The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions

by Geoff Woods

The difference between growing your business and going out of business is your ability to think strategically. The problem is, most leaders are stuck in the operational weeds, struggling to find the time to make better strategic decisions. This challenge is only heightened by the rise of AI. While you know AI is the future, current demands leave you with no time to explore its benefits. Meanwhile, your competition is gaining an edge by integrating AI. The time to act is now.

In The AI-Driven Leader , you’ll learn how

Escape operational overwhelm and lead with strategic clarity (Chapter 3)Collapse the time it takes to turn data into decisions (Chapter 7)Transform your decision-making with AI for strategic advantage (Chapter 9)10x the impact of every employee (Chapter 12)Apply real-world examples and prompts to get immediate results (every chapter)Your company can adopt AI now and see immediate returns. The AI-Driven Leader provides clear guidance on where to begin, helping you achieve rapid results. With this book, you'll learn how to harness AI as your strategic Thought Partner, enabling you to grow your business, outpace the competition, and get more done in less time.

Praise for The AI-Driven Leader

“With Geoff’s guidance, our market cap soared from $750 million to $12 billion.”
-Naveen Jindal, Chairman Jindal Steel & Power“The guidance in this book helped us grow our revenue 600%."
-Jason Bronstad, CEO of Malk Organics

"A must read for any Executive. We collapsed hundreds of hours of work into minutes."
-Grady Davis, Former Vice President of Medtronic

"This book simplifies AI and delivers immediate value. It is an essential read for every leader and their teams."
-Robin Ross, Assistant Vice President of Costco

"Geoff's insights are deeply strategic, guiding leaders to use AI as a tool to achieve business goals without making AI the goal itself."
-Chris Winton, Former Chief People Officer of FedEx & Tesla

Genres: Artificial Intelligence, Business, Leadership, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Technology, Self Help

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2024

Reviews

[Jurgen Appelo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't find anything worth highlighting in the first 90 pages. I came across too many cliches (such as leaders being more important than "mere managers"); the stories and examples are uninspiring (it's the 100th book telling the story about how Netflix beat Blockbuster), and some things are plain wrong (AGI is *not* a subset of LLMs). DNF.

[Trace Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half highly intriguing with some good direction on AI use and application. Then it fizzles out to more generalized content.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like it is a lot of high level information. I did find the prompting information to be useful as well as some of the statistics. I felt like he was just touting his own website to make more money, it felt like he was telling me to go to his website every 5 minutes which was overwhelmingly annoying. I am not a CEO, CIO, CFO, or any other C. I am just a person that is learning a lot about AI and I felt like this could be a good angle. I did enjoy the book outside of the constant barrage of go to my website to super charge your learning, on loop.

I do love all the graphics in the physical book itself and it is a well made book, looks great, has detail on hardback itself, which is nice, and like I said, it is high level, which it is meant to be, the only thing I didn't like was the constant use of it as a vehicle to try and sell his program for leaders, but I do feel like it had good information. Is this my favorite AI book that came out in 2024? No. But for what it is, I think it is good. And for someone that wants high level, I think it is good for that.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, too basic. It's a book about how to use AI assistants like ChatGPT to help brainstorm, review and improve ideas. In 2025, that level feels like explaining how the Internet will help businesses.

[Carmen Crosetto · Rating 2 out of 5]

I swear the guy wrote this with ChatGPT & looooves to name drop. The amount of time he uses the same phrases and just spend 300 pages giving people prompts for chat…

[Jung]

In "The AI-Driven Leader", Geoff Woods introduces a paradigm shift in leadership: the integration of artificial intelligence not merely as a tool for automation but as a powerful, strategic co-pilot in decision-making and innovation. Woods argues that while most professionals are overwhelmed by daily tasks, the most forward-thinking leaders are using AI to elevate their ability to think strategically, communicate clearly, and make decisions that outpace the competition. These leaders aren’t just managing better—they’re thinking differently.

At its core, AI is a machine that mimics cognitive processes like reasoning, learning, and problem-solving. It functions through a feedback loop: data goes in, algorithms process it, outputs emerge, and the system learns from each interaction to improve. While many see AI as a flashy tech trend or something relegated to automation, Woods emphasizes that the real power lies in its predictive nature. AI identifies patterns and makes informed guesses, similar to how a human might anticipate the next word in a sentence or the likely outcome of a decision. This capability becomes transformative when properly harnessed by leaders.

