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Forbes
4 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
The Future Of Leadership In The Age Of AI
Jani Hirvonen is Global Head of Channel Partnerships at Google. Artificial intelligence is evolving fast. Every week brings new tools, new terms and new hype. It's easy to feel behind. But the truth is, we're still in the early stages. The best leaders won't wait to understand every model or master every technology. They'll lead with curiosity, focus on business outcomes and build a culture that can adapt. AI is changing not just what we do but how we work and how we lead. Here's how I believe great leaders can position themselves—and their teams—for success. The first step isn't choosing a model or tool. It's identifying a real problem that matters to your business. That could mean improving customer experience, boosting efficiency or supporting growth. Whatever it is, start there. Then explore how AI can help. You don't need to be a technical expert to lead on AI. But you do need to be curious and intentional. Try using AI in your own work. Build hands-on experience, ask questions and share what you learn. Modeling that mindset helps others feel confident doing the same. It's also important to understand how AI fits into your broader strategy and how to implement this. Some companies leverage in-house solutions, others choose third-party solutions. The right answer depends on your capabilities, business processes and priorities. Whatever path you choose, stay focused on value, not novelty. Many senior leaders feel overwhelmed by AI's pace. That's understandable. But trying to keep up with every development will leave you ineffective and spinning. Focus instead on what drives business value and surround yourself with people who can translate complexity into impact. Encourage small experiments. Give teams permission to test new tools and learn from mistakes. Create feedback loops to scale wins and learn from failures. Change happens incrementally. Choose momentum over perfection. The most successful leaders will be the ones who show up with a learning mindset. They'll get comfortable not having all the answers. They'll ask better questions. And they'll focus on building teams that are agile, accountable and aligned. AI is only as good as the data it uses. That's why data fluency for leaders is more essential than technical mastery. You don't need to become a data scientist, but you do need to understand how data quality affects AI outcomes. That includes knowing how your systems collect and store information, what biases might exist and how insights are being used to guide decisions. For example, if your customer data is incomplete or inconsistent, no model can fix that. Before applying AI, make sure your inputs are accurate. Ask where the data is coming from. Challenge assumptions, and encourage your teams to do the same. Leaders who embrace data fluency can guide smarter conversations, make better decisions and hold their teams to higher standards. It's about asking, not assuming, while creating a shared understanding of what good data looks like. Ethics in AI is foundational. Every AI decision, including what data you use, how you automate and what outputs you accept, can have ethical implications. Leaders must be proactive in identifying and managing risks. That means asking tough questions. Is the data biased? Are we over-automating at the expense of human connection? Can we explain how decisions are made? Are we protecting privacy and security? Ethics shouldn't come after strategy. It should shape it. It's also important to be transparent with your teams. No one can offer complete job security in a disruptive environment. But you can offer honesty, guidance and upskilling opportunities. Helping people understand how their roles might evolve—and how they can prepare—builds trust. AI is not just a technology shift. It's a transformative shift that will impact people, culture and operations. It's also a leadership shift. It's still up to us to decide how people and machines work together. Today, leaders can start small. Focus on use cases with clear ROI. Pilot, measure and learn. Don't get sucked in by the noise. And don't start with AI—instead, start with a problem you need to solve. Over time, build a leadership mindset that sees AI as a partner, not a threat. Know when to rely on AI, when to override it and how to shape a culture where both humans and AI can thrive. The future won't reward perfection. It will reward adaptability. The best leaders won't be the ones who know everything. They'll be the ones who learn quickly, think clearly and lead with intention. Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify?
Forbes
09-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
20 Tips To Navigate Sudden Funding Losses
getty Whether due to shifting market conditions, funding freezes or a simple change in priorities, a sudden loss of funding can disrupt even the best-planned business development or research initiatives. While this can feel like a major setback, it doesn't have to signal the end of progress. In moments like these, taking strategic action to reassess and move forward can turn a funding loss into a pivot point for innovation. If you find yourself facing a sudden funding loss, follow this advice from the members of Forbes Business Development Council to regain momentum and move forward. One should avoid a knee-jerk reaction and first assess the facts. Is the funding truly lost, or could minor tweaks help requalify it? Don't assume the decision is final. The first step is to diagnose the root cause and explore if there's a salvage opportunity. Once the "why" is clear, determine next steps—this may include repositioning, adjusting scope or seeking alternative funding sources. - Janesh Janardhanan, Frost & Sullivan It's important to understand why funding was cut and how the project aligns with current strategic priorities. In my experience, funding should never be taken for granted—always have a plan B. In this case, it's worthwhile to reassess the value and cost and to explore scrappier, more cost-effective ways to achieve similar outcomes. I've often seen roadblocks spark innovation in unexpected ways. - Jani Hirvonen, Google Some first steps to take include reforecasting the roadmap based on available funding, adjusting the burn rate and transparently communicating the situation to stakeholders, such as your team, investors or partners. Also, explore alternative funding sources like grants, partnerships or bridge funding—and consider