Betsy Tong Highlights AI’s Transformative Potential Beyond Speed for Business Leaders

In a recent LinkedIn post, Betsy Tong explores how Artificial Intelligence is fundamentally reshaping leadership capabilities, moving beyond mere speed enhancements to unlock entirely new possibilities in decision-making and execution.

Tong emphasizes that the true value of AI for leaders lies not just in accelerating tasks, but in enabling what was previously impossible. She references McKinsey data indicating widespread AI adoption, with 9 out of 10 companies integrating AI into at least one process. However, Tong argues that this statistic only scratches the surface of AI’s impact on leadership.

“A few years ago, one business case took me months. Now it can take an hour of my time. And it is not just faster. I close decisions differently.”

Redefining Decision-Making Processes

Betsy Tong contrasts traditional decision-making methods with the new paradigm enabled by AI. She describes a former process that involved extensive reviews, multiple PowerPoint slides, complex Excel models built by teams over months, and deferred decisions. This lengthy approach often led to leaders needing to reconsider and return later to finalize critical choices.

According to Tong, her preferred tool, Claude Cowork in Excel, has revolutionized this. Instead of relying on analysts to build models or struggling to interpret data, she can now dictate her needs and provide all necessary data and context. The AI then constructs the required models and drafts the briefing documents.

Tong shares a compelling example of using this AI tool to build a $300 million investment case, complete with detailed business impact modeling for each action. This included developing an interactive application used during the meeting to test various tradeoffs. What would have previously taken 12 weeks was accomplished and vetted within an afternoon.

Bridging the Gap Between Insight and Execution

In another instance highlighted by Tong, a CTO expressed frustration with an abundance of data but an inability to understand what was truly happening within their organization. While AI coders can address capacity issues, the bottleneck, as Tong points out, has shifted to measuring execution effectively.

Tong recounts how her AI agent was present during a discussion with the CTO. They brainstormed the essential metrics needed. Subsequently, Tong utilized her AI tool to build a prototype and send it to developers in just seven minutes. This rapid prototyping capability is, in Betsy Tong’s view, crucial for translating smart ideas into tangible outcomes.

“This is what takes a smart idea by smart people into execution. And today execution is everything.”

Tong further elaborates on the new workflow, stating that meaning is captured in real-time during conversations. Prototypes are completed before the next meeting, eliminating the need for waiting on notes, translation into specifications, or planning sprints. The meeting itself becomes the locus of productive work.

The Problem with Unproductive Meetings

Citing Harvard Business Review, Tong notes that many professionals spend a significant amount of time—estimated at 129 hours annually—in unproductive meetings filled with coordination, clarification, and reminders, often without achieving desired outcomes. AI, as Tong demonstrates, offers a solution by enabling participants to leave meetings with tangible outputs already built.

“Closing the gap between deciding and doing isn’t about working more. You end meetings with something already built.”

Betsy Tong differentiates between delegating tasks and delegating execution. She observes that while many leaders delegate the thinking and the task itself, those effectively leveraging AI delegate the execution while retaining the critical thinking. This strategic delegation, Tong argues, is key to harnessing AI’s full potential.

“Most delegate the task and the thinking. The ones building this stack delegate the execution. They keep the thinking. That is the gap.”

Tong’s insights underscore a significant shift: AI empowers leaders to move from laborious, time-consuming processes to agile, immediate action, ultimately closing the persistent gap between strategic decision-making and tangible business execution.