How AI is Transforming Leaders' Careers According to Andrea Wasserman

Andrea Wasserman: AI as a Career Lever for Leaders

Andrea Wasserman, a recognized career coach, advises leaders to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their professional strategy to strengthen their competitive edge. She emphasizes the importance of simplifying communication through AI, enabling the transmission of complex ideas to diverse audiences. This approach also helps professionals articulate their successes more effectively, thereby increasing their visibility in the job market.

I work as a career coach with directors and C-level leaders across various sectors such as retail, technology, finance, and real estate. When my clients ask me how to incorporate AI into their professional lives, their underlying question is often: "How can I remain competitive as expectations evolve and my colleagues adopt new tools?"

Some use AI to manage their daily tasks more efficiently, while others leverage it to refine their thinking, improve their communication, and make their value more visible. Although the tool is the same, the outcomes can vary significantly.

Here are five methods to use AI to propel your career.

1. Evaluate Your Ideas Before Sharing

Many arrive at meetings without fully forming their viewpoints or considering their responses. This incomplete preparation can undermine their credibility. To avoid this, I recommend my clients use an AI tool before sharing their ideas aloud. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity can be very helpful.

The goal is not to receive ready-made answers but to prepare by identifying the weaknesses in their ideas. By entering their concept into an AI tool, they can ask the following questions:

• What are the weaknesses?
• What assumptions need more evidence?
• How might skeptical leaders react?

By doing this, my clients avoid having to answer these questions in real-time during crucial meetings, as they have already anticipated potential objections.

2. Simplify the Message with AI

Even the best professionals can struggle to communicate their ideas effectively. Their expertise can lead them to make their messages too complex for novices. AI can help tailor these messages for different audiences. For example, I advise my clients to take a complex process and ask AI to rephrase it for a CFO, a sales representative, or a board member.

They do not directly copy the AI's output but use its structure to refine their message, making it clearer and more concise. Over time, this exercise helps them communicate more succinctly, which is essential as brevity inspires confidence.

3. Highlight Your Work

Even among strong performers, many assume their results speak for themselves. However, this is often not the case, either because others are not paying attention or because the impact is not understood. I ask my clients to describe a recent project to AI to obtain a narrative that covers the problems solved, the trade-offs considered, and the changes made through their leadership.

The first version generated by AI is often generic, but it serves as a foundation to refine the story until it is clear and impressive. This narrative can then be used during performance conversations, leadership updates, or even on public platforms like LinkedIn.

4. Share Your Thoughts with Minimal Extra Effort

Many know they should share more with their network, but daily demands often prevent them from doing so. AI can reduce the effort needed to be more visible. I suggest my clients jot down their raw thoughts as soon as they arise, whether it's notes after a meeting or reactions to industry events.

AI can then transform these reflections into shareable content, whether in person or on platforms like LinkedIn. This approach allows for building visibility through regular small touches, without waiting for the time to write lengthy texts.

5. Optimize Your Time for Strategic Actions

Basic uses of AI, such as drafting documents or organizing information, can save time. But the key is knowing how to use that saved time. When I notice that my clients spend too much time on execution tasks at the expense of their careers, I advise them to use AI to rebalance their priorities.

By comparing their schedules and inboxes to their goals, they can better allocate their time to activities that truly advance their careers, such as building relationships or influencing decisions. Thus, AI becomes a tool not only for producing more but also for thinking strategically and preparing effectively at every stage of their careers.