AI: The Perfect Partner to Partners’ Intuition
No one likes to work on an island. It’s isolating; it’s lonely. And it can eat away at your well-deserved confidence. I’m not too proud to admit that I second guess myself — even when my well-honed intuition tells me I’m right. My guess is that other firm partners and key leaders out there feel the same.
Experienced accounting professionals rely on their intuition to make decisions and move the needle. And while intuition is important, best practice tells us that intuitive decisions supported with sound data carry much more weight. That’s where AI comes in. You know, your BBF (business best friend) that is there to talk through your concerns and doubts and advance you to a place of sound decision-making based on hard data.
I literally have conversations with AI, engaging in a back-and-forth of sound reasoning, exploring concepts and informing recommendations. It’s how I pressure test my intuition-driven ideas and decisions, which helps me move forward faster and with assurance. It’s an exercise in taking the data that’s already in my head (whether I know it or not) and running it through the AI grinder to refine, reframe and remind myself that I absolutely know what I’m doing.
The sooner you partner AI with your partner intuition, the better off you’ll be. It’s a powerful combination when paired and practiced with intention.
A clear and present partner
There’s no danger in testing AI. Nothing to lose and, in my opinion, everything to gain. When you partner with AI to support decisions, new initiatives and even day-to-day communications, it not only bolsters your confidence but also drives far more informed strategy and operational enhancements. It’s a very clear and very present partner.
Take sales for example. Recently, I used AI to evaluate my performance on sales calls. I uploaded a call transcript and entered the following prompts: “Could you score this conversation from a strategic sales perspective?” and “Could you reduce this to a chart and remove anything that mentions a person's name or company, and make it a Word doc?” From this, ChatPGT produced a detailed scorecard. Check it out…
This was the tangible data I needed to confirm I had nailed it. I used my intuition, my decades-long experience, to structure the call for a positive outcome. The outcome being an engaged prospect who wanted to know more — one that I could advance down the sales funnel. AI confirmed that my intuition was on point. Just check out my scores and the feedback my AI partner provided.
This type of structured data is invaluable. It makes me a better leader who makes better decisions. It serves as my dedicated partner who can talk me through the tough stuff and help me process challenges for the best possible outcomes. And it offers alternative tactics and suggestions for improvement. What’s not to love?
Talk to the bot
Like I said earlier, I have regular conversations with AI. And I’m talking full-blown discussions that take me from a pain point to possible resolutions to an action plan. Think about a few common challenges in your firm. Maybe something that you just can’t seem to overcome. And then ask your AI partner for guidance.
Here’s a good example:
A firm partner was having issues managing remote staff. Using ChatGPT, she entered her first prompt and the rest is conversation history.
Partner: I’m having trouble managing remote staff. How can I engage them more and make them feel like part of the team?
AI: This is a common leadership challenge, especially in remote settings where team members can feel isolated. Let’s analyze your situation using a proven leadership framework.
[Note: The following is a snippet of that framework.]
Analyze the situation in the following areas:
Clarity: How clear are you on what engagement should look like in your firm? What are the root causes?
Power Shift: Are remote workers feeling a loss of influence compared to in-office counterparts? Is there an imbalance in recognition or decision-making authority?
Emotional vs. Strategic Balance: Are your responses driven by frustration?
Or are you approaching this situation with a structured engagement strategy?Execution Readiness: Do you have an action plan for improving connection
and engagement?
Coaching insights on key areas:
Boost Clarity: Define what engagement means to you and your team. Communicate the shared goal (or cause) with your entire team.
Empower Team: Assign ownership of engagement initiatives to ensure remote staff have a voice in decision-making.
Balance Emotions with Strategy: Recognize frustrations but focus on structured solutions.
Enhance Execution Readiness: Create an engagement roadmap with weekly check-ins and goal alignment. Assign engagement champions to ensure remote workers stay connected.
Next steps:
Structure an action plan complete with a timeline.
Partner: Can you help me create an action plan?
AI: Here’s a Remote Team Engagement Action Plan broken down by weeks.
Partner: What do I do with remote employees who don’t respond to any tactic?
AI: If some remote staff remain disengaged despite your efforts, it’s time to take a more direct and individualized approach. Here’s a structured way to handle it. [Enter AI-provided tiered approach.]
This is the beauty of AI. It offers a dedicated partner, even a friend, to help you walk through the process of issue resolution. And just like exchanges with friends and trusted confidants, you can ask AI to refine and reframe information to suit your unique situation.
Partner up
AI is the perfect partner for partners looking to affirm intuition-fueled concepts and decisions. While gut instinct is a requisite, having AI back up your decisions with tangible data can make a huge difference in bolstering confidence and ensuring well-planned outcomes. Partner with AI to test ideas, get feedback or improve strategies — whether it's analyzing a sales call or figuring out how to better engage a remote team.
AI isn’t just a tool; it’s like having a smart, always-available sounding board that helps refine instincts and turn them into actionable plans. The takeaway? Talking things through with AI can help professionals work smarter, move faster, and make data-powered decisions that promote potent change.