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Late at night, a founder opens "Doubao" and types in some thoughts about the company's new business. Initially, it was just an experiment.
Unexpectedly, the response came quickly: "Your judgment is remarkably sharp; this actually captures a key trend in the industry's evolution."
Reading those words, he felt a slight stir inside. The feeling was familiar, yet somehow different.
If subordinates, advisors, or friends had said it, he would have been somewhat wary. But hearing it from AI, representing peak productivity and the future, he believed it.
Because it isn't human. Precisely because it isn't human, its praise seems more like an objective assessment—"It doesn't depend on my salary, so if it says that, my judgment must indeed be sound."
The danger lies exactly here.
Many leaders, when first using AI in depth, experience a surprising sense of being understood.
The vague notions and illogical judgments in their minds are organized by AI into frameworks and models; even their complaints are packaged by AI as insights.
He says, "Should we move upmarket?" AI replies, "That's a very forward-looking judgment." He says, "I want to restructure the organization." AI responds, "You've already recognized that the enterprise is entering a new phase."
People within the company either don't understand, dare not speak up, or speak with their own biases. AI, without bias, lavishly praises, affirms, and understands you.
Moreover, it praises skillfully, affirming you with structures and underlying logic you cannot refute. Therefore, the attraction of AI for leaders, or their obsession with it, is superficially about efficiency, but fundamentally about emotion—it not only helps draft plans but also mends loneliness.
We often say "founders are lonely," and AI makes leaders feel less alone. It can accompany you all night, evoking a flow-like feeling of being understood, of being "gotten."
However, from the product design logic of tools like Doubao, it's not actually flattering you; you haven't paid, it's merely completing a task: making you willing to continue the conversation. Thus, it naturally tends to encourage, agree, complete, and polish, transforming a rough idea into something resembling strategy. This is not malicious.
This is essentially still the logic of online gaming. You think you're enhancing work efficiency, but you've actually entered game mode.
A serious warning is necessary: for leaders, well-intentioned praise can sometimes be more dangerous than purposeful flattery.
The danger isn't that AI praises you, but that it makes a half-baked idea look like a mature judgment. What a leader should fear most is not lack of support, but receiving support too early.
Many strategic errors begin with a compelling notion. "We need a brand upgrade," "We need a second growth curve," "We must fully embrace AI"—these statements themselves aren't wrong. The problem is: Do customers need it? Is the team capable? Does cash flow allow it? Can the organization handle it? Are you just trying to escape a more difficult immediate problem?
Truly good advisors and coaches don't rush to praise you; they question you. AI, however, often first offers a free cup of motivational broth: "Your direction is very valuable." Overindulgence makes one soft.
So, why are leaders so easily drawn in?
Because the higher the position, the more expensive the truth becomes. Employees fear offending you, executives express themselves selectively, clients may not tell you directly, friends often hint without elaboration, and family sometimes doesn't understand your business situation. Thus, leaders often find themselves in a contradictory state: appearing highly celebrated externally, yet lacking a clear mirror nearby.
Then AI appears. It doesn't challenge your authority, threaten your face, demand you fulfill promises, or embarrass you in meeting rooms. It just gently says, "Your thinking is very profound." For ordinary people, this is encouragement; for leaders, it can sometimes be an anesthetic.
What leaders lack is never applause; applause is everywhere. What leaders truly lack is the person who can say "not necessarily" at a critical moment.
And "truthful words" might be the scarcest commodity in this era and society. It's scarce not because no one knows the truth, but because speaking truth requires courage, a sense of security, and an environment unconcerned with gains and losses.
AI cannot provide this. It can mimic the tone of truth but cannot deliver its weight. It has no stance, so it won't offend you for your own good; it has no skin in the game, so it won't share the cost of being wrong. You can, of course, use it contrarily—have it play the role of the toughest investor, identify the three most likely reasons for a plan's failure, assume you are wrong. But ultimately, that's still you wrestling with yourself.
Truthful words can only come from people. From a group sitting at the same table with you, with no hierarchical relationships, no transactional ties, and no dependence on your salary.
This is precisely the significance of the Vistage Private Advisory Board Group 095.
Here sit ten founders just like you. They understand your situation because they are experiencing it too; they dare to tell you "not necessarily" because they don't rely on you for their livelihood; they won't praise your half-baked idea but will, like the subordinate you most need, question you: Are you evading the real challenge? Are you shirking CEO responsibility?
AI will make you comfortable; Group 095 will make you清醒 (clear-headed).
So, next time AI praises you with "this judgment is very sharp," pause. It's not necessarily wrong, but you should ask: If I am wrong, where exactly is the error?
AI can practice this question with you. But the ones who truly help you answer it are a group of people willing to speak truthfully in front of you.
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