AI Leadership Accelerator

About this course

The AI Leadership Accelerator is a practical, six-week cohort program for small-business owners who recognize the importance of artificial intelligence but need a structured approach to applying it within their businesses. The program helps participants evaluate AI opportunities, select appropriate uses, and lead adoption with greater clarity, confidence, and control. Through demonstrations, guided exercises, peer discussion, and hands-on experimentation, participants learn to apply generative AI to areas such as marketing, customer service, operations, research, and decision support. The program also addresses data privacy, accuracy, intellectual property, ethical use, and the need for human oversight. A central focus of the program is workflow improvement. Each participant selects a high-value business workflow, documents and standardizes the current process, identifies the business data and templates it requires, and determines where AI can improve specific steps. Participants then develop an AI-assisted version of that workflow and define measures of success.. By the end of the program, participants have experience applying AI to real business needs, a repeatable method for evaluating additional opportunities, and a roadmap for expanding AI use safely, responsibly, and effectively. The outline for the program is: **Week 1: From Curiosity to Capability** * 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 **Week 2: Getting the Most from AI** * 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 **Week 3: Putting AI to Work** * 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 * Individual coaching session to review the participant’s selected workflow and implementation goals **Week 4: Building and Growing** * Applying AI to marketing, sales, and customer engagement * Identifying where AI can support specific workflow steps * Redesigning a workflow to incorporate AI and human oversight * Testing and refining the AI-assisted workflow * Identifying the data, templates, and documentation needed for consistent use **Week 5: Leading the AI Charge** * 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 * Preparing employees for changes in roles and work processes * Applying human-centered leadership skills in an AI-enabled workplace **Week 6: Implementation and Graduation** * Presenting the selected AI-assisted workflow and intended business value * Developing short-, mid-, and long-term implementation priorities * Anticipating future AI capabilities and their potential business impact * Creating an individual AI action plan * Program graduation! By the end of the program, participants will be able to: - Explain the capabilities and limitations of generative AI and select appropriate applications for common business needs. - Create effective prompts, incorporate relevant business data and reference materials, and evaluate AI-generated results for accuracy and usefulness. - Identify and prioritize high-value AI opportunities across marketing, sales, customer service, operations, research, and decision support. - Document and standardize a business workflow, redesign selected steps to incorporate AI and human oversight, and define measures of success. - Create an AI governance plan for their business that establishes responsible-use guidelines, addresses data privacy and risk, and defines human oversight and accountability.