However, successful AI adoption depends on how well humans interact with it—especially through what Woods calls 'strategic prompting.' Vague instructions lead to average outcomes. The effectiveness of AI starts with crafting detailed, context-rich prompts that set the machine up to deliver meaningful results. A strong prompt might include background information, a clear goal, defined roles, and even the reasoning behind the request. The more precise the input, the more strategic and insightful the output. Just as a team member wouldn’t deliver high performance without a proper brief, AI needs thoughtful direction to be effective.

When leveraged this way, AI becomes more than a productivity tool—it transforms into a multifaceted partner. Woods identifies three essential roles that AI can play for leaders. First, as an 'Interviewer', AI extracts insights by asking probing, structured questions. A leader can engage the AI to interview them on a strategic initiative, helping to clarify the rationale behind decisions and unearth blind spots. Second, as a 'Communicator', AI takes complex concepts and reframes them into clear, digestible messages suited for diverse audiences. Whether simplifying jargon for clients or distilling insights for internal teams, AI bridges understanding. Third, as a 'Challenger', AI acts like a devil’s advocate—examining ideas from multiple perspectives and helping leaders spot flaws in their logic or areas of bias.

Bias, in particular, is a central concern in Woods’ model. Assumptions and mental shortcuts are often baked into decision-making processes without leaders realizing it. For instance, a company might invest heavily in mobile-first platforms, only to find that its users prefer desktop. Or executives might ignore negative reviews due to confirmation bias, losing touch with real customer sentiment. AI, when instructed to challenge prevailing assumptions, can surface overlooked insights and prevent costly missteps. The key is intentionality—leaders must deliberately direct AI to challenge, not reinforce, their thinking.

Beyond refining decisions, AI helps manage information overload. In the age of big data, organizations either drown in too much information or suffer from not having enough to make informed choices. AI’s ability to filter vast data sets or detect meaningful patterns in small samples solves both extremes. Woods shares the example of a fitness brand that combines AI analysis of social media, purchase data, and seasonal trends to quickly uncover a high-potential customer segment—something that would take traditional teams weeks to identify. This capability allows businesses to act faster, with greater confidence, and often before competitors even catch on.

But the benefits of AI extend beyond data and operations. According to Woods, the true value emerges when AI-generated efficiencies are reinvested in strategic work. Freed from routine tasks, teams can pivot toward higher-value activities such as relationship-building, creative exploration, and innovation. The book contrasts two scenarios: one leader uses AI to automate marketing tasks but stays focused on tactical reporting; another leader uses AI to create space for strategic partnerships and deep customer engagement, leading to exponential business growth. The difference isn’t in the tool—it’s in how the tool is deployed.

This calls for a new kind of mindset—one that balances immediate results with long-term goals. Woods proposes a framework built on four interlinked pillars: strategy, execution, human talent, and technology. Strategy sets the vision and ensures short-term actions build toward long-term value. Execution ensures focus on the 20 percent of work that drives 80 percent of results. Human capital is then deployed toward that high-value work—creativity, innovation, problem-solving. Technology, specifically AI, handles the rest: the 80 percent of routine tasks that bog down progress. When all four pillars work in harmony, organizations become more agile, focused, and impactful.

The book also underscores a vital truth: AI should not be seen as a threat to human jobs, but as a lever for unlocking human potential. Rather than replacing people, AI allows them to operate at their highest level of contribution. Woods illustrates this with the story of a marketing manager named Sarah. Before AI, her day was filled with administrative tasks—managing data, writing reports, answering routine emails. After integrating AI, her day starts with analyzing strategic insights, collaborating with product teams, and brainstorming innovative campaigns. She’s not only more efficient; she’s more influential.

The underlying message is clear: AI doesn’t eliminate the need for human judgment—it amplifies it. But only when leaders reframe their approach. They must move from operational firefighting to strategic orchestration. That shift requires more than installing tools; it requires rethinking how work is assigned, how people are empowered, and how decisions are made. It’s about using AI to strengthen human capabilities, not sideline them.

