those personalized offers, says Abraham of the power of predictive AI and machine learning. Inflation and the pressure on menu prices has led to a dip in demand, with overall spending at restaurants dropping 1.2% between December 2023 and 2024 according to trade group the National Restaurant Association. One way restaurants are looking to become more efficient is through automation, adding more self-checkout kiosks and incorporating robotics to churn out more orders at chains like Sweetgreen. What it does not replace is human connection, creativity, and innovation, says Fred LeFranc, founder and CEO at restaurant consulting firm Results Thru Strategy. A few major restaurant chains have honed in on the use of AI-powered voice assistants to take orders from customers at the drive-thru. Wendys in 2023 partnered with Google Cloud to launch FreshAI, tested first in Ohio and since expanded to a few dozen additional locations. But a similar effort at McDonalds, which worked with IBM, led to consumer backlash online because the AI-powered tool was getting orders wrong. McDonalds pulled the plug on the experiment last summer. Just Salad says it too explored AI in the drive-thru, but wasnt sold on the consumer experience. For now, it is sticking with humans processing those orders, though the chain will continue to evaluate those technologies as they evolve. Salad AI, Kenner says, also comes with a lot of freedom that allows customers to have the final say on their order. Even after the tool recommends a few customized salads, diners can make modifications before they buy. Its not intrusive, it is an optional step, says Kenner. It is like a professional assisting you in how to navigate our menu and find what you want.
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E-Commerce
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