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Know Decide Act summary

Name: Know Decide Act
Rating: 4.2 (26 reviews)
Author: Keith B. Carter

Keith B. Carter

10x Your Productivity at Work with AI and Automation

4.2 (26 ratings)

20 mins

Brief summary

Know Decide Act by Keith B. Carter delves into the power of data-driven decision-making. The book guides us through understanding data intelligence, making informed decisions, and taking effective actions for business success.

Topics

Human-Machine Interaction Effectiveness Career Progress Artificial Intelligence Digital Transformation Time Management

Table of Contents

Know Decide Act
Summary of 8 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 8

What’s in it for me? Leverage AI for professional edge.

Not long ago, AI felt like science fiction. Now, it’s a reality shaping our work lives. AI tools can create compelling content, design visuals, and analyze complex data in seconds. This rapid evolution has left many professionals questioning their job security. Maybe you’ve felt that uncertainty too.

Here’s the good news: AI isn’t here to replace you. But those who master AI will outperform those who don’t. Across industries, professionals are already using AI to gain an edge—turning rough ideas into polished presentations, spotting customer trends, and automating repetitive tasks.

In today’s workplace, AI isn’t your rival; it’s your greatest ally. Ready to make it work for you? Let’s dive in.

Know, Decide, and Act

Video didn’t kill the radio star, and Excel didn’t eliminate accountants. PowerPoint didn’t replace graphic designers either. Let’s challenge the idea that new technology makes workers obsolete.

If you’re worried AI might automate you out of a job, you’re asking the wrong question. Instead, ask: how can I use AI to gain a professional edge?

There are plenty of answers. Writers can use AI to tackle the dreaded editing process, generating insights and points of clarity they can refine. Marketers can analyze consumer sentiment at lightning speed, spotting trends immediately rather than in weeks. Developers can automate repetitive coding tasks, freeing up time for innovation, security and user experience.

As we explore AI’s potential, keep three steps in mind: know, decide, and act.

Start by knowing your landscape. How might AI transform your industry? Could it identify trends, process large datasets, or handle routine tasks? Once you understand these possibilities, think about how to adapt. For example, if AI takes over routine customer queries, could you focus on delivering personalized service for complex issues?

Next, decide to move forward. Change can be intimidating, but embracing AI gives you an edge over those stuck in uncertainty.

Finally, act deliberately. Don’t wait for change to happen around you. Take the lead in shaping the future of your work. The opportunity is here—don’t let it pass you by.

Context is critical to unlocking AI’s full potential.

Let's try something. Open up an LLM like ChatGPT and type: "These apples are great". You'll probably get a response like: "I'm glad you're enjoying them! Fresh apples are delicious. Is there anything specific to these apples you'd like to discuss?"

But context changes everything. Revise your prompt to say: "We are walking into an Apple Store and I say to you 'These apples are great'". Suddenly the AI understands and adjusts its response to something like: "Ah, I see the misunderstanding now! You're talking about Apple products at an Apple Store, not actual fruit."

AI can simplify email tasks, saving time and improving communication.

If you work a 9-5, you probably have a scary number of unread emails in your inbox. This is where AI can step in to lighten the load. Here are three ways AI can transform your email workflow.

Let’s start with a familiar scenario: It's 10:30 PM, and you've just received an infuriating email from your manager asking why you haven't completed a report they never assigned you. Your instinct? Fire back an angry response. Instead, draft your thoughts, then ask AI: "Please edit this email to maintain my core message but make it professional." Your heated draft becomes: "I want to clarify that this report wasn't previously assigned to me. I'm happy to prioritize it now. Could we discuss timeline requirements tomorrow?" Crisis averted!

AI’s capabilities extend far beyond text, solving complex workplace challenges.

When most people think of AI, they think of text-based tasks like drafting emails or creating content. But AI can tackle far more, including complex challenges like onboarding employees to new software systems.

For example, if you work in IT or tech support, you know how this usually goes. A management directive mandates a software upgrade or new system. But adoption rates lag. Workers are frustrated by the change and find the learning curve too steep.

AI can streamline HR tasks, freeing time for meaningful human interactions.

Let’s look at just two scenarios where AI can dramatically streamline your workload.

First – analyzing data. Let’s say your CEO drops by with a request like this one: "Our Glassdoor reviews aren't great. Can you look into it?" Pre-AI, this task would mean hours hunched over spreadsheets. But with AI, you can upload those reviews to a platform like ChatGPT and get an immediate synthesis of the raw data. Then drill down with targeted prompts, like: "Show me patterns in negative reviews from employees who left within their first year" or "Compare satisfaction scores between engineering and marketing departments." Within minutes, you might discover that new hires in technical roles consistently mention inadequate onboarding resources – a specific issue you can now address strategically.

AI simplifies data preparation, letting you focus on insights and strategy.

Data pros love to analyze, discovering hidden patterns and insights that drive strategic decisions. But there's a pretty big downside to the job: wrangling the data into an analyzable state. It's time-consuming, tedious, and not exactly the stimulating work that attracted you to data analysis in the first place.

We've already touched on how AI can help synthesize large amounts of data. But specialized platforms like Microsoft Power BI can handle way more data (we’re talking millions of rows) and quickly package it into charts, graphs, and other visuals as well as prototype dashboards.

AI accelerates the creation of investment proposals, leaving room for personal expertise.

Finance professionals know the value of a personal touch when advising clients, but much of their time is spent on routine tasks like drafting investment proposals. AI can streamline this process, allowing you to focus on delivering tailored advice.

Here's how this might work in practice: A couple based in Singapore schedules a meeting to discuss planning for their child's education costs. Before they arrive, you might prompt your AI to take on the persona of a financial advisor specializing in education planning for expatriates in Singapore. You'd specify that you need help preparing for a meeting with a couple saving for their 3-year-old daughter's university education in the US. You'd provide context about their combined annual income, existing investments, and savings timeline. You'd ask for questions to better understand their needs and, finally, request a draft follow-up email with key points.

AI offers endless possibilities to enhance productivity and creativity.

We've seen how AI frees professionals from tedious tasks to focus on creative, strategic work. But we've only scratched the surface of what AI can do for you! Let’s finish with a lightning round of game-changing AI applications. Keep up!

Use AI to generate meeting minutes. Fireflies AI notetaker joins your meetings, transcribes everything, and delivers organized notes within minutes.

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What is Know Decide Act about?

Know Decide Act (2024) is an empowered take on AI’s potential to transform the workplace. It offers practical walkthroughs to move from workflow drudgery to AI enhanced workflows that boost work quality and productivity, along with practical strategies for implementing AI tools across every kind of workplace.

Want to free up 5 to 20 more hours during the work week? This is the book. You'll learn how to use 20 ai tools that the author uses every week.

Who should read Know Decide Act?

Managers who want to use AI to drive performance and innovation
Workers keen to retain their edge in an increasingly automated workplace
Freelancers ready to scale their offering with smart AI tools

About the Author

Keith B. Carter is a globally recognized expert in AI-driven productivity and digital transformation. His career spans academia, Wall Street tech, and NY fashion. These days, he advises businesses and governments worldwide on harnessing emerging AI technologies to boost productivity and performance.

Categories with Know Decide Act

Technology & the Future Productivity Career & Success

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