The Duct Tape Marketing Podcast: "How Leaders Should Really Use AI"

Date: December 18, 2025
Host: John Jantsch
Guest: Jeff Woods (Author of The AI Driven Leader, Founder of AI Leadership Collective)

Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, John Jantsch welcomes Jeff Woods, bestselling author and founder of the AI Leadership Collective, to discuss how leaders should be thinking about and leveraging AI. The conversation centers on moving beyond simple productivity tools to reposition AI as a strategic thought partner, explores cultural challenges with AI adoption, and offers actionable frameworks leaders can use to make more effective decisions and chart a course for AI-driven innovation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Rethinking AI’s Role in Leadership

• From Task Automation to Thought Partnership:
  Woods shares his journey from seeing AI as a tool for low-level tasks to treating it as a partner in strategic thinking.

  “It’s not about having the right answers. It's about having the right questions... Could I turn the tables and get AI to ask me the right questions or better ones? Once I cracked that code, it was game over.” (Jeff Woods, 02:08)

• AI as a Thought Partner:

  “AI is your thought partner. That makes you the thought leader.” (Jeff Woods, 03:49)
  The fundamental risk is in abdicating leadership responsibility to AI, rather than engaging with it as a co-pilot in strategic thinking.

2. Overcoming Operational Overwhelm to Prioritize Strategy

• The 80/20 Principle and AI’s Value Proposition:
  Many business owners are trapped in operational tasks. Woods challenges listeners to focus directly on high-impact, strategic work—the “20% priorities” that drive “80% of the results.”

  “Wrong question. Because Parkinson’s law says work expands to the time you allow it, there will always be more 80% tasks than there is time.” (Jeff Woods, 05:30)

• The Juggling Analogy:
  Not all dropped tasks are equal—focus on the "glass balls" (critical priorities) while letting “rubber balls” (less critical tasks) bounce.

  “The glass balls are your 20% priorities. Those are the ones you can’t drop. The 80%, it’s the rubber.” (Jeff Woods, 07:09)

3. The CRIT Prompting Framework

• A Tactical Tool for Leaders:
  Woods introduces his CRIT formula for interacting with AI:

  • Context: Give detailed background
  • Role: Assign AI a relevant expert identity
  • Interview: Tell AI to ask 1–3 questions for context
  • Task: Define the output you want

  “If you only take one thing from this episode, that’s it. Get a sticky note: Context, Role, Interview, Task.” (Jeff Woods, 07:56)

• Real-World Example (Manufacturing CEO):

  • Problem: CEO struggling to restructure debt with a Japanese supplier
  • Action: Used CRIT to prompt AI for non-obvious strategies
  • Outcome: AI suggested leveraging relationships for a “Saving Face Consortium”; CEO gained actionable hope in minutes

  "I haven't slept in 90 days... In less than 10 minutes, I got hope." (Manufacturing CEO, relayed by Jeff Woods, 11:18)

4. Addressing Cultural & Organizational Resistance

• The People Side of AI Transformation:
  Woods positions his book as a leadership guide, not a technical manual.

  “You have to be practicing this yourself and understanding what it can do and what it cannot do to be able to lead this change.” (Jeff Woods, 13:43)

• Job Security and Up-Skilling:
  AI will shift which skills and processes are valuable—but adaptability and leadership remain essential.

  “At one point in time, they did not have the skills to do the job… What they did have was the ability to learn.” (Jeff Woods, 14:09)
  The technology should free leaders and teams from low-value tasks, liberating time and energy for strategic priorities.

5. AI and Accelerated Decision-Making

• Challenging Biases and Assumptions:
  Woods shares his process for using AI as a thought partner in decision making, helping uncover blind spots and optimize choices.

  “It's really tough to read the label when you're inside the box... We are making decisions with lots of biases and assumptions.” (Jeff Woods, 16:36)

• Prompt for Evaluating Choices:
  Use CRIT to have AI play the role of an expert (e.g., Chief Product Officer), ask probing questions, and recommend a path based on context and organizational strengths.

6. The Future of Leadership in an AI-Driven World

• Multiplying Team Value Instead of Headcount Cuts:

  “There are companies that are going to use this to cut heads. I think they have the wrong mindset. Your number one asset... is your people.” (Jeff Woods, 17:55)

• AI-Driven Leaders Will Replace Traditional Leaders:
  Those who adapt and evolve will thrive.

  “AI will not take their job. Someone who’s AI-driven will.” (Jeff Woods, 19:22)

7. Practical First Steps for Leaders

• Don’t Delegate AI—Lead With It:
  Integrating AI is a strategic leadership responsibility, not something for IT or HR to figure out alone.

  “You must first walk the talk. Which means you have to become an AI driven leader.” (Jeff Woods, 19:49)

• Sticky Note Prompting System:
  Woods recommends two sticky notes for daily practice:

  1. "How can AI help me do this?"
  2. "Context, Role, Interview, Task"
     Example: Use AI to review financials and uncover insights you didn’t consider before.

  “That is now my process for reviewing my financials every month.” (Jeff Woods, 21:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you recognize that as the thought leader, you are in the driver’s seat... and based on [AI’s] result, you don’t believe it, you challenge it... That’s what it means to be the thought leader.”
  — Jeff Woods, 04:17

• “The great liberator... what if there was a technology that could free you up from all that low-level tactical stuff so you finally had the space to breathe and focus on the 20% priorities?”
  — Jeff Woods, 15:28

• (Gong sound effect)
  Accidental but timely, as Woods demonstrates how his new AI process “expands” his thinking. (21:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:24 — How AI enables strategic thinking for leaders
• 03:13 — Reframing AI as a thought partner, not a task rabbit
• 05:10 — The 80/20 principle and moving beyond operational overwhelm
• 07:56 — Introduction to the CRIT framework for AI prompting
• 09:20 — Manufacturing CEO real-life AI prompt case study
• 13:42 — Addressing cultural fears and the “job equals skills x process” formula
• 16:20 — How AI transforms decision-making and counters leadership biases
• 17:55 — The true ROI of augmenting (not replacing) people with AI
• 19:42 — Where to start: Integrating AI into daily leadership with sticky notes
• 21:45 — Real-world example: Using AI in monthly financial reviews

Resources & Further Information

• Book: The AI Driven Leader (Amazon, Audible, Kindle)
• Bonus: Email receipt to book@leadership.com for a prompt library PDF
• Community & Newsletter: AIleadership.com
• Network: AI Driven Leadership Collective (for C-level strategy leaders)

This episode is an essential listen for leaders seeking actionable strategies to harness AI—not as a shortcut for low-value tasks, but as an amplifier for strategic, human-centered leadership in a rapidly changing world.