Ultimately, "The AI-Driven Leader" offers a blueprint for how to lead in an era defined by machine intelligence. It shows that the most powerful use of AI isn’t just in crunching numbers or automating emails—it’s in reshaping the way we think, make decisions, and guide our teams. Leaders who learn to ask better questions, who prompt AI to uncover what’s hidden, and who free their people to do what only humans can do—those are the leaders who will thrive.

Woods closes with a powerful insight: the future doesn't belong to those who have all the answers. It belongs to those who are bold enough to ask the questions no one else is asking—and smart enough to use AI to help answer them. The leaders who succeed in the AI era will not simply use it as a tool, but as a trusted partner that brings out the best in their judgment, their teams, and their vision.

[Sarah Cupitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

lots of cliches and really getting tired of the "use ai for work so you operate at the highest levels of creativity and relationship-building" bullshit

did he write the book with ai???

notes:
- a small group has discovered how to use AI not just as a productivity tool, but as a bias-busting interviewer that asks the questions they never thought to ask, a master communicator that turns complex ideas into crystal-clear messages, and a strategic challenger that reveals blind spots before they become costly mistakes
- Today’s AI systems are trained on staggering volumes of knowledge. GPT-4, for instance, was trained on over 570 gigabytes of text data, equivalent to millions of books.
- ugh ok already starting to hate this book
- Sales leaders use AI to analyze thousands of customer interactions and predict which prospects will close within 30 days. HR directors deploy AI to screen resumes and identify top candidates in hours, not weeks. CFOs feed quarterly data into AI models that spot budget inefficiencies and forecast cash flow scenarios with unprecedented accuracy.
- 3 roles, 2 were communicator and challenger
- the questions you ask shape your organization’s future. So ask the right ones.
- AI can challenge your biases or enhance them.

[Ian Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ideas like Woods's seem to be popping up with greater frequency as people seek a rationale for this imminent, cross-industry skillset overhaul and develop feasible, strategic plans to handle it. Acting fatalistic rarely gets anybody anywhere, and Woods' recognizes that the best way forward is to adapt and stay in control. For Woods, strategic thinking is the key to staying on top.

The concepts presented here aren't completely new, but they are easily forgotten in the face of fear and confusion. Paired with basic knowledge about AI, Woods applies his ideas to real world scenarios and demonstrates the way forward championed by his community. This focus on community engagement, sharing, and collaboration is endearing and encouraging, reminding the reader that effective teamwork is a catalyst for growth.

Success with AI is all about strategy and collaboration to Woods, and he makes a robust argument corroborated by his working collective.

[Valerie Ott · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book could be an email.

Let me save you a little bit of time. Use AI as a thought partner. There. You are done with this book.

Any books that reads: the definition of insanity is repeating the same tasks over and over and expecting different results, is a trite book. I’m so bored when basic vernacular has to be defined I know it’s used to make a point, but you could’ve made that point in a smarter way.

Your leadership is the difference that will make the difference doesn’t sound groundbreaking. It sounds regurgitated.

I liked the summary at the end of each chapter that uses the concept of 80/20. Was that AIs idea?

[Colton Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine but my goodness could it have used a heavy edit to get down to a swift 3 hours. As it is, it reads like you’re listening to 15 episodes of a podcast in one sitting — some insights but mostly repetitive filler content. If I heard “you can’t read the label if you’re inside the box” one more time, I told myself I was going to DNF this book.

The book’s message is fine but I’m not sure the author even agrees with his own title — he says several times that we as leaders shouldn’t allow AI to be drivers of our decisions, but then you look at the title and have to scratch your head.

The whole thing felt a little unnecessary in 2025, when we’re already adopting AI in ways that have changed since this book was published last year. Also, I’m pretty sure most of it was written using AI (or at least AI was heavily used as an editor/“thought-partner” during its creation).

Its management lessons were uninspiring, its AI lessons outdated, and its core message that AI can enhance — but not replace — us was a little muddied throughout.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

While it felt repetitive at times, I appreciated the balanced approach this book takes toward AI, emphasizing its use as a potential tool to help us do what we are uniquely gifted for as humans, and strategic usage as a thought partner rather than thought replacement. The strategies presented seem general enough to stick around despite the fast pace of the field. As the title implies, content is targeted toward big-picture thinking.

