Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini – they’ve read every business book in history. Including mine.
You might think that means better answers. Alas… think of the Rabbi.
The Rabbi’s Dilemma
Imagine asking your Rabbi about God, and he gives you three popular and reputable sources:
- The Book of Deuteronomy: “There is no God but me”
- The Gospel of John: “No one comes to the Father except through Jesus”
- The Five Pillars of Islam: “There is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger”
You’d be, what? Confused? Unenlightened?
Most religions, after all, have an integrated system for understanding the universe. It’s not a Book Club Pick ’n’ Mix.
The AI Book Club Problem
Which brings me back to LLMs. They have all the books. But how connected are their answers?
When I run sales programs for example (one of 28 areas of business in the integrated Como Business Coaching system) we:
- Build behavioural awareness
- Design a sales process (the Sales Hourglass)
- Fit sales meeting design into that process (the Gratitude Sales Model)
As an integrated system, this can then be specifically applied in industries as diverse as professional services, pest control, and proprietary software.
Ask Claude about sales? You’ll get Sandler mixed with Challenger mixed with SPIN mixed with Solution Selling – a platter of ideas from authors who would each cringe at the combination.
It’s like asking the Rabbi and getting Jewish Deuteronomy, Christian John, and the Islam’s Five Pillars in one answer.
Content vs Context
This is the Content vs Context distinction I’ve been talking about for two decades.
Most advisors – and most AI – are great in the Content. Subject matter experts. If you have a problem, they have “best” answers.
After 20 years advising businesses in the Context, however, I know that “best” doesn’t exist. There is no “best practice” – only your unique Context (experience, belief, vision, and skills) and the personal answers that creates.
An integrated system – where sales connects to brand connects to culture connects to capacity connects to your personal vision – will always outperform a collection of “best” ideas pulled from different books.
Silos or Systems?
When you look at your business: do you have silos of ideas (some fresh, many rusted, all spread across different fields) or do you have integrated systems tightly working together in pursuit of your ambition?
Like all your employees, Claude et al will work in both environments – but create very different outcomes as a result.
The AI that has read every book is only as good as the system it’s working within. And building that system? That’s still a profoundly human job.
When you own or influence multiple businesses, an integrated approach is the difference between magnifying your input every week… or being a parajumping firefighter with a tired brain and constantly sooty hands.
Which one sounds like more fun?
