How I Use AI: A Journey of Personal Growth, Education, and Leadership.

"How do you use AI? What do you like about AI tools, and what are you nervous about?" These are questions I’m frequently asked, and they’ve prompted me to reflect on how artificial intelligence has become a cornerstone of my personal development and professional practice. AI is not just a tool I use but it’s an important part of how I learn, create value, and support those around me. This article explores how I leverage AI in three key roles: as a Director in Higher Education, a Professor in the classroom, and a Consultant for nonprofits and small businesses. In each of these roles, I not only streamline processes and drive innovation but also create significant value and support for my team, students, and clients.

AI as My Personal Learning Partner: Self-Education and Growth

Before I educate others, I educate myself with AI at the heart of that journey. I’ve structured my daily routine to include AI-driven tasks that challenge me to learn a new topic each day, ensuring continuous personal and professional growth. To reinforce the idea that small, incremental improvements can lead to monumental progress, I use the Greek symbols delta (Δ) and iota (ι) as a visual reminder. In mathematics, delta (Δ) signifies change and the power of incremental shifts, while iota (ι) represents even the tiniest improvement unit. Together, they encapsulate my philosophy: consistent, small gains, when compounded, leading to exponential growth. I refer to this as “ΔI Learning” and view all learning initiatives through this concept.?

Here’s how I put this philosophy into practice:

• Daily Learning Sessions: I set up multiple AI-powered tasks using ChatGPT where I explore a new topic or enhance existing knowledge. Whether it’s a breakthrough in AI methodologies, a new leadership strategy, or a business framework, these sessions are designed to expand my knowledge horizon.
• Open-Ended Challenges: The tasks from ChatGPT prompt me with open-ended questions that require me to articulate and synthesize what I’ve learned from various sources. This not only deepens my understanding but also helps me identify areas for further improvement.
• Feedback and Reflection: The AI evaluates my responses and provides constructive feedback, offering insights on how I can refine my thought process and knowledge. This real-time analysis acts as a personalized tutor, ensuring that my learning is both effective and efficient. I can also use it to identify blindspots in my knowledge or thought processes to strengthen my intellect.
• Structured Training Plans: Inspired by the symbols Δ and ι, I design training plans that focus on incremental progress. These plans outline clear, measurable steps for skill development, with the understanding that even the smallest improvements can compound into significant expertise over time.

Using these strategies, I’ve created a dynamic system where AI not only supports my learning but also reinforces the habit of continuous, incremental improvement. This approach has not only enhanced my expertise but has also equipped me to better support and guide others in their educational journeys.

AI as a Director in Higher Education: Driving Institutional Innovation and Support

As a Director in Higher Education, AI empowers me to enhance efficiency, foster innovation, and create tangible value across the institution. I strive to use AI to save my team and myself at least 10 hours per week by automating repetitive tasks, such as document preparation, data organization, and report generation. This efficiency boost enables us to redirect our efforts toward strategic initiatives that benefit the entire institution and all included in our service area.

Creating Value and Providing Support:

• Streamlined Operations: By integrating AI-driven workflow automation, using Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, or Claude, I minimize administrative burdens and reduce rework, ensuring that processes run smoothly and effectively.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: AI tools generate actionable insights from complex datasets, allowing me to make informed decisions about student engagement, faculty support, and resource allocation. This data-centric approach leads to more effective strategies and improved outcomes in educational programs.
• Faculty Empowerment: I actively collaborate with instructors to incorporate AI into curriculum development and lesson planning. By offering training sessions and custom solutions, I help faculty transform dense academic material into engaging, accessible content. This support not only enriches the educational experience but also bridges the gap between traditional teaching methods and emerging technologies. It allows experienced subject matter experts (SMEs) to better adjust to the classroom and organize their knowledge into a comprehensive curriculum.
• Continuous Improvement: I establish feedback loops where AI helps identify process inefficiencies and gaps in faculty training, ensuring that our approaches are continuously refined and aligned with best practices. Without submitting identifiable information, I can use evaluations and student, or partner, feedback to deepen insights into how we can improve the student experience.?

Through these initiatives, AI-powered tools serve as strategic partners that elevate our institutional capabilities, drive operational excellence, and support a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

AI in the Classroom: Empowering Future Leaders and Enhancing Learning

As a professor, my primary goal is to equip students with both the foundational knowledge of their intended discipline and the critical skills needed to thrive in an AI-driven world. I view AI as a transformative tool that not only supplements traditional learning but also prepares students for future challenges. Graduates need to be as well-versed in AI-related skills as they are in technical and soft skills moving into a constantly evolving workplace.?

