AI Leadership Accelerator – Fast Track

About this course

The AI Leadership Accelerator Fast Track is an intensive, hands-on program designed for small business owners and leaders who want to quickly develop the skills and confidence to put AI to work. Delivered in a single six-hour day or two three-hour sessions, this accelerated program provides a comprehensive introduction to practical AI applications, effective prompting, business workflows, and the leadership skills needed to guide responsible AI adoption. Participants explore how AI can improve marketing, sales, operations, customer service, and decision-making through practical demonstrations, guided activities, and real-world business examples. The program emphasizes essential knowledge and direct application, helping participants recognize valuable AI opportunities within their organizations, begin developing an AI-assisted workflow, and establish practical guidelines for responsible use. Participants leave with the knowledge, resources, and direction to continue putting AI to work in their businesses. What You Will Walk Away With • Practical AI skills: The ability to use AI effectively, including prompting, working with business data, and understanding emerging AI agents. • Business opportunities: A clearer understanding of where AI can improve productivity and support growth in your organization. • An AI-assisted workflow plan: One identified and outlined repeatable business workflow, ready for development and implementation. • A simple AI governance plan: A practical template for establishing responsible AI guidelines covering data privacy, risk management, and accountability. • A personalized AI action plan: Clear next steps for implementing additional workflows, expanding AI use, and preparing your business for future AI opportunities. The outline for the program is: **Session 1: Putting AI to Work** * Welcome, participant introductions, and program expectations * AI momentum: Why AI matters to small businesses * Generative AI fundamentals: How it works, what it can do, and its limitations * Personalizing a large language model * Effective prompting techniques for stronger, more reliable results * Evaluating AI-generated content for accuracy and usefulness * Protecting confidential and sensitive information * Preparing business data, templates, and reference materials for AI use * Creating reusable prompts and instructions for recurring tasks * Small-business use cases in operations, customer service, research, and strategy * Identifying and prioritizing high-value AI opportunities * Mapping and documenting a current business workflow * Selecting one workflow for development during the program **Session 2: Building and Growing** * Applying AI to marketing, sales, and customer engagement * Identifying where AI can support specific workflow steps * Identifying the data, templates, and documentation needed for consistent use * Assessing organizational readiness for AI adoption * Addressing ethics, privacy, accuracy, intellectual property, and responsible use * Creating an AI governance plan using the provided small-business template * Establishing appropriate human review and accountability * Applying human-centered leadership skills in an AI-enabled workplace * Testing and refining the AI-assisted workflow * Developing short-, mid-, and long-term implementation priorities * Anticipating future AI capabilities and their potential business impact * Program graduation!