My Clients are all Finance Directors or CFO's. They are human, they are in percentage terms, if you analyse the stats, somewhere between 40 and 55 and they all have a Fear. This isn't a US Social Media Motivational speech, I am not about to bore seasoned professionals about False Evidence Appearing Real. C'mon your in charge for a reason, you are long past all the imposter syndrome stuff, but you currently have a Fear. A cold sweat down the back of your neck...Liverpool away with Salah in his pomp, you get the idea.
What is it says you? What Fear unites all Finance Directors at this particular juncture in modern history? Artificial Intelligence (A and I). The current bogey 'man' inhabiting the minds of Finance Directors globally, rent free all day, everyday.
I have to plan some new video content for Consulting promotional videos and when I do I go walk about 5 miles and in my head I conceive the high level topics and the rough outline of each video. Now I am not a magician so I will let you in on a little secret, when I think up those killer lines for delivery on camera like Paxton in his prime, I have a tendency to forget them...so I got into the habit of sending myself text messages.
This usually works great until I forget what the acronyms mean and I am back to square one, so for this particular 'video' I thought great topic, great ideas, great storyline, killer finale...so I better write an article or I will forget it. I am Human 2.0 not AI. I have flaws, though I maintain most are better defined as quirks as it sounds so much more lovable.
Just to be clear, I could have written an AI article, my second today, about 'Agents' and 'Bots' and Chat whatever...but I am Human 2.0, I have Emotional Intelligence and I know your scared so I like to get to the true heart of the matter. If it is prompts your after its already too late, the show is over and you have lost. I assume you all know the story of the Billionaire who knew the Property Bubble would burst when his postman mentioned his Portfolio...you don't want to be that 'Billionaire'.
I know, I know, your a Finance audience and that sounds counter intuitive so that proves this was not written by AI but by IA - Irish Authored, 100% the real McCoy.
When it comes to AI Finance Directors fall into Four Categories all grounded in Fear.
- FOMO - Obvious enough says you, the old Fear Of Missing Out. I know nothing about AI and it keeps me awake at night because I don't know, what I don't know. Easy one, no 5 figure speaking engagements earned with that one...then came;
- FOLO - Fear Of Losing Out. This is different as in this instance you know 'something' and worse still you know your competition 'must' know something and your Fear is? Drumroll please, the Fear Of Losing Out!
- FOGE - Fear Of Going Early. Do you want to be the early adopter, the brash, the BRAVE, abrasive go getter or do you want to wait? How long do you wait, how long is too long, how short is too soon and gradually you tie yourself up in knots. Fear Of Going Early is terrible. You know you must do something, you know you can do something, you know the next guy is doing something, but your scared...
- FOTS - Fear of Total Success! What, are you serious??? Fear of winning, fear of success, fear of total Success!!! Are you for real? Yes, I am. My earlier Article explored the Leadership Battle of Our Times - Emotional versus Artificial Intelligence, because I know some of you are people persons' and some of you are numbers persons'.
The battle for the hearts & minds of every Boardroom in the World will be between the People Person and the Technical Person. In future will the Chief AI Officer be the natural CEO??? No I hear at least...50% of you cry.
It an interesting debate and it will be fought out over the next 3 years in every Boardroom in the World. All of it grounded in Fear.
Whichever category you fall into (1) to (4) above I still suggest an old fashioned remedy. Know your own backyard, know your own scores and assess your risk or action or inaction. You don't need to know AI to perform that level of Threat or Risk Assessment, you just need to know IA, home of the best Consultants.
For everything else I recommend my Book 'How to Transform Finance' which you can Download for Free for just one more day.
Best Regards,
Michael.
