How AI Makes Me a Better Leader

Artificial intelligence isn’t just a trend—it’s a tool reshaping how leaders work, think and manage. While much of the industry buzz has focused on how AI can transform customer service, I believe its greatest impact may be on us as executives. For leaders who constantly juggle competing demands, AI can give us something priceless: time. And time is exactly what we need to become more thoughtful decision-makers, stronger communicators, and ultimately, better leaders.

Focus on the Big Picture

Executives often get stuck in the weeds—caught between endless emails, long meetings, and the mental drain of difficult conversations. AI tools can streamline these burdens and return hours to the day.

At Trinity, I rely heavily on ChatGPT to help manage complex communications. When facing sensitive client or employee situations, I can provide context—who the players are, what the issues have been, what tone I want to convey—and AI drafts messages that are clear, professional, and appropriately empathetic. It strips away unhelpful emotion, while still allowing me to guide the level of warmth or firmness I want to express. That means I avoid the endless cycle of writing, deleting, and rewriting.

This ability extends to large-scale projects. Recently, I needed to prepare a large consulting report that would have taken me 30 hours of research and writing. With AI organizing my knowledge base, supplementing it with external references, and structuring the material, the task took fewer hours. Instead of burning out over minutiae, I was able to dedicate energy to strategic insights for the client.

Of course, AI’s speed does not excuse us from diligence. It can generate summaries and pull references in seconds, but leaders must still verify the source material and check for accuracy. I often think of AI as a first draft generator—it clears the path, but I remain responsible for validating and refining the work.

Industry data confirms this effect. A Forbes report found that 43% of leaders use AI for writing, 37% for data analysis, and 25% for design tasks. TechRadar notes that professionals using tools like Microsoft Copilot save an average of 20 hours a month. That’s half a workweek every month reclaimed.

Freeing the Calendar

Time savings are only the beginning. The real value comes in how leaders reinvest that time.

Too often, executives suffer from what the Financial Times calls the “infinite workday”—emails, notifications, and digital distractions breaking concentration every two minutes. By automating workflows and protecting focus time, AI helps leaders escape this cycle.

With less administrative noise, we can reinvest our time in higher-value areas: mentoring team members, building strategic partnerships, or simply resting and recharging. A HashStudioz survey found that 60% of employees believe AI reduces stress and helps improve work-life balance. Leaders feel this even more acutely. The freedom to step back from reactive tasks creates space for intentional productivity and more sustainable leadership.

Research Assistant

Leadership is often defined by decisions made under pressure. Yet decision fatigue is real—some executives face a tenfold increase in daily decision-making compared to just a decade ago.

Here again, AI acts as a strategic co-pilot. For example, when Trinity faced compliance questions around credit card forms and data security, I asked AI to summarize best practices for PCI and SOC certifications. Instead of wading through hundreds of pages of regulations, I had a concise, accurate briefing in 30 seconds. That allowed me to sit down with my team and focus not on what the rules were, but how we would implement them.

Still, I never accept the output blindly. AI should point us toward best practices, but it is the leader’s job to confirm, cross-check, and apply judgment. In critical areas—finance, compliance, legal—we must treat AI as a guide, not a replacement for expertise.

Related: 5 AI Hacks Every Executive Should Try

Strategic Partner

AI’s impact isn’t limited to operations—it also enhances leadership development.

One of the most intriguing applications I’ve seen comes from a colleague who uses AI to manage her team at a major technology company. After she feeds in each team member’s goals, strengths, and communication styles, AI offers suggestions on project assignments, collaboration pairings, and management approaches. It creates an unbiased “playbook” for how best to lead each person, much like assigning roles on a football team: quarterback, receiver, defense.

I’ve used similar techniques to analyze challenging personalities—whether a demanding client, a difficult colleague, or even in my personal life. AI can suggest the best ways to communicate with people based on their traits, helping to prevent conflict and keep relationships productive. In leadership, where miscommunication often derails progress, this is invaluable.

That said, accuracy again depends on the quality of input. If we provide incomplete or biased information, the insights will reflect those shortcomings. Good leaders understand that AI is only as strong as the context it is given.

I Can Focus on the Big Picture

Ultimately, AI is more than a productivity hack. It is a tool that, if used wisely, enables leaders to shift focus from busyness to impact.

The goal isn’t simply to work faster. It’s to work smarter—redefining productivity to mean fewer, higher-value tasks that move the business forward. AI can automate the writing of an email or the summarizing of a meeting, but the real gift is what happens after: the freedom to think strategically, to connect deeply with teams and clients, and to lead with clarity.

In an industry like ours, where demands change quickly and relationships are paramount, these benefits cannot be overstated. AI gives us the bandwidth to approach leadership with more intention, more balance, and more creativity.

As executives, our most valuable asset isn’t just our expertise or experience—it’s our time and focus. Too often, those are drained by distractions, stress, and the mechanics of keeping the business running. AI is helping to restore them.

Yes, it has limitations and must be used responsibly. We still need to validate its outputs, protect sensitive data, and make the final calls as leaders. But when applied thoughtfully, AI can serve as an extraordinary partner.

For me, its value has been simple but profound: it has given me back time. And with that time, I’ve become not just more efficient, but a more effective and balanced leader. That’s an opportunity I believe every executive should explore.

Odilia Guiant is CEO of Trinity Service Enterprises, which provides world-class service to developers in the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean. Their experienced, multi-lingual team understands the needs of the timeshare industry and provides solutions so that clients can concentrate on providing quality vacation experiences to their members. Services include loan servicing, multi-currency payment processing, reservations management, marketing assistance and SaaS technology solutions. For more information, visit https://trinityserv-ent.com or call 702-747-7011.