[Vaibhav Chouksey · Rating 4 out of 5]

AI Driver Leader is a good start for business leaders looking to understand and adopt AI. It provides practical insights without overwhelming technical detail, making it an accessible entry point into the world of AI-driven decision making.

[Brittany Sartain · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this for work and I think overall, this was a good introduction to using AI for someone in a leadership position, especially if they’re not comfortable or don’t have much experience with either. However, I felt like this book tried to be two things at once: a leadership 101/how-to and an introduction to AI. Those two things can be two separate books. But it did provide a good framework for simple, easily understandable and productive ways to use AI that I thought could be very helpful. It also did a good job of talking about how AI can be a thought partner, not a replacement. There were a lot of cliche-like leadership phrases and concepts, which weren’t all bad, but again just felt like it was reaching too far for what this needed to be. I did like this quote though:

“While AI can replace many things, it can’t replace the value of human connection and leadership. Technology transforms industries, but human guidance is essential in shaping a future that prioritizes well-being and ethical use.”

[Grant Markin]

Some good tidbits in here. Worth a read/listen for basically anyone who’s working.

[Bryan Tanner · Rating 1 out of 5]

Business lingo laden drivel. The entire book was an AI-generated cash grab.

[Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a leadership/strategy book that highly embraces the use of AI. The prompts in the appendix have really been helpful.

[Matt Henke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical guide to get business leaders started with AI. Heavy emphasis on leadership, management and strategy.

[stephhhh · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Had to read for work)

The worst part was the anecdote of him and his daughter stuck in traffic on their way to school. She expressed excitement that they get to spend more time together and he took that as an opportunity to have her talk to chatGPT...

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the more nsightful books I have read on the topic of introducing artificial intelligence in your organisation as a leader and how to coach others in using it effectively. Sure it's a bit dated now but I did find the prompts helpful and the basic concepts interesting to start the conversations.

A lot of really actionable information, including some really helpful methodologies and prompts that I was able to pick up and run with straight away.

Grateful the significant shift in the way that I now approach using AI.

I did find it mildly annoying that he is constantly promoting his $25,000 a year community, and it did feel like there was quite a lot of repetition. I also listened to the podcast which repeats a lot of what is said in the book, it is somewhat easier to engage with at times.

[Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought multiple copies of this book for my team at my boss's suggestion, which now feels like paying for the privilege of watching that sales guy from every office who just discovered AI and thinks he's cracked the code to the universe.

Geoff Woods has written 200+ pages of recycled Ken Blanchard wisdom with "AI-driven" slapped on the front like a Supreme logo on a plain white t-shirt. This is what happens when someone whose entire background is in sales and business development stumbles onto ChatGPT in 2022 and decides he's the prophet of a new age.

The most telling thing about this book isn't what's in it - it's what's missing. Zero reviews from Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Review, Forbes, or any serious publication. No academic citations. No endorsements from actual AI researchers or established leadership experts. Just promotional podcast interviews and a marketing website. When a book claiming to revolutionize AI leadership gets completely ignored by everyone who actually knows something about either AI or leadership, that tells you everything you need to know.

Woods stumbles onto one genuinely valuable insight buried in all the noise: AI can serve as an anonymous thought partner for executives who are usually surrounded by yes-men. Having something that can poke holes in your thinking without worrying about career consequences could actually improve decision-making. Unfortunately, he buries this under 5.5 hours of rambling that feels like listening to that anti-intellectual nerd from sales explain his new "system" for success.

The title alone reveals the fundamental contradiction. If you're "AI-driven," then by definition you're not leading - you're following an algorithm around like a lost tourist. Woods keeps claiming AI is your "thought partner" and "starting point," but the title literally means the AI is in the driver's seat. It's like calling a book "The Weather-Driven Farmer" and then spending 200 pages explaining how farmers make decisions based on multiple factors. Pick a lane, Geoff.

