Harnessing AI - Enhance Your Business Today | Stephen Wise

The AI Revolution: Transforming Business

The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just a buzzword—it's a reality that's transforming industry. Businesses are increasingly leveraging AI to streamline operations, enhance decision-making, and provide unparalleled client experiences.

The advent of AI has resulted in significant benefits:

• Efficiency and Automation: Routine tasks are automated, freeing professionals to focus on more strategic activities.
• Data-Driven Decisions: AI’s analytical capabilities enable firms to make informed decisions, identifying trends and insights that were previously inaccessible.
• Customized Client Services: AI facilitates personalized services tailored to individual client needs, enhancing satisfaction and engagement.

Benefits for Businesses

Adopting AI isn't just about keeping up with trends—it's about setting your business apart:

1. Operational Efficiency: Streamline processes and reduce costs, allowing resources to be allocated to higher-value activities.
2. Competitive Advantage: Innovative AI solutions differentiate your services from competitors, providing a cutting-edge advantage.
3. Client Satisfaction: AI’s predictive analytics and personalization capabilities lead to improved client services and retention.

Call to Action

The explosion of AI offers unprecedented opportunities for firms looking to innovate and improve their service offerings. If you're ready to explore the potential of AI for your business, contact us for a consultation or demonstration, and take the first step towards transforming your services in the AI age.

Drive Change to Increase Value | Stephen Wise

Why you need a Project Guide in One Simple Picture.

Projects Drive Change. Moving from Current State to Future state is the selection of priority projects designed to increase business value.

How to be a great leader | Stephen Wise | Integration

Colin Powell, the retired US Four-Star General says to remain calm and be kind. He also has a rule - to have a demanding vision. Vision, he says, is our destination.

Have a Vision of the future

Vision, what is it? Where do I find it?

Vision is not “Establishing vaccination guidelines and agreements, activating a network of furloughed retail workers, and implementing a military supply-chain technology for transportation and storage.” That is the strategy.

Vision is not “Vaccinating all the citizens against COVID by September 2021”. That is a goal, that will be driven by the Strategy.

Vision is higher than that. Vision is not something that exists today. It is something that is imagined that could be created in the future.

Developing a compelling vision is done by looking into yourself. What are your beliefs? What do you believe is possible? Figuring out who you are, why you are here, and what is most valuable to you.

Cultivating vision is a process. It does not emerge during an off-site, or from reading leadership philosophies, or watching an inspiring movie.

To be visionary you need to set aside significant time to percolate these questions.

Provide Clarity of desired results

Bruce Lee may have said, “The successful warrior is the average person, with laser-like focus.” Results require change. Without change there is no result. Motivating anyone to change is expecting them to work towards the unseen and unknown. At every level of challenge this is a fundamental issue that needs an answer every day.

Giving your team the answer they need is not difficult, your job is to provide clarity.

You need to communicate to your team the information they need to risk working on the unseen and unknown.

Explain to your team what is most important. Work with them so they understand why the choices made are the best choices. When the team is aligned on what is most important they will have clarity on the desired results.

Demonstrate effective Decision making

Nelson Mandela said that “Action without vision is only passing time. Vision without action is merely daydreaming. But vision with action can change the world.” Standing on the shoulders of giants, I say the sum of the actions will not be productive without a robust decision-making process.

The problem with change is that, only after starting, on the way to achieving results, does the solution emerge. The detail is previously unknown on what is required, how it will come together, and what is needed. Leaders who make the mistake of communicating their vision from on high, hiring the best team, and delegating all responsibility for results will be in for a surprise.

Leaders need to reserve time to develop vision and they need to be effective at engaging others to deliver lofty goals. However, do not let go of the steering wheel and don’t look away from the dashboard.

You need to ensure that everyone is aware of and reliant on a process for obtaining your decisions on how the strategy and goals are to being met. You need to ensure that you are aware of and broadly communicating key decisions to all stakeholders. If you miss this – you will more than likely not recognise the final product.

Questions for you to ponder.

1. What would be an example of a Vision that is supported by the vaccination goal and strategy mentioned above?
2. How have great leaders from demonstrated these three skills of Vision, Clarity, and Decision-making? (e.g., George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Captain Kirk)

STEPHEN D WISE

INTEGRATION PROFESSIONALS

DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE TRACTION

M&A: Top Ten Drivers | Stephen Wise | Integration Professionals

I believe that under-estimation of the importance of the post-merger integration planning is the single greatest factor leading to this high failure-rate phenomenon. The preventative action is development of a robust post-merger integration plan that aligns stakeholders’ activities with the deal thesis.

Objectives, Measures, and Benefits

A critical first step to creating this plan is for leaders to communicate a deal thesis with clear success criteria. The objectives, measures, and benefits must be detailed and well defined. For example, if they are not tangible or they are vague, it is highly likely they will lose gravitas as they timeline moves forward. As a starting point, to creating a robust deal thesis, here are the top ten drivers of M&A acquisitions[1].

I believe that under-estimation of the importance of the post-merger integration planning is the single greatest factor leading to this high failure-rate phenomenon. The preventative action is development of a robust post-merger integration plan that aligns stakeholders’ activities with the deal thesis.

Top-Ten Drivers of M&A acquisitions

1.Industry Synergy
Achieve economies of scale by buying customer / supplier, or competitor. Acquisition of a competitor is horizontal, and acquisition of a customer or supplier is vertical.

2.Strategic Planning
Accomplish strategic goals more quickly and more successfully such as entering new markets or acquiring technology or people assets.

3.Differential efficiency
Realize a return on investment by buying a company with less efficient processes and making them more efficient.

4.Inefficient Management
Realize a return by buying a company with inefficient managers and replacing them.

5.Market Power
Increase market share and ability to increase price/profit.

6.Financial Synergy
Lower cost of capital by smoothing cash flow and increasing debt capacity.

7.Under valuation
Take advantage of a price that is low in comparison to past stock prices and/or estimated future prices, or in relation to the cost the buyer would incurs if it built the company from scratch.

8.Corporate Governance
Assert control at the board of directors’ level in an underperforming company with dispersed stakeholder ownership.

9.Tax Efficiency
Obtain a more favorable tax status.

10.Managerialism
Increase the pay and/or power of managers.

STEPHEN D WISE

INTEGRATION PROFESSIONALS
DRAMATICALLY IMPROVE TRACTION
[1] Lajoux, Alexandra Reed (2019). The art of M & A : a merger, acquisition, and buyout guide. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.