Martin Lavoie
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martinslavoie.bsky.social
Martin Lavoie
@martinslavoie.bsky.social
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martinslavoie.bsky.social
Ship 30 for 30 didn’t just sharpen my writing—
it sharpened my strategy.

Huge thanks to @dickiebush and @Nicolascole77 for their candid, high-energy guidance throughout.

#Ship30for30 #WritingCommunity #ContentStrategy #AudienceBuilding #OnlineWriting
Screenshot of an essay titled 'What 30 Days of Writing Taught Me About Strategy (Redux)'. The essay reflects on lessons learned from a 30-day writing sprint, emphasizing the importance of strategy over mere writing. Key highlights include the value of content and frameworks, insights from past experts, and the daily routine of publishing. It discusses refining business positioning, understanding platforms to avoid, and developing a unique voice. The author stresses that audience-building relies on consistency and trust, concluding that the value of such a writing sprint lies in the strategic clarity gained. Thanks given to mentors Dickie Bush and Nicolas Cole for their engaging teaching.
August 16, 2025 at 1:52 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Flying is safer than driving because aviation expects failure and plans for it. Your AI co-pilots need the same discipline — or they might crash your business. Here’s the 7-point flight manual that keeps them on course.

#AI #ArtificialIntelligence #AIAgents #DigitalTransformation #AIGovernance
Screenshot essay titled 'The 7-Point Flight Manual That Keeps Your AI Co-Pilots From Crashing Your Business'. The essay discusses how flying is safer than driving, emphasizing that aviation prepares for failures. It warns that AI systems, without guidelines, can lead to operational risks. The essay narrates an experience with an upgraded LLM that caused unexpected behavior changes requiring prompt adjustments. It highlights AI 'hallucinations' and promotes self-evaluation and output verification as vital training principles. The text introduces the 'Well-Architected Agent Framework'—a checklist for ensuring reliable AI performance that encompasses seven key checks like reliability, instrument clarity, and crew coordination. The conclusion advises that an unregulated AI co-pilot poses risks, inviting readers to comment 'MANUAL' for the complete framework checklist.
August 15, 2025 at 4:49 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Walking into the boardroom prepared isn’t just about knowing the numbers — it’s about knowing the questions. Here’s how top CEOs use GenAI to anticipate the board’s lens, sharpen strategy, and lead with confidence.

#ExecutiveLeadership #BoardroomStrategy #GenAI #CEOInsights
Screenshot essay titled 'How the Best CEOs Anticipate Boardroom Questions — and Strengthen Their Leadership in the Process'. The essay discusses how successful CEOs prepare for board meetings by anticipating questions. It emphasizes the importance of understanding diverse board perspectives and using GenAI as a strategic rehearsal tool. The content outlines specific strategies GenAI can provide, such as roleplaying various board member viewpoints, preparing for individual personalities, stress-testing narratives, identifying gaps, and framing topics for strategic support. The essay concludes by highlighting the significance of preparation in leadership and encourages a mindset shift toward thinking like a board member.
August 14, 2025 at 12:20 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
73% of AI projects fail before launch.
Not because of AI.
But because no one knows how to turn a process into an AI agent that actually works.
Here’s the fix — and how to start tomorrow.

#ProcessFirst #AIReadiness #AutomationROI #OpsLeadership #DigitalTransformation
A screenshot essay titled 'Closing the Process-to-Agent Translation Gap: A Two-Pronged Approach.' The image contains a discussion on the high rate of stalled AI projects, specifically attributing 73% of failures to a lack of skills in translating business processes into functional AI agents. It outlines a two-pronged approach to bridge this gap, with 'Prong 1' focusing on upskilling technologists in process excellence through tools like Lean Thinking, Systems Thinking, Process Management, and a Continuous Improvement Mindset. 'Prong 2' emphasizes the importance of practical experience through live projects, including mapping processes and redesigning them for AI integration. The essay concludes with the importance of combining formal training with real-world application, featuring a call to action for organizations to identify processes needing an AI-readiness check.
August 12, 2025 at 4:06 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
73% of AI projects stall — not because of the tech, but because of a missing skill: turning processes into AI agents that actually work. I call it the Process-to-Agent Translation Gap. Are you ready to close it?
#AI #Automation #GenerativeAI #DigitalTransformation #ProcessImprovement
Screenshot essay titled 'Why 73% of AI Projects Stall — and the Process Skill No One Talks About'. The content describes the critical issue of the 'Process-to-Agent Translation Gap', emphasizing that AI failure is often due to the inability to integrate AI into business processes. It includes statistics highlighting an AI skills shortage among companies, with 68% facing moderate to extreme difficulties, 50% lacking in-house talent, and only 12% of IT professionals possessing generative AI capabilities. The essay notes that 73% of AI insights fail to lead to action due to lack of integration into workflows, stressing the importance of addressing this skills gap to ensure AI is an asset rather than a stalled initiative.
August 11, 2025 at 12:16 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
If you managed AI agents the way you manage humans, you’d stop worrying about “hallucinations” and start getting results.

