AI is firmly on the agenda for owner-managed businesses, but the questions leaders are asking indicate that many are still unsure about where to start.
At our recent Harold Sharp team Away Day, we invited Georgina Mills, Business Innovation Adviser at Trafford & Stockport College Group, to share her insights around an innovation mindset and how building a relationship with AI plays into that. Georgina works closely with local SMEs to help them embed practical innovation into their day-to-day operations and, during our recent team away day, she shared how AI can act as a catalyst for that shift.
Her message to us was clear: innovation isn’t a department or a grand strategy. It’s a behaviour – a willingness to explore, experiment and adopt small changes that make a big difference over time.
Innovation starts with removing friction
For many leaders, ‘innovation’ sounds like a significant investment in new products or systems. Georgina reframed it in far simpler terms: innovation is something new that adds value. And often, value starts with eliminating the tasks that are cumbersome – the ones that drain time and energy.
If a process causes frustration, takes too long or demands repeated manual effort, it’s a prime candidate for innovation.
“AI can help by reducing administrative burden. It removes time consuming obstacles, so that you can invest more in collaboration, creativity and client-facing work.”
But Georgina also highlights that AI tools must be planned and strategised, ensuring that you are choosing the right tool for the right job. Innovation isn’t about adopting everything; it’s about adopting what matters most.
AI as a relationship, not just a tool
Generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot) works best when you treat your AI counterpart the same as you would a human relationship – something that you are invested in and willing to continue building over time. This mindset shift mirrors the behaviours of innovative organisations – those invested in exercising clarity, curiosity and continuous improvement.
So, how do you start building a relationship with AI?
- Introduce yourself
Your AI assistant performs better when it understands who you are, what your business does and what you’re trying to achieve.
- Set boundaries
Make sure you define your preferred tone, format, style and expectations. The more your generative AI knows about what you’re trying to achieve, the more likely the output is to meet your expectation. Better still, share examples of similar content / outputs that you’ve already created so that it can better understand the style you want to mirror.
- Build trust
Start small – does it remember who you are, and what you are trying to achieve? Plus, check understanding along the way to ensure consistency.
- Give feedback
Never accept the first answer provided. Like any human in your team, it is likely to have found the path of least resistance to give you a quick response.
Make sure you refine, repeat and reinforce improvements. Tools like Copilot will allow you to save effective prompts to ensure you are getting consistent outputs in the future.
- Stay curious
Use AI beyond work scenarios to learn its strengths and limitations. As Georgie put it:
“The best teacher in the world right now, for you, is your chosen AI programme. Learn from it. Be curious. Ask questions of it, not once, not twice – but always.”.
Better questions unlock better outcomes
If you want to get ahead with AI, you must make curiosity a habit.
If you’re preparing for a pitch meeting, ask the AI if it knows the prospective client. If it does, test its knowledge. Then ask for industry trends. Then ask if it can turn that into a SWOT. Then provide the context of the meeting and ask it to bullet point some conversation starters. Then ask if it can turn those into a slide deck. Then ask if it can create an avatar of you to deliver the meeting on your behalf…
You can also test it in a personal capacity. If you’re struggling with meal prep, provide the AI with a list of food items in your fridge, and then ask it to give you a recipe. If you don’t like it, ask for another. Then ask if it can give you a meal planner. Then ask if it can turn that meal planner into a shopping list that is in a format that can be uploaded to a supermarket website.
The opportunities are endless, but we will never know the true extent of them if we don’t continually ask questions – not just of AI, but of peers using AI also.
Be mindful of the red flags
No innovation journey is complete without recognising the potential pitfalls:
- AI can sometimes be ‘cocky but wrong’, confidently presenting inaccurate information. Make sure you ask for sources and verify the information provided.
- Large language models may contain inherent bias or stereotypes. Be very mindful of the data sets that you’re working with.
- There’s also a risk of overreliance, where teams begin to lose their human value-add. This is where boundary setting becomes important.
- Privacy must also be protected, which is why many SMEs are choosing tools like Copilot that sit securely within the Microsoft 365 environment. Make sure you have the policies in place to protect yourself, your team and your clients / customers.
Being mindful of these red flags (of which the above is not an exhaustive list!) will help on the journey of informed, intentional progress, whilst ensuring that your data and your team remain safe.
The mindset shift SMEs need
Georgina ended with a message that resonates strongly with owner-managed businesses:
“When it comes to AI – just start. Meaningful impact doesn’t always require massive change, it is often the small incremental changes that make the big difference – start small and build.”
Cultivating an innovation mindset isn’t about adopting every new tool – it’s about taking the first step, learning from experience and sharing insights across your organisation.
The businesses that thrive won’t necessarily be those with the biggest budget – they will be those with the greatest curiosity.
About Georgina Mills, The Trafford & Stockport College Group
Georgina Mills is a Business Innovation Adviser at The Trafford & Stockport College Group (TSCG). Together with her team, she provides tailored support through GMFEIP to help SMEs innovate, offering consultations, workshops, and access to 3D interactive innovation spaces.
To find out how TSCG can support your business on its innovation journey, contact employers@tscg.ac.uk.