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Tag: CSuite

  • Why Content, Not AI, Will Decide Who Wins in Business | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    AI is not transforming businesses. Content is. AI simply accelerates the impact — for better or worse.

    That’s why content strategy can no longer be delegated down or siloed away. It belongs in the C-suite, where it can be aligned with vision, risk and value creation. Here’s what that looks like in practice.

    1. Content is the engine, AI is the accelerator

    Executives often think of AI as the change agent. But AI is only as good as the content it runs on. Whether powering a chatbot, a decision engine or a customer experience, AI magnifies the strengths — and flaws — of your content ecosystem.

    In one audit with a global enterprise, we tested a generative AI support assistant. Instead of delivering answers from the official knowledge base, it confidently cited outdated PDFs buried in an unmanaged folder. AI didn’t invent the problem — it amplified it.

    Leaders must understand: the real transformation happens when AI accelerates well-governed, accurate and consistent content. Without that foundation, AI only scales chaos.

    2. Every department runs on content

    Content is not just copy, images or video. Content is the substance of marketing, sales, product, support, and customer experience. And content is policy in HR, compliance in legal, onboarding in operations, disclosures in finance, and much more.

    Take Pfizer’s experience during the pandemic. Their challenge wasn’t simply producing more vaccine to support going to market — it was ensuring every department, from medical to regulatory to communications, worked from a unified content system. That cross-functional alignment enabled them to deliver accurate, trusted information on a global scale.

    That’s the level of integration AI now demands. And it requires leadership from the very top.

    Related: Adapt Your C-Suite for the Digital Era In 3 Steps

    3. Maturity determines whether AI helps or hurts

    Our research across 200,000+ content effectiveness assessments and our study of content operations with nearly 1000 professionals and leaders show a clear pattern: organizations with mature content operations adopt AI faster, with fewer failures.

    But 58% of organizations still operate with low content maturity. Poorly defined workflows. Little governance. Few metrics. In an AI-accelerated world, that’s not just inefficient — it’s a strategic risk.

    Just as cybersecurity and data privacy moved onto the C-suite agenda, so must content maturity. Without it, AI investments will stall — or backfire.

    4. Content is an intangible asset

    Boards increasingly view intangibles — brand equity, trust, intellectual capital — as drivers of corporate value. Content is the connective tissue for all three.

    Annual reports, investor communications and brand valuations already reflect this shift. In fact, the quality and consistency of content often serve as a proxy for organizational discipline and credibility.

    Executives can’t afford to see content as overhead. It is an asset that requires investment, governance, and reporting at the highest level.

    Related: How to Develop a ‘C-Suite Mindset’ for Success, From 5 Leaders Who Have Done It

    5. AI risks are content risks

    When AI generates content, it doesn’t just “produce words.” It makes decisions: what to say, how to say it, which source to trust. That means governance challenges move from “content management” to content risk management.

    Consider the regulatory implications: a chatbot that cites outdated policy, or a sales assistant that generates a misleading claim. These aren’t technical glitches — they’re governance failures.

    AI forces the C-suite to answer hard questions:

    • Who owns the accuracy of AI output?
    • How do we enforce compliance at scale?
    • What’s our escalation path when AI gets it wrong?

    These are executive questions, not operational ones.

    6. From AI experiments to content-driven transformation

    Too many organizations frame AI adoption as an innovation. But the real transformation happens when AI accelerates a disciplined, cross-functional content system.

    That system connects three pillars:

    • Content intelligence → using analytics, audits, and user feedback
    • Content operations → workflows, governance, and standards
    • AI enablement → tools that amplify the first two

    AI without those foundations is a shiny demo. AI with them is a force multiplier.

    The takeway

    AI is not the transformation. Content is. AI only accelerates its impact.

    For executives, that’s both risk and opportunity. The companies that win will not be those who rush to deploy AI pilots, but those who recognize content as infrastructure — governed, measured, and led at the top.

    As I argue in The Content Advantage, content isn’t a side project. It’s a potential strategic advantage. In the age of AI, it’s also a C-level responsibility.

    AI is not transforming businesses. Content is. AI simply accelerates the impact — for better or worse.

    That’s why content strategy can no longer be delegated down or siloed away. It belongs in the C-suite, where it can be aligned with vision, risk and value creation. Here’s what that looks like in practice.

    1. Content is the engine, AI is the accelerator

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    Colleen Jones

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  • You Need to Listen More to Lead Better — 5 Tactics for Leaders to Bridge the Communication Gap With Their Team | Entrepreneur

    You Need to Listen More to Lead Better — 5 Tactics for Leaders to Bridge the Communication Gap With Their Team | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    All leaders know that communication is critical to an organization’s success. But often we fail to bridge the gap between senior executives and our front-line team members to truly get a pulse of what is happening across an organization. This disconnection is heightened in hospitality and healthcare, where we work in direct contact with customers or care for patients’ health and wellness. As a result, it causes issues like:

    • Leaders without a clear or accurate understanding of their front-line teams’ challenges.
    • Decisions being made by the C-suite that do not effectively address those challenges.
    • A lack of trust between leaders and teams.
    • Disconnection between culture and action.