#ProcessFirst #AIinBusiness #GenAI #WorkflowDesign #Leadership
A screenshot essay titled "What Smart Leaders Know About Managing AI That Everyone Else Gets Wrong" discussing the management of AI. The text emphasizes that blaming AI for errors is akin to blaming a new hire without proper training. It outlines key concepts including 'The Human Standard' which highlights human errors and the importance of managing processes rather than blaming individuals. It introduces 'The Agent Mindset,' portraying AI as powerful tools needing clear structure and guidance. The 'Process-First Rule' underscores that AI necessitates robust process ownership and acknowledges the need for human oversight. The takeaway advises against discarding AI for mistakes akin to those accepted in humans, and encourages a focus on process-driven governance for AI agents.
August 10, 2025 at 12:19 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
If your company banned GPT, you’re closer to using it than you think. Here’s how to turn “No” into a 30-day path to “Yes” — by making IT your strongest ally.
Screenshot of an essay titled 'Banned from GPT at Work? Win It Back in 30 Days.' The text discusses how organizations blocking GenAI isn't the end, but rather an opportunity. It outlines reasons behind enterprise bans, including concerns of data leakage, compliance breaches, and reputational fallout. It highlights that companies banning AI may experience more shadow-AI breaches and increased costs per incident. The author suggests presenting a high-value use case to IT, proposing to act as a pilot team for a controlled experiment with built-in governance. The essay emphasizes transforming IT's role from a gatekeeper to an ally and encourages collaboration rather than confrontation. It concludes with a call to action to direct message for a 30-day pilot script.
August 8, 2025 at 7:27 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Stop waiting for the AI strategy to arrive.
If you lead a team, your job is to start the use case engine—log wins, test safely, partner early.
This is how real AI adoption happens.
A screenshot essay titled 'Why Ops Leaders Shouldn’t Wait for an AI Strategy—And Build a Use Case Factory Instead To Uncover Real ROI, Avoid Tool Chaos, and Shape Governance From the Ground Up'. The essay discusses the challenges companies face in developing AI strategies and emphasizes the need for a system to discover, test, and scale AI use cases. It presents a pathway for managers to create a 'use case factory' to quickly uncover value, clarify governance, and promote reusability. The piece also highlights the importance of partnerships with IT and governance teams to ensure successful implementation. It ends with a call to action encouraging readers to start building their use case factory and offers a template for those interested.
August 6, 2025 at 11:36 AM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
54% of employees say they’re good with GenAI. Only 10% actually are.
Team leads: before you fund more training or tools, run this 5‑min audit to find your real gaps.

(Link to previous posts in comments)
Screenshot essay titled 'You Think Your Team Is GenAI-Proficient. This 5-Min Audit Will Probably Prove You Wrong.' It discusses the discrepancy between employees' self-assessment of GenAI proficiency and actual proficiency statistics. The essay outlines a Mini AI Proficiency Audit with a scoring scale of 1–5 on seven criteria: Daily Use, Prompt Quality, Process Integration, Prompt Sharing, Experimentation Mindset, Manager Modeling, and Workflow Value. It provides a scoring rubric ranging from 0-14 (Early days) to 25-35 (Operational maturity) and suggests practical applications for team leaders, such as a personal leadership gut check or a team quiz. Ends with a note on the upcoming topic 'Don’t Build an AI Strategy. Build a Use Case Factory.'
August 5, 2025 at 11:23 AM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
54% of employees say they’re good with GenAI. Only 10% actually are.
Team leads: before you fund more training or tools, run this 5‑min audit to find your real gaps.