The technical errors are embarrassing for someone positioning himself as an AI authority. Woods claims AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is a subset of LLMs (Large Language Models). That's like saying the ocean is a subset of fish tanks - not just wrong, but backwards wrong. For context, he only started working with AI in late 2022, so maybe we should give him another decade to figure out the basics before writing the definitive guide.

His big revelation is that structured prompts can reproduce conclusions you'd reach after "hours or days" of critical thinking. This isn't revolutionary - it's concerning. If your strategic decisions can be reliably replicated by a chatbot, you're either solving the wrong problems or fooling yourself about the complexity of leadership. Real strategic thinking isn't just about reaching a conclusion - it's about understanding the nuances, trade-offs, and implementation challenges that no prompt template can capture.

Woods promotes dangerous overconfidence in AI outputs, treating initial responses like divine revelations instead of starting points for actual thinking. He's selling AI mysticism - "the algorithm has spoken" - instead of AI utility. The real value is having a thinking partner that can help you stress-test ideas without organizational politics, but that requires staying intellectually engaged, not just accepting whatever gets generated.

Every few pages, Woods redirects you to his website and his custom GPT. It's like reading a 200-page business card with delusions of grandeur. One reviewer noted he "tells you to go to his website every 5 minutes" - I thought they were exaggerating until I started counting. The constant self-promotion makes it feel more like an extended sales pitch than educational content.

The content itself is the 100th recycling of the Netflix vs. Blockbuster story presented like breaking news. Woods repackages decades-old leadership frameworks with "AI" sprinkled on top like seasoning on day-old fries. It's generic business wisdom wrapped in buzzword packaging, probably stretched from what should have been a 50-page ebook into a full book with a glossy cover he claims AI designed - and I believe it.

The most frustrating part isn't that the book is bad - it's that it could have been useful. A concise, practical guide to using AI as a strategic thinking tool would be valuable. Instead, we get a bloated infomercial disguised as leadership wisdom from someone who discovered technology five minutes ago and thinks he's Steve Jobs.

This is perfect for the person who bought "How to Get Rich Quick with Dropshipping" and felt like a visionary. If you enjoy paying premium prices for repackaged common sense with buzzword seasoning, step right up. If you're looking for actual strategic guidance from someone with deep knowledge and real experience, keep looking.

Save your money and spend a day experimenting with ChatGPT yourself. You'll learn more, waste less time, and won't have to endure someone else's journey of discovering what the rest of us figured out in 2023. This reads like it was written by that guy who thinks finding a life hack makes him a productivity guru, except the life hack is just "use AI sometimes" and the guru credentials are entirely self-appointed.

The one star goes to the buried insight about AI as an external perspective. Everything else is sales-guy-discovers-technology theater wrapped in management consulting jargon. Would I recommend this book? Only if you enjoy watching someone else play a video game you've already beaten while they explain the rules you learned years ago.

[Jesse · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some great prompting tips, and the habit to ask yourself how AI could help is great. However, the book veers into very general business advice, and inundates you with bulleted lists. Just do this, just do that, improve this, etc. It starts to feel very trite, muddied down and… maybe got a little too much AI assistance in its creation.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

game changed - period

An enlightenment and inspiration to review the way I show up in the world and how I help my clients. Thank you Geoff for helping me change course for 2025 and beyond.

[Eric Salinas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got influenced by the reviews but this is a total waste of time, this is a non-technical and non-leadership 6hr motivational speech to invite you to adopt GenAi as your “thought partner” and some prompt examples

I gave two stars because it may influence people who don’t know what AI is

[Margaret Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could have used another round of edits but had some interesting ideas

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple years ago I explored how AI models worked and tried to understand how to program them. My hangup at the time was that the models were not testable in a deterministic fashion. I’m software QA & thought it was a huge hole. Over the last few months I’ve been playing with LLM’s as the models are fun to play with. Seeing my boss go all in using ChatGPT was weird, as he was leveraging for just about everything. Seeing some potential, I started to run LLM’s locally on my Mac via LM Studio. A Mac Studio with a lot of RAM can run a 20B 8bit MLX model all in memory, which is really cool, as everything remains private & it runs quiet. But I kept finding issues with the results. Thinking that its my poor prompts, I’ve been looking for insight into better approaches.

