If you like to ask questions, dive beneath the surface, and learn about fascinating individuals, you’ve found your home. Join Nick Standlea for long-form conversations with authors, entrepreneurs, creators, and other brilliant experts.
Video episodes available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow
You can follow Nick and the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickstandlea/
A little bit about Nick: He earned a perfect score on the SAT, but thinks standardized tests are overrated. He won grants to teach kids to surf in China, explore caves in Tibet, study business at the University of Oxford, and explore Art History in Italy. Nick is a former Research Associate at the Quality of Life Research Center, where he studied creativity, flow, and learning, under his mentor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Flow.
He founded numerous companies, including Test Prep Gurus, a test prep and education consulting firm based in Newport Beach, California, that works with students across the United States, and more than a dozen other countries. Nick is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, and podcaster.
Ask questions. Don’t accept the status quo. Be curious.
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If you like to ask questions, dive beneath the surface, and learn about fascinating individuals, you’ve found your home. Join Nick Standlea for long-form conversations with authors, entrepreneurs, creators, and other brilliant experts.
Video episodes available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow
You can follow Nick and the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickstandlea/
A little bit about Nick: He earned a perfect score on the SAT, but thinks standardized tests are overrated. He won grants to teach kids to surf in China, explore caves in Tibet, study business at the University of Oxford, and explore Art History in Italy. Nick is a former Research Associate at the Quality of Life Research Center, where he studied creativity, flow, and learning, under his mentor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Flow.
He founded numerous companies, including Test Prep Gurus, a test prep and education consulting firm based in Newport Beach, California, that works with students across the United States, and more than a dozen other countries. Nick is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, and podcaster.
Ask questions. Don’t accept the status quo. Be curious.
Most People Use AI Like an Assistant. Here’s How Leaders Use It Instead
The Nick Standlea Show
1 hour 5 minutes
2 weeks ago
Most People Use AI Like an Assistant. Here’s How Leaders Use It Instead
Most people use AI like a faster assistant. Leaders use it differently.
In this conversation, Geoff Woods (author of The AI-Driven Leader) explains the shift that turns AI from a shallow productivity tool into a true thought partner—one that helps you think better, make better decisions, and unlock leverage you didn’t have before.
We go deep into:*Why “better prompts” aren’t the real breakthrough*How to get AI to interview you instead of the other way around*The CRIT framework (Context, Role, Interview, Task)*A real story where AI helped a CEO find hope in 10 minutes after preparing for bankruptcy*What changes when leaders use AI for thinking, not tasks*Why this shift matters more than any specific model or tool*This isn’t about shortcuts, hacks, or automation theater.*It’s about learning how to think with AI—without outsourcing your judgment.
If AI has felt useful but shallow, this episode is designed to change that.
📚 ResourcesThe AI-Driven Leader — Geoff Woods: https://a.co/d/gLYoeUyGeoff’s podcast: AI Leadership: https://www.aileadership.com/
About Geoff WoodsGeoff Woods is the author of The AI-Driven Leader and a leading voice on how leaders use AI to improve judgment, decision-making, and leverage—not just productivity. A former Chief Growth Officer, Geoff works with CEOs, boards, and executive teams to apply AI as a thought partner, helping leaders think more clearly and make better decisions in an AI-driven world.
🔗 Support This Podcast by Checking Out Our Sponsors:👉 Build your own AI Agent with Zapier (opens the builder with the prompt pre-loaded): https://bit.ly/4hH5JaE
Test Prep Guruswebsite: https://www.prepgurus.comInstagram: @TestPrepGurus
Connect with The Nick Standlea Show:YouTube: @TheNickStandleaShowPodcast Website: https://nickshow.podbean.com/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nick-standlea-podcast/id1700331903Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0YqBBneFsKtQ6Y0ArP5CXJRSS Feed: https://feed.podbean.com/nickshow/feed.xml
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Ask questions, Don't accept the status quo, And be curious.
⏱️ Timestamps:0:00 Why most people are using AI wrong2:05 Assistant vs thought partner: the shift that changes everything4:37 Why “better emails” don’t matter (and never will)6:04 The CRIT framework: Context, Role, Interview, Task7:49 A CEO facing bankruptcy asks: “Can AI help?”10:06 AI interviews the CEO — the question no one thought to ask12:16 “I hadn’t slept in 90 days” → hope in 10 minutes13:22 Why this works across industries (live workshops & Fortune 500s)15:13 Using AI as a real YouTube thought partner (thumbnail example)18:24 The hidden step most people skip after AI gives an answer19:40 Staying in the driver’s seat: how leaders give AI feedback21:54 Building an AI board (and simulating your real board)25:13 Putting your future self on the AI board27:27 What are you actually optimizing for? (endgame clarity)29:47 The 3 things AI-driven leaders do differently32:24 Will AI take jobs? How roles actually evolve34:04 The executive assistant who became an “executive multiplier”38:29 How to make yourself irreplaceable with AI43:28 Raising expectations (for yourself and your team)45:26 Are we reclaiming our humanity through AI?47:16 Why the education system is broken for an AI world49:06 What AI-first education looks like in practice52:10 Teaching kids to think with AI (not cheat with it)56:52 The moment Geoff realized AI was the future59:15 Why AI isn’t the difference — you are1:02:32 Final advice: how to start using AI the right way1:05:12 Closing thoughts
The Nick Standlea Show
If you like to ask questions, dive beneath the surface, and learn about fascinating individuals, you’ve found your home. Join Nick Standlea for long-form conversations with authors, entrepreneurs, creators, and other brilliant experts.
Video episodes available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNickStandleaShow
You can follow Nick and the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickstandlea/
A little bit about Nick: He earned a perfect score on the SAT, but thinks standardized tests are overrated. He won grants to teach kids to surf in China, explore caves in Tibet, study business at the University of Oxford, and explore Art History in Italy. Nick is a former Research Associate at the Quality of Life Research Center, where he studied creativity, flow, and learning, under his mentor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the author of Flow.
He founded numerous companies, including Test Prep Gurus, a test prep and education consulting firm based in Newport Beach, California, that works with students across the United States, and more than a dozen other countries. Nick is a writer, speaker, entrepreneur, consultant, and podcaster.
Ask questions. Don’t accept the status quo. Be curious.
