IAM1968 – Integrating AI Technology to the Business as a Practical Tool

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Intro 00:00

Are you ready to hear business stories and learn effective ways to build relationships, generate sales, and level up your business from awesome CEOs, entrepreneurs, and founders without listening to a long, long, long interview?

If so, you've come to the right place. Gresh values your time and is ready to share with you the valuable info you're in search of. This is the I Am CEO Podcast.

Gresham Harkless 00:28

Hello. Hello. Hello. This is Gresh from the I Am CEO podcast. And this is part two of a very, very, very cool podcast that I get to do. Like I mentioned back in 2023, I can say we basically focused on repurposing episodes, repurposing in many of the episodes, not having any fresh recordings as many times as I wanted to.

We really took some space and created some opportunity to really lean more into the things that we have really thought about creating, but also lean more time into testing out many different things. And finally, I think nestled in on what we're going to do or how we're going to hang our hat. I'm going in 2024 and beyond.

So this podcast is mainly for that. The first part, if you listen to were some of the things that I learned from pausing, but also some of the things that in ways that we're going to execute on the things that I learned from pausing. So it's not just, okay, this is what I learned. I hope you enjoy it. It's also this is how this is going to manifest itself on our team and in the things that we're doing.

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So one of the things that we're leaning more into, as you heard, the last thing I talked about learning from pausing. Was actually CEO Hacks, so, that's where we're going to hang our hat on trying to inform you with as much information as we can about the apps, books and habits and softwares and tools and tips and tidbits that can make you more effective and efficient.

But I figured it was only right for me to share with you. Maybe some of the CEO hacks that at the time of this recording that I'm really leaning into. And what I really wanted to do was try to give you a practical tool, but also an overarching kind of foundational aspect of it, because they're literally going to be changing as we speak.

So one of the big things I mentioned in the previous episode or part a, or part one, of this podcast is that we're really leaning into, I think the power of AI as a whole. One of the things with chat GPT having come out after we paused the recordings it's been really cool to just spend some time on seeing the power of that.

But also just really brainstorming what that could mean, what that looks like, how that kind of incorporate it within your business. I think the really cool thing is again, not having technology over here. And people over here, but actually marrying those two things together, not having them be pillar be different or, but actually having them being fully integrated and working together and in tandem.

And I think by doing that's really what AI, obviously specifically chat GPT, which is one of the CEO hacks that you can lean on to make you more effective and efficient. It literally does so much. And one of the reasons I wanted to bring up Chat GPT is not necessarily because. It's the only tool that you can use, but many tools are incorporating the API from Chat GPT.

So some of your favorite software tools like Canva, I don't know if Canva actually uses Chat GPT, but the overall concept is that many of these software tools are actually connecting with Chat GPT to help you to accomplish many tasks. I will say that can, but does have a plugin for chat GPT though.

So if you have the premium version, you can check that out, but it's one of the CEO hacks that I've been testing now want to lean more into largely because I think it just gives you a way for sometimes it's really cool sometimes literally just to have a free right of whatever I'm thinking and have it just distill it down in a way that I want.

And again, I usually get it back and I say, okay, let me put my twist on there or saying in the way that I would say, but I think it gets you the opportunity to go farther and farther along and with the opportunity to be able to leverage the plugins and be able to connect with Chat GPT on a different level, it's really phenomenal, like where that's going to be and what that's going to do for our team.

But I think it's something and definitely one of the CEO actually want to check out. But again, keep in mind, these are your processes and systems. So, not necessarily say, oh, I see that, so I wanna do that. Think about these are the things that I'm doing on a regular basis. How do I incorporate that into my overall process so that it can improve myself, it can improve my team, it can improve the product that we're giving to clients.

I don't really think that it should be used or is that the point to just set it and forget it? But I think it is set it maybe forget it Come back to it review it tweak it and then maybe you can get it there. And I think that will improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of what you're trying to do.