I picked up the book as the blurb said it is to demonstrate how to use AI (LLM’s) in a strategic business setting to help with decisions. My goal was to better understand this aspect so I could support my boss as we lay out the next product. I found a book that only gave me a handful of ideas with the majority being filler.

The only real takeaway was to have the LLM interview you, asking relevant questions to shake loose insights. The author has the prompts, but they are pretty high level. From my experience, they lack a lot of the detail LLM’s need for extreme guidance.

Otherwise, the book is a marketing funnel to the author’s super exclusive AI-Driven Leadership Collective. It’s not a good sign that the term “AI Thought Partner” has a “TM” at the end, as the author wants to own the term. He keeps pointing to the LLM console on his site that is supposedly specially trained to provide better responses for strategic questions, though doesn’t state which model was used as the foundation.

The book keeps pounding 80/20 over and over again. If the idea is so important, then the book should have only been 20% as long. Which it could have been, as at the end of each chapter has a 20% takeaway section.

Add in the cliches, “20% of effort drives 80% of revenue,” or “you can’t read the label if you’re inside the box.” That last one happened over and over again, as if the author was forgetting what he wrote in previous chapters or was using an LLM to expand an outline. After a couple chapters I just started skimming, hoping to get to something worthwhile.

A lot of name dropping to prove his points, which makes them not very impressive. A pet peeve of mine of such books is not discussing the mistakes or how to handle when the LLM goes off the rails. Everything is perfect or hand waved away. LLM usage needs a lot of refinement & iteration, yet all we get is he stuck a slide deck in the LLM & it told him 5 things, 4 of which he already knew. That isn’t helpful, it feels more like confirmation bias. Oh, he said strategy first, LLM second. Except that most of his name dropping examples was the opposite, as he jumped straight to plugging in prompts to see what comes out.

In the end, it didn’t teach me anything about linking LLM’s into strategic thinking. The business thinking was superficial & more targeted to large organizations anyway. The LLM prompts helped a little, but I could have gone to his website & grabbed them without the book. The book is more to demonstrate his ability to use LLM’s to consult so he can sell services.

[Scot Northern · Rating 1 out of 5]

I work with AI on a daily basis and have for several years now. In fact I actually have a patent pending genic architecture submission being reviewed. That is why I can see with all confidence that this is an oversimplification of using artificial intelligence for business. The author glosses over the fact that hallucinations and drift are extremely common when dealing with any large language model. He seems more interested in guiding people to his website than he does talking about how you refine an answer from artificial intelligence. The author does say that you should use artificial intelligence as a collaborative partner, he then touts over and over how quickly you can get an answer from artificial intelligence. In what example he talks about it crunching data in a matter of seconds. I don't know what large language model he is using but I have never seen even the most advanced model crunch complex data in a matter of seconds. Even if it did crunch it that fast, you sacrifice accuracy. In another example he talks about uploading a business PowerPoint presentation without mentioning that in doing so you have now just exposed all of your companies business secrets to a public large language model which it will then use for training and possibly exposed to other users. In that same example he brags about how artificial intelligence can take that PowerPoint and find areas which need improvement based off of its research of Whole Foods. The author then goes on to say that all of this work took less than 15 minutes. Once again, I have never used a large language model to interact over a PowerPoint presentation that didn't take at least 45 minutes or an hour to find tune the responses you get back and to ensure that it isn't using the exact same phrases over and over in multiple slides. Basically, save your money. This book doesn't provide anything that you can't find on a YouTube channel or taking a free training course from Google.

[Tõnu Vahtra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looking for good AI business books, still looking... a lot of fluff mainly. From positive side it does provide some thoughs on how to thinkin about prompting.

The CRIT Framework for Precision Prompting
Woods introduces a structured framework to get high-level strategic value from LLMs:

C – Context: Give the AI deep, specific background (e.g., "I am a manufacturing CEO facing bankruptcy due to high-interest debt").
R – Role: Assign it a specific persona (e.g., "Act as a world-class investment banker who specializes in debt restructuring").
I – Interview: This is the most critical step. Instead of telling the AI what to do immediately, tell it to interview you (e.g., "Ask me one question at a time to understand my situation better"). This mirrors the "Coaching Habit" approach of asking instead of telling.
T – Task: Finally, define the output (e.g., "Suggest five non-obvious ways to negotiate with this Japanese board").

