Leadership Insights
Selected stories and practical exercises on using AI to prepare conversations, strengthen judgment, and develop people. Choose the leadership moment that matters to you.
By Jon Harmeling · Chick-fil-A Operator · Army veteran · Former West Point instructor
What AI actually looks like in a working restaurant: the ten systems I run, the rule they all follow, and the question that changed what I use them for. No hype.
Put it to work: Pick one weekly pain point and describe it to an AI assistant. Every system drafts; a human decides.
Read the insightOne restaurant team member showed me why an operational flag should start a conversation, and how AI can help leaders notice contributions worth recognizing.
Put it to work: Notice a contribution you might otherwise miss.
Read the insightScheduling a restaurant team takes more than matching hours to demand. Use AI to compare options, then check the human context before deciding.
Put it to work: Ask what the numbers cannot tell you.
Read the insightReview the week you actually had, then choose one practical change that gives someone more attention, clearer direction, or a chance to grow.
Put it to work: Choose one leadership habit to practice this week.
Read the insightStart with an employee's stated goal, prepare a useful coaching conversation, make one clear commitment, and follow through.
Put it to work: Turn one person’s goal into a shared commitment.
Read the insightPractical boundaries for using AI at work: name the human decision-maker, check the evidence, and take responsibility for what happens to your people.
Put it to work: Keep responsibility clear when AI helps with the work.
Read the insightCompanies promote the best operator and call it leadership development. At West Point we were taught to keep two words separate. Most businesses never do, and AI is about to make the difference impossible to hide.
Put it to work: Look at your calendar and ask how much of it goes to people.
Read the insightRevenue, headcount, and promotions feel like the markers of a successful career. A quote from Tim Tebow at a conference broke that math for me. Here is what I measure now.
Put it to work: Ask who is better because you led them, not just what you achieved.
Read the insightMost AI tool comparisons are written by people who do not run an operation. Here are the six I actually pay for, what each one does in my restaurant, and what the whole stack is actually for.
Put it to work: Cancel any AI tool without a specific weekly use, then test one on real work.
Read the insightThe biggest leverage in AI is not the model. It is the questions you save and reuse. How I built my prompt library, and why the most valuable prompts in it have nothing to do with productivity.
Put it to work: Save one people question you will ask every week.
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Frontline AI Leadership develops the framework behind these ideas. The free Field Guide offers prompts you can adapt for a conversation with your team.
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