Using AI to Ask Smarter Questions, Not Just Faster Answers

Many times, we turn to AI mostly for answers.... what if we leveraged AI to ask better questions?

Honored to continue this series inspired by the book, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘐 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 by Geoff Woods.

Today’s focus: the 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 of the Strategic Decision-Making Framework. These early moves set the foundation for decisions that actually stick. Here’s how AI can elevate each one:

𝟭. 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 Traditionally: Teams often start with fuzzy or conflicting goals. With AI: Language models can synthesize leadership input, strategy docs, and charters to sharpen a concise, aligned objective. Objectives can be checked against available resources—time, money, and attention. Use the "Thought Partnering" strategy with AI to ask questions, one by one, to bring clarity and focus.

𝟮. 𝗠𝗮𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 Traditionally: PMs manually list stakeholders and guess at their influence. With AI: Network analysis tools can scan org charts, communication flows, and project histories to identify Decision Makers, Influencers, Champions, and Early Adopters. Again, try Thought Partnering with AI.

𝟯. 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 & 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Traditionally: Endless meetings and spreadsheets slow discovery. With AI: Instead of weeks of manual effort, AI can analyze information across departments and stakeholders in minutes—surfacing patterns, trends, and blind spots with speed and precision.

𝟰. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 & 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 Traditionally: Brainstorming is limited to the people in the room. With AI: Teams are no longer constrained by their own thought power. Thought partnering with AI can really shine here! Ask AI to interview you from different perspectives, and to raise potential risks and solutions.

⚡The takeaway: These four steps ensure your team is 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 before rushing into execution. AI makes this process sharper, faster, and more comprehensive.