#011 - Return on Intelligence.
Your CFO asked for the ROI on that AI project.
You sent her a spreadsheet showing $300K in annual savings.
She approved it.
You just made a $3 million mistake.
The Courage Part
Here's what most executives won't tell you: measuring AI on cost savings alone is career suicide.
Not because the savings aren't real. They are.
But because you're ignoring 90% of the value.
Let me show you the math. One of my clients is automating manual timesheet entry. Direct benefit: 10 fewer employees needed. Annual savings: $300K.
But here's what they actually got:
+ AI maturity infrastructure worth $150K in future project speed
+ Knowledge management systems saving $125K annually
+ Data quality improvements preventing $300K in errors
+ Process intelligence creating $80K in efficiency gains
+ Innovation culture generating $2M+ in new opportunities
+ Change management capabilities worth $180K in faster adoption
Total indirect value: $3M over three years.
The ratio? 1:3.
For every dollar in direct savings, they captured at least three dollars in strategic value.
Most companies never see this. They optimize for pennies while competitors build the future.
The Calm Part
You don't need complex frameworks. You need one simple shift.
Stop asking: "How much will this save?"
Start asking: "What capabilities does this build?"
Every AI initiative creates two types of value:
Direct KPIs - The obvious wins. Productivity increases. Headcount reductions. Cost savings. These pay the bills.
Smart KPIs - The strategic wins. AI maturity. Data quality. Process intelligence. Innovation culture. Knowledge management. Change readiness.
These compounds over time.
The companies winning in 2030 aren't the ones that saved fastest. They're the ones who built strategic capabilities while everyone else counted pennies.
Think in waves:
Wave 1 delivers efficiency (months 0-12)
Wave 2 elevates quality (months 12-24)
Wave 3 transforms the system (months 24-36)
You need all three running in parallel. Wave 1 funds Wave 2. Wave 2 enables Wave 3. Wave 3 protects your market position.
The Clarity Part
Here's your action plan.
Take your next AI business case. Add six smart KPIs to your direct KPIs:
AI Maturity - How much faster is your next AI project?
Knowledge Management - How much knowledge stays when people leave?
Data Quality - How much better are your decisions?
Process Intelligence - How much more adaptive is your operation?
Innovation Culture - How many new ideas surface?
Change Readiness - How fast do people adopt new tools?
Assign monetary value to each. Be conservative. Even at half the typical ratios, you'll justify initiatives your competitors can't.
Present both numbers to your board. Direct and smart. Short-term and strategic.
The companies that master this measurement shift will dominate their markets by 2030.
The ones that don't will be case studies in business school.
The Bottom Line
Return on Investment measures what you saved.
Return on Intelligence measures what you built.
Your competitors are still counting savings.
You can be building the future.
Calm plus Courage equals Clarity.
Your move.
You can read more here:
👉 Stop Measuring AI on Savings, Start Measuring Its Strategic Value.