So the next thing is something that i've always leaned on has been huge for the podcast and it's actually scheduling links so right now time of this recording i'm using acuity, but I think we're going to start to transition into Another tool, potentially Calendly.

So these are just as simple as it sounds rather than me send it back in 14 to ask you what time zone are you in? What's your availability? All of those things you can literally use a link. Click it, set up a time and then you're booked and ready to go.

So it's been an absolute game-changer. If you think about the podcast, having people in literally different countries to being able to send a link and have some type of automation of reminding them of questions, reminding them of the link, remind them that they booked a time, which is all those things.

It's been extremely impactful and very, very, very, very much a time saver for us. And literally I'm probably absolute worst person at trying to set up times. And if I do it manually, probably guaranteed, I'm going to be showing up an hour later, hour earlier, potentially even a day early for whatever meeting.

So being able to send that link. Or even as I've used it, even if I do get a verbal, I just confirm it and then I'll put it into a calendly just to make it easier for everybody. So definitely check out scheduling links because they're extremely powerful time savers for you.

The next tool is another tool that I might be transitioning away from but right now time of this recording, we are using Basecamp and Basecamp literally has everything that we're doing, as a team, literally every single episode, we have a breakdown of okay. Exactly like what things we need, who's on the podcast with episodes, everybody who's on the team who you heard in the previous episode understands exactly what they're supposed to do.

All of that is nested within Basecamp. Potential we might move over to something different looking at different tools. There's Asana, that we use before there's Clickup that, is definitely something we might be looking into as well too. But there's lots and lots of hacks there.

But the important part is like all the things that you're trying to manage, all the things that you try to do, rather than try to do all the things, make sure you have a place to put all the things so that you can be more effective and efficient.

You don't have to remember what episode number was this person you can literally go through and search, find that episode. And then do whatever it is that you need to do for that episode. It's been an absolute game-changer. So make sure that you lean heavily into that.

The fourth thing that I think that directly as a result of this podcast, I feel like I've leveled up here more than anywhere else. And I often feel like I'm constantly tweaking and constantly improving this part, which is the morning routines. The quote is in order to win the day, you have to win the morning.

One of the things that I'm starting to realize is that as I get up earlier, not really a morning person, but I'm getting up early and earlier in order to spend time so that I can hopefully conquer the morning as much as possible, I understand that I can only manage so many things before the day gets started.

So for me, I'm very much so, get up person. I'm reading my Bible. After that, I'm taking my dog out we're going for a walk. Usually I'm listening to some type of maybe a sermon or something from the Bible as well, too. I come back, have a meeting with the wife.

And then I also am drinking my tea drinking some water. And I actually have started doing time-restricted eating. So I'm not actually eating. I was eating before, but I started, stopped eating from there. I go back to the wash, cleaning, wake up my son, do all of these things.

And then usually I try to get some reading in before I actually start my day. So usually that's probably about 2 to 3 hours overall, the amount of things that I'm doing, but I really try to continue to streamline my morning routine. And I feel like something's not working. I'm okay with setting it down saying, okay.

I'm not going to work on this part as much, or maybe I'm going to add in more journaling or just all those things. So it's definitely has evolved over time. And I think it will continue to evolve. I think for me, it has to evolve. As much as I'm a routine person, I think I love the power of being able to tweak and change that.

I used to be very much so getting a 20-minute workout in. Before we had our my wife and I had our meeting. So all those things I've been tweaking and changing and trying to figure out how to be the best, how not to over kind of like, have too many things in the morning. But I literally have done everything from taking the dog out, having a reading the Bible, I'm having a quick workout in a quick 20 minute workout and then just starting my day from there.

And that's been pretty cool because you really do get a lot done. But I also understand like sometimes you just go through that space and time where you want to create space because I was literally doing two days of workouts where I would work out in the morning, work out in the afternoon.

I felt like I wasn't really recharging. I was. Not getting enough sleep and not being a morning person was a little bit more of a challenge to do that, but I've been constantly tweaking and changing. I'm always thinking about, like, how can I make my morning routine better? But at the end of the day, I really just want to hammer home like, how important it is not to say.