#GenAI #AILeadership #FutureOfWork #TeamOps #ProcessFirst
(Link to previous posts in comments)
A screenshot essay titled 'You Think Your Team Is GenAI-Proficient. This 5-Min Audit Will Probably Prove You Wrong.' The text highlights a gap between employees' self-assessment of GenAI proficiency and actual proficiency levels, emphasizing the need for team leaders to conduct a quick audit before further investments in AI. It presents a structured Mini AI Proficiency Audit with criteria such as Daily Use, Prompt Quality, and more, to score teams on a scale of 1–5. A scoring rubric categorizes teams from 'Early days' to 'Operational maturity'. It encourages use as a personal leadership check or team quiz, with a note on an upcoming focus on building AI use cases.
August 5, 2025 at 10:50 AM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Only 10% of employees are GenAI-proficient—managers are the missing link.
Here are 7 self-check questions to see if you're enabling real AI value—or quietly stalling it.
#AI #Leadership #FutureOfWork #GenAI #ProcessFirst
Screenshot essay titled 'The AI-Ready Leader: 7 Self-Check Questions for Managers Who Want Their Teams to Actually Use—and Create Value With—GenAI', featuring a reflection on team culture as the primary barrier to AI success, rather than the tools themselves. The essay discusses the importance of managerial practices in fostering an AI-ready environment. It introduces seven self-check questions for managers to evaluate their leadership in integrating GenAI into workflows, emphasizing practical steps and accountability. The piece concludes with encouragement for early-stage managers to lead effectively and previews the next installment in the series focusing on team AI readiness diagnostics.
August 4, 2025 at 11:23 AM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Only 10% of employees are GenAI-proficient—managers are the missing link.
Here are 7 self-check questions to see if you're enabling real AI value—or quietly stalling it.
#AI #Leadership #FutureOfWork #GenAI #ProcessFirst
Screenshot of the essay titled 'The AI‑Ready Leader: 7 Self-Check Questions for Managers Who Want Their Teams to Actually Use—and Create Value With—GenAI'. The body discusses team culture as the primary blocker to AI success, emphasizing managerial influence over tools. It includes key insights from the 2025 AI Proficiency Report, stating that managers determine AI implementation success. A list of seven self-check questions for managers follows, focusing on AI usage, expectations, team dialogue, coaching, shared successes, prompt libraries, and measurement of AI impact. The conclusion encourages managers to start small by integrating AI into a single workflow to demonstrate value and encourages proactive leadership.
August 4, 2025 at 11:19 AM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Most GenAI projects stall for the same reason: they automate chaos.
Here are 3 punchy insights from Section’s AI Proficiency Report, 2025 that show why process-first teams are winning.
(Report link in comments)

#AI #Ops #Automation #Leadership #ProcessFirst
A screenshot essay titled 'If You Manage Knowledge Workers: 3 Lessons from Section's 2025 AI Proficiency Report That Could 2x Your ROI—or Kill It.' The body includes key points from the AI Proficiency Report (2025) discussing the disconnect between access to GenAI tools and actual adoption or effectiveness in organizations. It emphasizes that simply providing GenAI tools like GPT without context or training leads to minimal results. The essay outlines three main findings: the necessity of providing training alongside tools, the chaos of automating without clear processes, and the benefits of a process-first approach that can lead to significant efficiency gains. The piece concludes with actionable questions for managers and a note on future discussions regarding AI tools.
August 3, 2025 at 11:53 AM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
I thought writing daily would make me a better communicator.
Instead, it exposed the shaky assumptions in my business strategy.
Here are 3 uncomfortable truths I learned—one sentence at a time. 👇
#StrategyInPublic #ClarityThroughWriting
A screenshot essay titled '3 Uncomfortable Truths About Strategy I Only Discovered by Publishing Daily'. The essay discusses insights gained from participating in the Ship 30 for 30 writing challenge. The author shares three key truths: 1. Clarity in writing reveals a lack of understanding in strategy. 2. Strategy that only exists in presentations doesn't translate to real-world effectiveness. 3. Unique value propositions are discovered through publishing rather than mere brainstorming. The author emphasizes the importance of daily writing in testing and validating business strategies, inviting readers to reflect on their own experiences.
August 2, 2025 at 11:56 AM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Small consultancies and independent firms:
You don’t need to wait for AI approval cycles.
You can start applying GenAI today—safely, incrementally, and inside your own workflows.
Here’s why (and how).

#GenAI #Consulting #SmallBusiness #Operations #ProcessImprovement
A screenshot essay titled 'Small Automation Firms Can't Wait for GenAI Readiness—You Need to Be Using it Now, Internally to be Credible and Remain Competitive', discussing the urgency for small automation firms to adopt Generative AI despite larger organizations needing time for approvals. The text highlights the advantages of independent consultants, such as faster testing and learning capabilities, low complexity in workflow, and the ability to improve margins by utilizing tools like ChatGPT. It emphasizes the importance of experimentation, practical governance, and readiness to provide credible advice to clients. The final takeaway encourages building maturity and effective governance ahead of client requests.
August 1, 2025 at 3:21 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Small consultancies and independent firms:
You don’t need to wait for AI approval cycles.
You can start applying GenAI today—safely, incrementally, and inside your own workflows.
Here’s why (and how).

