AI for teams is about more than giving employees access to another tool. It is about helping people think more clearly, make better decisions, and contribute more of their strengths. In Episode 161 of The Profit Minds Podcast, Dr. Steven Kirch speaks with Dan Winter, leadership and executive team coach and principal at Altus Growth Partners, about using AI to augment human talent, address employee concerns, and improve the way teams work together.
In this episode, Dr. Kirch and Dan Winter explore practical ways leaders can integrate AI into their organizations without losing sight of the people doing the work.
Dan Winter is a leadership and executive team coach and principal at Altus Growth Partners. In the episode, he describes a career that began at Intel, where he worked in leadership development and organizational roles, before moving into consulting focused on leadership, teams, and strategy.
He brings experience in helping leaders navigate change, improve coordination, and understand the conversations that influence how teams work together. He is also associated with Growing Groups into Teams, a book featuring practical approaches to building more effective teams.
Learn more about his work at Altus Growth Partners.
One of the central themes in the conversation is the distinction between using AI to replace people and using AI to help people create more value.
Dan describes organizations that initially introduced AI tools with little direction. Employees began experimenting, but some initiatives created poorly maintained bots and programs, security concerns, and unexpected usage costs. Over time, organizations became more deliberate about where AI could generate meaningful value.
For leaders, this means starting with the work that needs to be done, identifying where AI can make a real difference, and ensuring that experimentation is supported by clear expectations and appropriate safeguards.
Dr. Kirch outlines three conversations leaders should have with their organizations before introducing AI.
1. What are people afraid of?
Employees may worry about losing their jobs or feel that AI will expose gaps in their knowledge. Leaders need to address those concerns openly rather than allowing fear to shape the rollout.
2. What are we trying to accomplish, and what are the boundaries?
Teams need clarity about what is in scope, what is out of scope, and what guidelines govern responsible use.
3. How do we make this a win-win?
AI implementation should create value for the organization while also helping employees do meaningful work, develop their capabilities, and contribute more effectively.
Together, these conversations give AI adoption a clearer purpose and make it easier for people to understand how they fit into the change.
AI can do more than answer a question. Used well, it can challenge assumptions, surface risks, identify missing information, and help people consider perspectives they might otherwise overlook.
Dan shares examples of using AI to research a person’s previous podcast appearances, prepare better interview questions, and rehearse answers for different executive audiences.
The practical lesson is to move beyond asking for a single output. Ask AI to identify weaknesses in your thinking, challenge your assumptions, explain alternative perspectives, and show you what you may be missing. Its output still needs human judgment and verification, but the process can make preparation more thorough.
Different stakeholders approach decisions through different responsibilities. A finance leader may focus on spending limits, while a general counsel may be more concerned about organizational risk.
Dan shares an example of helping a client reframe a request for budget relief. Rather than presenting the same broad business case to everyone, the client prepared to discuss spending constraints with finance and the risk implications with legal counsel.
AI can help leaders anticipate these different perspectives before an important conversation. By asking what a CFO, legal leader, or another decision-maker is likely to care about, a leader can prepare a more relevant and focused argument.
Dan explains that effective teams recognize what each person does particularly well and coordinate around those strengths.
AI can help with some of the tasks that people find difficult, repetitive, or unfamiliar. That can free them to spend more time on the work where they contribute the most value.
This does not mean AI replaces the need for colleagues, coaches, or managers. It means AI can provide additional support when another person is unavailable, when a skill gap slows progress, or when someone needs a place to practice before having a real conversation.
Dan is offering listeners a sample chapter from Growing Groups into Teams. The book includes examples, frameworks, and practical questions intended to help leaders strengthen their teams and improve how they work together.
To request a sample chapter, email Dan Winter at dwinter@altusgrowth.com
Dr. Steven Kirch is the creator of the Profit Minds™ Growth System, which helps entrepreneurs and professionals accelerate profits through productivity, scalable systems, and AI-powered business strategies.
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