Future Proofing Business Success with Generative AI

<p>What if the key to building resilient plans isn't optimism—but deliberately imagining failure?</p><p>In this game-changing conversation, we sit down with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/leslie-grandy/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong>Leslie Grandy</strong></a>, a global product executive with 25+ years leading innovation at T-Mobile, Apple, Best Buy, and Amazon. Leslie is the founder of The Product Guild, Lead Executive in Residence at the University of Washington Foster School of Business, and author of the just-released book <a href="https://www.lesliegrandy.com/book" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"><strong>Creative Velocity: Propelling Breakthrough Ideas in the Age of Generative AI</strong></a> (Wiley, May 2025).</p><p>This isn't another "AI will automate your tasks" conversation. Leslie introduces a radically different approach: using <strong>generative AI as a strategic partner</strong> to challenge assumptions, stress-test plans, and imagine failure scenarios your team is psychologically unwilling to consider.</p><p>Drawing on the ancient Stoic practice of <strong>"Premeditation of Evils,"</strong> Leslie shows how deliberately imagining what could go wrong builds genuine organizational resilience and accelerates innovation.</p><p><strong>In this episode, we explore:</strong>✨ Why humans are psychologically unwilling to plan for failure—and how this blindspot derails billion-dollar projects<br />🤖 How to reposition Gen AI from efficiency tool to creative collaborator in strategic planning<br />🏛️ The ancient Stoic practice that modern leaders need to future-proof their organizations<br />🎯 Practical frameworks for stress-testing plans using AI's "psychological distance"<br />🏢 How to embed resilience thinking as organizational culture, not just individual practice</p><p>Whether you're launching a product, managing a complex project, or leading organizational strategy, this conversation will fundamentally change how you think about risk, resilience, and the strategic role of AI.</p><p><strong>Challenge for this week:</strong> Pick one project. Open your AI tool. Ask: "What am I not seeing? What could go wrong that I'm unwilling to imagine?"</p><p>🎧 Listen now and discover how to build plans that don't just survive the future—but thrive in it.</p>