"The true game changer isn't using AI to craft better emails; it's harnessing AI to elevate your strategic thinking."

Woods connects AI to behavioral psychology, arguing that AI is a "bias-buster."

Challenging the Sunk Cost Fallacy: Leaders can ask AI to act as a Devil's Advocate to find reasons why a current project should be killed, helping to overcome the human tendency to "throw good money after bad."

External Perspective: As Woods says, "It’s tough to read the label when you’re inside the box." AI provides that external viewpoint.

“I would like you to act as a Thought Partner by asking me one question at a time. Here’s the situation: (provide the necessary context). Here’s what I’m trying to solve: (then insert where you need help). Please help me think through potential solutions.”

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ai-Driven Leader: A Solid Introduction to AI in Business
Geoff Woods'

"The Ai-Driven Leader" offers a compelling and accessible overview of how artificial intelligence is transforming the business landscape. As someone relatively new to the AI space, I found the book's explanations clear and easy to digest, avoiding overly technical jargon. Woods effectively highlights the potential of AI to enhance decision-making, improve efficiency, and drive innovation.

The book is structured well, breaking down complex concepts into manageable chunks. The real-world examples and case studies provided throughout the book are particularly helpful in illustrating the practical applications of AI in various industries. I appreciated the emphasis on ethical considerations and the importance of responsible AI implementation, which is often overlooked in similar books.
However, while the book provides a great introduction, it doesn't delve as deeply as I would have liked into the more nuanced aspects of AI. Some of the concepts felt a bit surface-level, and I was left wanting more detailed explanations and practical guidance on implementing AI strategies. Additionally, the writing style, while clear, occasionally felt a bit repetitive.

Overall, "The Ai-Driven Leader" is a valuable resource for business leaders and professionals seeking to understand the fundamentals of AI and its potential impact. It's a great starting point for those looking to explore how AI can be leveraged to gain a competitive edge. While it might not satisfy those with a more technical background, it serves as an excellent primer for anyone looking to navigate the rapidly evolving world of AI in business.

[Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions gets the big idea right: AI should be approached as a strategic ally, not as a replacement for leadership or human judgment. From that philosophical standpoint, the book delivers a sound, grounded message that aligns well with how real executives should be thinking about technology adoption.

However, where the book clearly falls short is in operational depth. While it emphasizes the importance of data, decision speed, and cognitive augmentation, it remains too abstract on the how. There is very little guidance on specific parameters, concrete frameworks, or measurable indicators that a leader could realistically implement in a real organization. For a topic as practical and urgent as AI in leadership, the lack of tactical rigor weakens the overall impact.

That said, the chapter on bias is one of the strongest in the book. It addresses one of AI’s most dangerous blind spots with clarity and responsibility, and it’s an area where the author finally moves beyond surface-level commentary. The final conclusions are also solid and tie the narrative together with a coherent strategic lens.

Overall, this is a good conceptual introduction for leaders who are just beginning to think about AI from a strategic perspective. But for experienced executives or data-driven decision-makers looking for actionable tools, metrics, or implementation roadmaps, the book will feel unsolid and underdeveloped.

Recommended for mindset-building.
Not sufficient as an execution manual.

[Darnell Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book highly informational and definitely made me think a little bit more about prompting. After a while, it does begin to feel pretty repetitive and I don’t know why, but every time he mentions how quickly AI responded to an idea that he had it sort of made me feel slightly annoyed. It’s kind of like “ yes we get it, AI could take your super complex prompt and can come up with a whole draw an idea in less than 30 seconds”. I know that he’s a businessman an entrepreneur and is trying to get you to use his AI program, but I also just felt like the constant mention of that. Also made this book feel more like a pitch less educational.

This may sound like I’m not giving the book the credit for what it’s worth, but I definitely feel way more knowledgeable about how to utilize AI to open the door to all possibilities. It taught me so many things and I’ve been practicing while reading what he suggested and I definitely feel more fulfilled in being an AI thought leader!

This is my first AI related book and I wasn’t bored, so that’s also a plus lol .