AI Leadership: Thinking With AI for Organisational Growth

By Vivek Agrawal, Founder and CEO , Vivikt Growth LLP

Artificial Intelligence is transforming how businesses operate and make decisions. As AI becomes integral to everyday work, leaders must move beyond adopting new tools to learning how to think and lead with AI.

For Vivek Agrawal, Founder and CEO of Vivikt Growth LLP and former CIO at IndiaMART, AI adoption is as much a leadership challenge as a technological one. With 17 years of technology experience, over 3,000 hours of advisory work and experience coaching 100+ leaders, he brings a perspective that connects technology transformation with organisational growth.

The Leadership Gap Is No Longer Just About Technology
Introducing AI tools does not automatically make an organisation more intelligent. Teams may have access to advanced technology while continuing to follow outdated workflows and disconnected processes.

Leaders must recognise where AI can create value, what can be automated and where human judgement remains essential. The real challenge is rethinking how work gets done.

From Using AI to Thinking With AI
AI can help leaders process information, explore scenarios, challenge assumptions and identify patterns. However, its effectiveness depends on the quality of questions asked and the judgement applied to its outputs.

Understanding AI's capabilities, limitations and business implications is becoming an essential leadership competency. The objective is not to let AI make every decision, but to improve decision-making while retaining human accountability.

Organisational Readiness Begins With People
AI can widen the gap between technology, processes and people when organisations deploy tools without preparing their workforce to use them effectively.
AI enablement must be relevant to everyday responsibilities across functions such as legal, product, technology and business operations. Employees need practical experience applying AI to real challenges, while leaders must build teams capable of questioning existing practices and adapting to new ways of working.

The Future Belongs to Leaders Who Keep Learning
Experience alone will no longer be enough. Leaders must be willing to unlearn established practices, challenge familiar assumptions and integrate new capabilities into their decision-making.

The question is not simply whether AI will replace leaders, but whether leaders are prepared to evolve before their organisations outgrow their ability to adapt.

AI can provide businesses with greater intelligence, speed and scale. Leadership determines how effectively these capabilities translate into business outcomes.

The real competitive advantage will belong to those who do not merely use AI, but know how to think with it.