#GenAI #Consulting #SmallBusiness #Operations #ProcessImprovement
Screenshot of an essay titled 'Small Automation Firms Can't Wait for GenAI Readiness—You Need to Be Using it Now, Internally to be Credible and Remain Competitive'. The body discusses the competitive advantages of small automation firms using generative AI (GenAI) without the bureaucratic delays of larger organizations. It emphasizes the ability to conduct faster experiments, streamline delivery, and enhance efficiency using tools like ChatGPT. The author encourages simple implementations without needing perfect data and underscores the importance of practical governance lessons learned from experimentation. The takeaway stresses building maturity, improving delivery, and designing governance now to be ready for client inquiries and to remain cost-effective.
August 1, 2025 at 3:21 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Small consultancies and independent firms:
You don’t need to wait for AI approval cycles.
You can start applying GenAI today—safely, incrementally, and inside your own workflows.
Here’s why (and how).

#GenAI #Consulting #SmallBusiness #Operations #ProcessImprovement
Screenshot of an essay titled 'Small Automation Firms Can't Wait for GenAI Readiness—You Need to Be Using it Now, Internally to be Credible and Remain Competitive'. The text addresses the advantages small firms have in adopting GenAI tools swiftly, unlike larger organizations that face complex approval processes. It emphasizes the ability of small firms to conduct risk reviews more rapidly, allowing them to test and learn from implementations without the burden of extensive tools. The author encourages simple initial applications of GenAI, highlighting the effective use of tools like ChatGPT to streamline operations and improve profit margins. The piece concludes with a call to build operational maturity and governance to stay competitive as clients seek guidance.
August 1, 2025 at 3:21 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Waiting for GenAI to be perfect is like refusing to talk to a human unless they’re never wrong.
You don’t need flawless—you need feedback.
Disengagement is the actual risk.
And yes, it’s a choice.
#GenAI #TechMindset #Automation #Leadership #LLM
A screenshot essay titled 'The GenAI Trap: Why Skeptics Who Cheer Its Mistakes Are Setting Themselves Up to Be Replaced' discusses the detrimental mindset of skeptics who dismiss GenAI due to its mistakes. The author points out that such skepticism reflects a desire for the tool to fail, leading to self-sabotage and falling behind in technological advancement. The essay emphasizes that judging AI with outdated expectations fails to recognize its dynamic, collaborative nature, akin to human interaction. It urges readers to engage with the technology rather than disengage, highlighting the risks of being left behind if they choose to scoff at GenAI's imperfections. The takeaway encourages a mindset shift towards embracing advancement rather than resisting it, inviting readers to share their thoughts on common GenAI myths.
July 31, 2025 at 4:37 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
GenAI can outperform your junior hires. But what happens when they’re the ones reviewing its work?
Skill gaps in human-in-the-loop roles are real—and rising.
Let’s talk trust, explainability, and upskilling.

#GenAIInOps #SkillsGap #HumanInTheLoop #OpsLeadership #ProcessImprovement
A screenshot of an essay titled 'If Your Team Can’t Evaluate GenAI Outputs, You’re Scaling Risk—Not Intelligence'. The essay discusses the skills gap in evaluating GenAI outputs, illustrated by a question from a new graduate about the implications of using AI-generated documents without prior experience. It emphasizes the risks of having junior employees review AI-generated content they are unqualified to assess. The author argues that this increases uncertainty instead of quality and suggests that organizations should prioritize skill development over simply increasing automation. The conclusion stresses the importance of upskilling teams to ensure trust in GenAI implementations, inviting readers to reflect on the balance between automation and the potential erosion of skills.
July 30, 2025 at 6:48 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Solopreneurs are drowning in AI outputs. A Second Brain isn’t a trend—it’s how you scale.
I use Lean principles + linked notes to turn chaos into momentum.
Refs in comments.👇
#SecondBrain #SolopreneurLife #GenAI #Obsidian #Productivity #NoteTaking
Screenshot essay titled 'Solopreneurs Are Drowning in AI Outputs. A Second Brain Is the Life Raft—Use One If You Want to Scale.' The text discusses the struggles of solopreneurs overwhelmed by AI-generated outputs and scattered notes. The author shares their personal experience of bottlenecking in July 2024 and how they built a system to manage the flood of ideas using principles from the book 'How to Take Smart Notes' and the video 'Obsidian: The King of Learning Tools.' Key points include using a Kanban board, a daily inbox for AI noise, linked notes, and weekly reviews. The author emphasizes the importance of a structured process to effectively utilize AI outputs and encourages readers to comment for a helpful one-pager.
July 29, 2025 at 3:54 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Lean Six Sigma pros: Want to cut grunt work and spend more time solving?
These 5 GenAI prompts help you think more, type less—without breaking your workflows.