repackaging key initiatives to attract new investment or sponsor support. - Vinit Mojes, EY When you lose significant funding, it's time to reassess your current financial situation, priorities and processes. This involves evaluating what resources you still have and identifying which aspects of the project are most critical to maintain. Communicating transparently with your team and stakeholders is essential. Then, refocus, reimagine and take your first steps toward success. - Scotty Elliott, AmeriLife Reach out early and often. Whether it's mentors, advisors, industry peers or your team, don't try to course-correct alone. Collaboration costs nothing but can be worth everything. A quick brainstorming session or honest conversation might uncover resources, workarounds or support you hadn't considered. You never know who's willing to help until you ask—and wants to be part of a solution. - Bryce Welker, The CPA Exam Guy Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify? The first step is to assess the impact of the funding loss: Identify affected activities, quantify the financial gap and evaluate consequences on timelines and goals. Then, reprioritize the project and seek alternative funding sources, while maintaining clear communication with the team and stakeholders. - Umberto Cavallaro, AscoService Constraints often lead to innovation, and this is where leadership has to be decisive, resourceful and transparent. Figure out what's a must-have versus a nice-to-have. Engage key stakeholders, cross-functional teams, partners or even customers to explore alternative funding sources. Also, explore creative partnerships that could fill the gap. It's about shifting from a scarcity mindset to an opportunity mindset. - Olga Lykova, When your funding gets cut, competitive intelligence is a budget pivot pro move. There are no hard costs required to collect the websites, LinkedIn page posts and ad creative that other brands are running. You can view this information on the ad libraries of Meta, Google and LinkedIn. Compare how you and your competitors talk about your brands and your solutions. Differentiation opportunities will present themselves. - Barry Reicherter, Finn Partners When funding cuts hit, start by evaluating your cash flow and securing critical operations to keep your project afloat. Then, seek bridge funding or streamline efforts to preserve progress toward your goals. - Vivek Vishal, Honeywell Take a pulse on the marketplace and customer impact. Review the impact of the budget cut on major deliverables and assess customer plans. Before reaching out to internal and external stakeholders, it's helpful to first outline alternative scenarios, for example, descoping features to focus only on the top-priority, high-impact ones, or planning a staggered release approach with fewer resources. - Srinivas Vadhri, Skydo When funding drops, the first move is to reassess priorities through the lens of strategic alignment. Focus on what still supports your core goals with the resources you have. Tighten the scope, engage your team and get creative. A clear sense of purpose can turn constraints into momentum. - Michael Fritsch, Smarter Operations Review your priorities at hand and then figure out a way to self-fund the most critical ones through the existing business. Once you reduce your priorities, you have an option to reduce expenses associated with those shelved projects. - Ruchir Nath, Dell Technologies Identify which parts of the project matter most. If you figure out which pieces are directly tied to the main goals, you can shift your time and resources to those first. You can also look into changing the timeline to fit the current situation better. It's a practical way to keep moving forward and allows time to rethink the overall strategy if needed. - Max Avery, Digital Ascension Group Accept that tomorrow is never guaranteed, especially in business development. When funding disappears, don't just react—reframe. The real cost isn't always in the dollars lost, but in the opportunity left on the table. Rally your allies, sharpen the business case and make it clear what's at stake. In business development, conviction is often the bridge between a setback and a comeback. - Alexander Masters, MBA, BIDA, Siemens Do a team-wide debriefing to clarify what led to the loss of funding, and if the possibility still exists to go back and revive the conversation. If it does, then find out how to approach this conversation. Who needs to be involved? What do you need to present or showcase to get back in the ring? If these questions are not possible, are there other funding avenues that you can explore? - Mustansir Paliwala, Zomara Group The first step is to revisit and prioritize objectives based on available resources. Conduct a review of the project's core goals and identify the most critical activities that align with the business's strategic vision. By focusing on high-impact and low-resource initiatives, you can maintain momentum, preserve value and position your business to adapt while seeking alternative funding sources. - Salice Thomas, Wipro Limited The first step is to reassess the project's key parts tied to your goals. Use "first principles thinking" to find cost-effective, creative solutions that keep things moving forward, even if they're less scalable. Communicate with your team, explain the new direction and keep everyone motivated. With budget cuts, focus on progress, not perfection—sometimes good enough is enough to keep advancing. - Jayant Walia, Gainbridge Review project goals through an impact analysis to understand how the funding gap affects objectives, timelines and deliverables. Identify essential components and determine what can be scaled down, postponed or adapted—without losing core value. Explore alternatives—such as partnerships, grants or budget reallocations—to complete the project or research. - Ali Faizan Rizvi, Mint Gateway Reassess and prioritize initiatives that align with strategic goals and offer high ROI. Explore alternative funding—partnerships, grants or internal shifts. Communicate transparently with stakeholders and use the challenge as a catalyst for innovation and focus. - Rahul Saluja, Cognizant If funding takes a hit, start by stepping back to reassess. Focus on what's still possible with the resources you have. Are there leaner, more creative approaches you can take to reach your goals? Funding loss doesn't have to mean giving up; it can be an opportunity to test new strategies and refocus efforts to efficiently win new business or conduct research. - Raviraj Hegde, Donorbox
