How High Performers Use AI

Summary: In this post I explore how high performers use AI as a thinking partner and for greater clarity.

take in a tremendous amount of information through books, articles, podcasts, research, and insights from my own client work. But learning on its own isn’t the goal. My focus is turning what I absorb into practical ideas, frameworks, and tools that leaders and teams can actually use. Clients count on me to bring an informed, outside perspective to their challenges. Consistent reading and learning help me stay sharp, creative, and ready to add real value.

Over time, I realized my challenge wasn’t access to information, it was how I organized and used it to enhance my work. I had notes, bookmarks, and links stored in a virtual notebook. I could usually find what I needed with a quick search. But my system worked more like a digital filing cabinet than a thinking tool, and it wasn’t helping me translate learning into client impact as effectively as I wanted.

What I needed wasn’t better storage. I needed a more intentional, client-centered way to organize my thinking. That’s when I turned to AI, not to solve the problem for me, but to help me think it through more clearly. I defined the challenge, clarified the outcome I wanted, and began designing a better approach.

AI as a Thinking Partner (not a Replacement)

My goal became to build a system guided by two questions:

1. How could this become a resource for my clients?

2. Which clients could benefit from, or act on, this knowledge or tool?

Those questions became my “North Star.”

From there, I treated AI the same way I approach any design challenge in my training work. I started by getting clear on the problem and the outcomes I wanted to achieve. I used AI as a thought partner to help shape categories, decision rules, and organizing principles. The process was iterative, and each exchange sharpened my thinking. What emerged was no longer just a repository of information, but a more intentional framework built around real client needs.

That experience reshaped how I think about high performers and AI. The advantage isn’t about having more tools or better technology. It’s about the discipline to define the problem clearly, focus on meaningful outcomes, and build systems that support smarter action. AI becomes powerful when it’s guided by purpose, judgment, and human-centered insight.

This is the same mindset I bring to my coaching and training work. I’m less interested in giving leaders more tools and far more focused on helping them think clearly, design better systems, and turn insight into action.

High performance has never been about having the best tools. It’s about having the clearest thinking. Used thoughtfully, AI can be a powerful ally for executives, leaders, and teams in that process, especially in the hands of leaders willing to do the hard thinking first.

If you’re wondering how leaders can use AI to think more clearly, start by defining your problem before opening any tool.