#LeanSixSigma #GenAI #ProcessImprovement #OpsLeadership #SmartAutomation
Screenshot of an essay titled '5 Ways Lean Six Sigma Pros Can Use GenAI to Cut Grunt Work and Solve Faster—Without Breaking Anything.' The essay discusses the author's 25+ years of experience in Lean Six Sigma as a Black Belt and the benefits of using GenAI to streamline work processes. It lists five specific applications of GenAI: 1. Auto-Generate Diagrams via prompts for SIPOC or flowcharts; 2. Draft Root Cause Analysis with prompts for 5 Whys or Fishbone exercises; 3. Create SOPs & Control Plans using prompts based on process updates; 4. Summarize VoC to CTQs from customer interviews; 5. Translate Findings for Execs with prompts for business updates. The takeaway emphasizes that these GenAI tools free up mental resources, encouraging engagement from readers about their experiences or questions.
July 28, 2025 at 3:43 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Think you need to be technical to use GenAI? Ops leaders, here’s a 2-step way to start fixing broken processes—before competitors leave you behind.
#GenAI #OpsLeaders #ProcessImprovement #SMB #NoCode #AIForBusiness
Screenshot of an essay titled 'Ops Leaders: Think You’re Not Technical? Here’s a 2-Step GenAI Start—Before Your Competitors Leave You Behind'. The essay discusses how operations leaders often feel overwhelmed by technical solutions like GenAI but provides a two-step approach to get started. The first step encourages identifying an existing inefficient process, such as billing or onboarding, and asking specific questions to understand how to improve it. The second step suggests asking GenAI how it can assist in enhancing the newly improved process, emphasizing the importance of asking the right questions rather than relying on tools or additional hires. The takeaway reinforces that feelings of being 'not technical' can lead to constructive engagement with GenAI.
July 27, 2025 at 12:06 PM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
GenAI made me faster—until it made me exhausted.
Prompt overload. Untamed outputs. Decision fatigue.
Here’s how I redesigned my process using Lean thinking.
Not hacks—adaptations.
👇 Read + share your own fixes
A screenshot essay titled '3 Signs You're Burning Out on GenAI—and Lean Fixes That Help.' The text discusses feelings of fatigue and mental overload from using GenAI tools daily. It highlights three specific fatigue points: 1. Prompt Overload, solved by timeboxing GenAI work through the Pomodoro technique; 2. Untamed Idea Inventory, resolved by using Obsidian to manage generated ideas; and 3. Decision Drain, addressed with a prioritization review. Each point includes methods to improve efficiency and manage output. The author presents these strategies as essential adaptations for using GenAI effectively, concluding with a call for feedback on others' experiences with fatigue and management tactics.
July 26, 2025 at 11:30 AM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
We used our own “fix-first” method to streamline proposal creation.
✅ 70% faster delivery—without losing quality.
It started with process redesign, not automation.
Next post → How we actually did it.
#ProcessDesign #FixBeforeAutomate #GenAI #AutomationWithROI
A screenshot essay titled 'Why We Had to Redesign Our Own Proposal Process.' The content discusses how applying fix-first and GenAI principles led to a 70% reduction in proposal turnaround time. The author reflects on the inefficiencies of their discovery-to-proposal process, citing excess interviews and manual steps. They emphasize the importance of fixing processes before automation, detailing their approach of mapping waste and redesigning processes before integrating GenAI. Results included improved proposal time, quality, and efficiency. The author encourages readers to view clunky processes as signals for improvement, hinting at further insights in upcoming posts.
July 24, 2025 at 11:13 AM
martinslavoie.bsky.social
Most AI initiatives don’t fail because of tech—they stall from misaligned ownership, over-governance, and pilot paralysis. Here are 7 silent killers I've seen—and how to avoid them.

#AI #Transformation #Leadership #AIAdoption #ProcessFirst #EnterpriseAI
A screenshot essay discussing how to avoid common pitfalls in AI initiatives. The author shares insights on the challenges faced when AI pilots stall due to excessive governance and approval processes, emphasizing the importance of ownership and momentum. The text highlights the need for secure experimentation alongside compliance and governance. Key points include the risk of policy deployment before teams have space to innovate and the necessity of clear leadership and collaboration to ensure successful AI adoption. The essay encourages readers to seek assistance for refining their AI strategies, providing contact details for further engagement.
July 23, 2025 at 11:51 AM