Why Execs Must Lead AI From the Front

Here’s a pattern I see constantly: CEO hears about AI, gets excited, hires a consultant or VP of AI, and waits for results. Two years later, nothing meaningful has changed.

The math is simple: if you hire someone to figure out AI for your company, expect results in 5+ years. If you do it yourself as CEO, 1-2 years.

Why the Speed Difference?

Authority.

A consultant can recommend changes. A VP can propose initiatives. But only the CEO can:

• Redirect company resources immediately
• Make AI adoption mandatory (not optional)
• Change performance expectations overnight
• Remove people who refuse to adapt
• Set the cultural tone from the top

When I made AI adoption mandatory at Trilogy, there was pushback. But I had the authority to push through it. A consultant hired to “explore AI opportunities” never has that power.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Leadership is demonstrated, not declared. If the CEO uses AI in their daily work, shares their mistakes, shows up to AI workshops, and talks about AI in every meeting, the message is unmistakable: this matters.

If the CEO delegates AI to the IT department, the message is equally clear: this is a technical project, not a business transformation.

I built my own AI workflows before asking anyone else to. I showed up to every Weds.ai session. I shared my Second Brain publicly. I made mistakes in front of the whole company. That transparency created permission for everyone else to experiment.

The Time Investment

CEOs should spend 10-25% of their time on AI: evangelism, learning, and hands-on usage. That’s 4-10 hours per week.

This sounds like a lot until you realize what you get back. AI handles tasks that used to eat 20-30% of your week. The net effect is more time, not less.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Most CEOs won’t do this. They’ll hire someone, wait for a report, and wonder why their competitors are pulling ahead.

Don’t let the “nerds in the corner” figure it out while the rest of the company falls behind. Everyone comes along, or the transformation fails. And it starts with you.