    The solution is simple. As the president and CEO of AtlantiCare Health System, I’ve learned that stepping outside my office, the boardroom or senior leadership meeting and engaging directly with team members across the organization is what matters most. I spend time in our hospitals and at our practice locations, without an agenda or formal itinerary, to learn about their work and their challenges.

    Leadership axiom: Business moves at the speed of relationships.

    Here are my five leadership tenets to build relationships with a lasting and positive impact.

    Related: Why Executives Need to Roll Up Their Sleeves and Work ‘in the Trenches’ of Their Companies

    1. Always be present

    When I first started walking the hospital floors after my appointment, one senior nurse remained elusive, regardless of the hour. It was clear she was avoiding me.

    When I would go left to talk to her, she would go right. When I would go right, she would go left. So, I just kept returning during her shifts. Eleven at night on a Saturday or 2 a.m. on a weekday — it didn’t matter. She is a well-liked and highly respected nurse, and I knew her insights would offer tremendous value. Then, finally, one night, she walked over and shook my hand. She said: “Okay, I appreciate you being here. Especially during the overnight shift. Let’s talk.”

    Leadership axiom: Presence is the foundation of influence.

    It can take time and persistence to establish connections, but the commitment is worthwhile. So, make the effort, have skip-level meetings and walk the floors. What you hear will be eye-opening.

    2. Fostering trust and leading with emotional intelligence

    My purpose in establishing a connection with the senior nurse was about making positive change and easing the pain points the team was experiencing, but I needed her help to understand those opportunities. Building trust through a transparent leadership style allows for mutual understanding of the realities the team faces and, in turn, what leadership is trying to accomplish.

    Leadership axiom: Transparency builds trust, and trust forms great relationships.

    Relying on outside consultants to tell leaders what team members are thinking is counter-intuitive to building relationships. I pride myself on being open about what is driving the decision-making process and engaging people to co-create solutions. Yet trust can still be broken if transparency reveals problems that don’t get fixed, which is why the next point is so important.

    Related: I Invited My Employees to ‘Ask Me Anything.’ Here’s What I Learned.

    3. Reducing administrative burdens to empower teams

    In healthcare, human connection is mission critical. However, team members’ responsibilities also include adhering to procedures and managing paperwork, which can occasionally be challenging — and many other industries have similar challenges.

    Leadership axiom: A leader’s responsibility includes the unburdening of unnecessary tasks.

    Leaders must remove barriers that prevent team members from focusing on their core roles. So, consider implementing these operational efficiencies:

    • Investing in technology to simplify daily tasks and activities.
    • Removing box-ticking tasks such as generating reports that are completed simply because “that’s how it has always been done.”
    • Removing training modules unrelated to team members’ roles.
    • Eliminating the culture of including everyone in meetings; only involve those who need to be present. If the information can be shared via email, a meeting isn’t necessary.

    4. Building forums for stakeholder feedback

    At AtlantiCare, active listening is key to our success. Along with my leadership team, we seek out opportunities to bring team members together, building forums and councils for them to share feedback and engage in honest dialogue.

    Leadership axiom: The only capital a leader has is the willingness of their team members to contribute.

    So, encourage your leadership team to conduct skip-level meetings to gain broader insights and strengthen organizational connections. But for these forums to be successful, we must:

    • Ensure that team members have a stake in the process when implementing new programs or policies.
    • Encourage team members to suggest what they would do differently or how they would improve things.
    • Incorporate front-line insights into decision-making.

    5. Creating a culture of problem-solving by always asking ‘why’

    Active listening is a cornerstone of developing a culture of problem-solving and continuous improvement. We need to challenge legacy thinking and processes by asking “why” — and then asking “why” again to empower acute curiosity.

    Leadership axiom: The solutions often lie within the team, not above it.

    My job isn’t just to hear the challenges my team faces — it’s to empower them with the resources and support they need to solve those problems. So, I suggest:

    • Exemplifying the qualities and behaviors you expect from your team in achieving their goals.
    • Providing unwavering support and resources to team members seeking knowledge and information.
    • Encouraging team members to plan for change like they are its architects.
    • Creating a pipeline of future leaders that makes problem-solving part of their mindset.

    When leaders truly listen, they understand the emotions, concerns and ideas behind the words. This deep level of engagement makes team members feel valued and heard, which in turn boosts morale and productivity.

    Related: Engage and Inspire Your Team by Talking to Them Outside of Formal Settings

    An ongoing conversation

    The moment the senior nurse acknowledged my presence, I felt like I had made a connection. And it is only because of this connection that we can now be transparent and honest with each other, even if it means calling out issues and challenges directly, to drive necessary changes. If business moves at the speed of relationships, the first step is to be present. But you must be consistent and lead by example. This will be the foundation of how to successfully bridge the C-suite and front-line divide.

    Michael Charlton

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