Creating a business - Enabled by AI
Lightrise began in December 2021. Having worked in HR for over 10 years, I've seen some pretty low-grade interactions between humans, and some entry level stuff missing from the professional skills of managers and leaders in the workforce. So we've tried to structure things differently, and in our initial objective to build back better, AI, ChatGPT and Copilot have been been with us since day one, changing what is means to be a manager and a successfully enabled and empowered AI employee.
As an entrepreneur getting advice you can trust and bounce ideas around with is key. Getting this for near free is even better. But doesn't world's greatest library, 'the Internet' do that I hear you say? Yes, but we're still using it for cat and dog memes, and the experience and style of communication of ChatGPT/Copilot is different. More personable. Prompting Copilot for the 100s of questions and challenges wanted to ask, and did about starting a business, I was slowly able to move through them all, knowing full well (along with awesome human coaches), that ChatGPT/Copilot was there for us in another capacity.
The stock answer here at Lightrise is, 'have you cross checked it/tried it with Copilot?', often we try to create fast bridges to get from where we are, to where the end of our task needs to look like. It magnifies what we also undertake in our HR and ESG rapid implementation approaches. Copilot has enabled us the reduce the length of time it takes for all of us to create things, whether these are letters, emails, plans, pictures, presentations, or minutes. We all do more with less, and more importantly keep a reasonable juggle of our daily routines which for many of us involves around caring for and leading our children.
It's small steps, but creating a culture to learn, share learning and feel empowered to try things in the first place is super important. We're able to do things with generative AI Video, Art, text content that would have cost us a fortune as a Small Business/ SMB only a few years ago.
Wellbeing
The mind is not limitless. If you haven't worked it out, I hope you don't have to learn the hard way. Mental strength can be built, balance can be attained. Viva Insights can be used to contribute to that, and provides you the type of AI insight and coaching advice you may expect from a good manager, checking that you are not doing too much of any one thing, helping you reflect on your growth. When your company grows, the insights our your team's culture continues to get revealed anonymously to Senior Managers, helping you improve as you scale.
Keeping on top of goals
Microsoft Viva enables us to see how our week by week goals contribute towards our mission, and strategy. Our interns use the same experience to track their contribution to their journey and to ours. The activities of a manager is automated with AI enabled prompts in the applications. People are trusted to update the solution and keep it up to date with information, we believe in a transparent culture outliers stick out. Among the many definitions of performance I would say going in the same general direction towards a company's strategy is key. Easier said than done, but Copilot enabled Viva Goals helps us achieve it.
Leave and absence
We use Dynamics HR internally as it's one of the HRIS Business Applications we help people get the best value from. Leave approval has been automated for certain types of leave. Instead we've focused on creating a culture where it's ok to go on leave when you want/need providing there is x weeks notice, automatic approval is in place. (What's key instead is a project managers approval and the solution enables this)
So which Copilot is for me as an SMB, or Micro entity?
I'd recommend getting started with Copilot on Bing, and Copilot Studio. Some really great cost effective/free entry level products to help you explore.
From then on seek a license seller who can give you a discount on RRP of some of the other Copilots out there around M365 (try free pilots where they exist), and get your back office teams working on exploring them (do your data security checks first). Probably a good idea to get your Cyber Security experts privately checking out Copilot for Security too. Change isn't a one size fits all, so it's always worth taking a considered approach.
Gareth Jones is CEO and Founder of Lightrise Consulting (www.lightriseconsulting.com) a specialist Microsoft Partner providing business answers and solutions to improve ESG and people experiences.
