If You’re Not Using AI Daily, You’re Already Behind

ISSUE #013| THE LEADERSHIP CONTRARIAN

Last week, I wrote about something deeply personal: why we build our businesses in the first place.

So that when life happens, we have the freedom to respond like humans.

To show up.
To be present.
To do what actually matters.

If you read that, you know it wasn’t just about business.

It was about life.

This week is different.

Not less important, just a different kind of conversation.

Because while last week was about why we build…
This week is about what we’re building into.
And whether we’re paying attention to what’s changing around us.

If you’re a business owner, I know what your days look like.

You’re serving customers, managing employees, putting out fires, and keeping things moving.

And somewhere in the middle of all that…you’re probably using AI.

You’ve had conversations about it, and you’re likely using it here and there -
some writing, a little editing, quick idea generation.

But it’s still a small part of how you operate.

And for some of you, you’re barely using it at all.

You’re not using it often enough, and you’re definitely not using it to its full potential.

Here’s what I want you to see:

If you’re not using AI every day, you’re already behind.

Not because you’re doing something wrong…
But because the game is changing faster than most people realize.

This isn’t a trend.
This isn’t a new piece of software.

This is a once-in-a-generation shift in how work gets done.

The genie is out of the bottle - and it’s not going back in.

AI is changing how people think, how they solve problems, how fast they move, and how much they can produce.

It’s changing hiring, margins, and what “good” looks like.

And in many cases…
It’s coming for parts of your role.

This isn’t about fear.

It’s about awareness.

Because the leaders who lean in now won’t just survive this shift…

They’ll pull ahead, and the gap will become obvious.

Right now, there are three types of business owners:

• Those who are dabbling by using AI here and there for small tasks.
• Those who are barely using it…or ignoring it altogether.
• And those who are paying close attention by learning, experimenting, and using it regularly to get better.

Those who are paying close attention are rare - but they’re already pulling ahead.

It won’t stay that way.

You don’t need to master AI.
You don’t need to understand all the tools.
You don’t need a full strategy, yet.

But you do need to start using it - daily.

Use it to think, to write, to solve problems, to challenge your assumptions, and to move faster than you could on your own.

Because that’s what it is: Leverage.

Five years from now, most businesses will look very different - and that’s a conservative estimate.

Some will be faster, sharper, more efficient, and more scalable.

Others will still be working the same way they are today.

Those businesses won’t disappear overnight, but many of them will slowly become irrelevant.

This moment won’t last forever.

The gap between those who engage and those who delay is about to widen - fast.

One simple way to start:

At the beginning of your day, take one real problem you’re facing and ask AI:

“What am I not seeing about this problem?”

Then push it: ask for options, risks, and a better approach.

Do that every day.

That alone will change how you think.

So here’s the question:

Where in your business are you still operating like AI doesn’t matter?

Your Turn

If any part of this resonated with you,
even a sentence,

Would you send me an email and tell me?

Your feedback genuinely matters.

Until next time,
Keep learning.
Keep growing.
And God bless,

- Michael