You necessarily do take a protein shake or you do a meditation or you do. I believe it's always good to read the Bible, but even if that's not the thing that you do, I think the important part is to understand that foundational element, which is you have space to basically propel your day forward, whether that's journaling, meditating, yoga, working out, talking to yourself, taking the dog, whatever it is.

This is your opportunity to create space so that you can power your day forward as much as possible. So don't necessarily feel like you have to do this or that, but just know that this is space when you're getting busy, when a million things are pulling at you.

And me, myself, we had a really big challenge that we had on the team within the last 30 to 60 days, and it's been a really challenging. So the morning routine has definitely been something that I leaned on. And I think it's helped out a lot having those things in place so that we can get through those challenging times as I, as it happens.

And, emails are being pulled. Emails are being sent. Send and you have to do so many different tasks and so many different things. Sometimes you need that morning routine just to create that space again on a very micro level. You create that space within a day so that you can you can execute, you can win as much as possible.

And so, the last and final thing is even, I don't know if this will end up becoming a book, the CEO hacks and all the things that I've learned, but one of the things I want to hammer home, I feel like if this was going to be a book, I would start out with. Something that would probably just make you drop the book at the very beginning, which is ultimately that there is no CEO hack.

I think when we start to think about CEO hacks I want you to really have the mindset that you're not looking for the quick fix. You're looking for how you can run a marathon. So when I say that there is no CEO hack, I think so many times when you hear hack, you automatically can associate that with a shortcut.

And while it can allow you to spend more time in your zone of genius, I believe if executed well, I don't want to have the mentality because I think that's setting people up for failure when we're talking about entrepreneurship and business and being a CEO and being in that builder stage, which I think to some degree, we all are.

I think that when you start to approach it, like I'm looking for a shortcut, you're automatically setting yourself up for failure. So this is more of a mentality where you say, Hey, I'm going to run a marathon. I'm going to figure out how best I can run a marathon.

If that's getting better shoes. If that's practicing my breathing, if that's me doing small sprints in between on the days I have off just so that I can build myself up for that marathon, then I'm going to do that. So when you look at AI, you look at technology, you look at scheduling, you look at project management software, look at those as the small things that can allow you to run the best marathon that you could run.

Not Something that can make you run less than the 26-plus miles that you have to run. So I think it's more of a mentality of that. I'm not looking for a hack, but I'm looking for something that I can amplify and improve the things that I'm doing. So that's where you go to the shoe store, you get the right shoes.

That's when you practice on your breathing, because that on miles. 13, you're going to have to breathe a little bit differently. So you practice it on a daily basis so that on mile 1 to mile 26 and beyond, you're able to breathe better. So really, really really foundational thing that I really want to hammer home is that there ultimately is no hack.

So once you have that mentality, everything else I think is just gravy on the top, so to speak, where you get to see and amplify the things that you're doing. We're not looking for that quick fix. So this is grass signing out again. I want to thank you so much. So very, very much for listening to this podcast.

Whoever would have thought I'd hit 1600 episodes, whoever would have thought I would add a phenomenal team Mercy, Jasper, Dave all of us that have been able to do some really phenomenal things for you. And definitely, if I go down the line on the Blue 16 Media team is more and more people.

But just know that everybody has really been working and doing some phenomenal things to hopefully bring some value to you. So I appreciate you, I appreciate them and I just appreciate this opportunity. So hope you have a phenomenal rest of the day. Great start to the new year. And hopefully, we'll be hearing and hearing and seeing and seeing even more of each other in the future.

So thank you, have a great 2024.

Outro 14:20

Thank you for listening to the I AM CEO podcast powered by CB Nation and Blue 16 Media. Tune in next time and visit us at iamceo.co. I Am CEO is not just a phrase, it's a community.

Don't forget to schedule your complimentary digital marketing consultation at blue16media.com. This has been the I AM CEO podcast with Gresham Harkless Jr. Thank you for listening.

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