Creating Value and Providing Support:

• Interactive Learning Experiences: I’ve developed a custom GPT in ChatGPT that students can interact with, turning the classroom into an experimental lab for AI. This hands-on tool challenges students with open-ended questions, encouraging them to articulate and refine their understanding of new topics.
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: By using AI-driven exercises, I help students learn prompt engineering and analyze AI-generated insights. This process cultivates critical thinking skills, empowering them to evaluate and apply complex information effectively.
• Real-World Applications: In their courses, AI is used to simulate real-world scenarios, such as drafting proposals, managing projects, or resolving conflicts. This practical approach bridges the gap between theory and practice, ensuring that students are well-prepared for their careers and the competition in an AI-driven workplace.
• Ethical and Responsible AI Use: I emphasize the importance of understanding AI’s ethical implications both in the classroom and in the workplace. By engaging students in discussions about AI’s potential and limitations, I support them in becoming responsible users who can integrate technology into their work with integrity.
• Tailored Feedback and Growth: AI has the potential to act as a personalized tutor at times when I may be unavailable, providing immediate feedback and suggesting areas for improvement. This individualized support helps students continuously refine their skills and gain confidence in using AI as a strategic tool.

By integrating AI into the curriculum, I create a dynamic learning environment where students not only absorb knowledge but also develop the agility to adapt to and lead in a rapidly changing technological landscape.

AI as a Consultant: Driving Strategic Innovation and Tailored Client Support

In my role as a consultant, I leverage AI to deliver tailored, high-impact strategies for nonprofits and small businesses. Many organizations lack the resources to build comprehensive plans to integrate AI into their workflows on their own, and that’s where my expertise and AI-driven methodologies create substantial value.

Creating Value and Providing Support:

• Enhanced Preparation and Strategic Insight: AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, and Gemini streamline my preparatory work by summarizing documents, extracting key insights, and generating strategic recommendations before client meetings. This level of preparation allows me to provide data-driven, insightful consultations that directly address client needs.
• Custom AI Solutions for Nonprofits: One of my most impactful projects has involved developing a custom GPT for nonprofit grant writing. This tool, trained on state and federal grant requirements and refined through collaboration with local experts, not only drafts compelling proposals but also offers guidance on creating sustainable financial and operational frameworks. This comprehensive support helps nonprofits secure funding and manage resources more effectively. But beyond that, it provides tools specifically tailored to support this niche with a blend of both AI and human intelligence (HI).
• Tailored Strategies for Small Businesses: For small businesses, I harness AI tools to conduct in-depth market analysis, competitive benchmarking, and digital marketing strategy development. Tools like Microsoft Copilot empower me to offer actionable insights and develop internal AI policies that streamline operations. This ensures that clients can integrate AI into their daily workflows, boosting their overall productivity and strategic positioning.
• Ongoing Training and Support: Beyond initial strategy formulation, I provide continuous training and support to help organizations adapt to evolving AI tools. Workshops, personalized training sessions, and regular follow-ups ensure that my clients remain ahead of the curve and confident in their ability to leverage AI for long-term growth.
• Strategic Foresight and Innovation: By applying advanced AI methodologies like chain-of-thought and tree-of-thought analysis, I help clients anticipate market trends and plan proactively. This forward-thinking approach not only optimizes current operations but also lays the groundwork for future innovation and competitive advantage.

In each engagement, my goal is to simplify AI for clients and build their confidence in using tools, building knowledge, and developing the strategic insights needed to harness its full potential. This personalized, hands-on support creates lasting value and drives sustainable success for the organizations in which I partner.

What I DON’T DO with AI.?

While AI is an invaluable tool in my daily operations, there are key areas where I consciously retain a human touch to foster genuine connections and address nuanced challenges. I believe that true connection with my team, students, and clients comes from personal engagement, so rather than relying on AI-drafted emails, I craft my communications to ensure that my messages resonate on a personal level and make each individual feel seen and valued. When it comes to solving human challenges, such as navigating project barriers, addressing program failures, or managing team and student concerns, I use AI to generate strategic scenarios, but it is the collaborative brainstorming and open dialogue with my team that leads to effective, real-world solutions. Additionally, I prioritize personalized interactions by engaging in initial and follow-up conversations via phone, virtual meetings, or in person, where the human element is vital for conveying empathy, building rapport, and maintaining strong team dynamics. By clearly delineating the tasks that benefit from human intelligence, I ensure that while AI enhances efficiency and provides valuable insights, the core of my leadership and support remains authentically human.

AI as a Catalyst for Growth, Learning, and Transformation

AI is more than just a tool I use in my work, it is a transformative force that drives my personal and professional development. Whether I’m using AI to challenge my own learning, enhance institutional operations, inspire students, or support organizations in their strategic journeys, the goal is the same: to create value and foster growth.

By including AI, I have built a system that not only optimizes efficiency but also encourages continuous learning, critical thinking, and innovation. Through higher education, teaching, and consulting, I am dedicated to supporting others as they navigate the evolving technological landscape. AI, when used thoughtfully and responsibly, amplifies our abilities, transforms challenges into opportunities, and ultimately propels us toward a future of sustained excellence and impact.

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Martin Brossman