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9 powerful ways legal, finance, and HR can use AI

When you think of AI at work, it’s easy to picture marketers drafting blog posts or crafting social media content. But AI’s possibilities go beyond marketing. In fact, some of the most revolutionary uses of AI are happening in traditionally less front-facing roles such as legal, finance, and HR.

These departments are the backbone of any organization, handling complex tasks that require precision, analysis, and judgment. AI’s capabilities in these areas can save countless hours, minimize errors, and help teams make decisions more efficiently.

Let’s explore nine ways in which legal, finance, and HR departments can take advantage of the power of AI to transform their workflows.

Legal: AI tools for efficiency and precision

Streamline contract summaries

Contracts are often long, dense, and packed with legal jargon, but AI can simplify this process. Tools powered by AI can summarize contracts into plain English, highlight unusual clauses, and flag high-risk terms. Want to compare contract versions? Ask an AI tool to identify key changes, saving paralegals and attorneys hours of tedious work.

Example prompt:

“Compare these two versions of the vendor agreement and highlight differences in termination clauses.”

Draft policies

Writing legal policies, such as Acceptable Use Policies or Non-Disclosure Agreements, is time-consuming. AI can take your specific requirements and generate a solid first draft, which you can refine for tone and compliance.

Example prompt:

“Write a GDPR-compliant NDA in a friendly but professional tone.”

Translate legal documents

Whether expanding globally or dealing with international clients, language barriers can be an issue. AI-enabled language tools can translate policies and contracts efficiently, saving you days of waiting on manual translations.

Finance: AI simplifying reports and forecasting

Automate monthly reports

Every finance professional knows the struggle of analyzing and retrieving insights out of spreadsheet data. AI simplifies this process by turning numbers into concise, actionable written summaries. With just a few keystrokes, your month-end report can be ready.

Example prompt:

“Summarize the revenue and expense data in this spreadsheet. Highlight any anomalies.”

Spot financial anomalies

AI-powered tools are great at analyzing complex datasets to flag duplicate entries, high-value transactions missing documentation, or irregular patterns in spending. For auditors and accountants, this acts as an efficient second pair of eyes.

Example prompt:

“Identify transactions over $3,000 in this expense report that don’t have a matching purchase order.”

Pro tip: You can even upload your expense policy and a screenshot of a receipt and ask AI to see if the two are compatible.

Create cash flow forecasts

Analyzing financial projections takes time and expertise, but AI can run the numbers and generate forecast summaries with assumptions clearly outlined.

Example prompt:

“Use the given revenue and expense projections to create a three-month cash flow report.”

HR: AI enhancing recruiting and employee retention

Craft effective job descriptions

Recruiting top talent often starts with an engaging job post. AI can write job listings tailored to specific roles, company culture, and diversity goals, saving recruiters time and improving hiring outcomes.

Example prompt:

“Create a job description for a remote junior software engineer focusing on growth opportunities.”

Develop targeted interview questions

AI supports HR professionals by crafting custom interview questions. Whether you need questions for specific roles or particular skills, AI helps focus the conversation where it matters most.

Example prompt:

“Generate five behavioral interview questions for a project manager emphasizing leadership and adaptability.”

Another pro tip: Upload the job description and a candidate’s resume and have AI spot where the candidate’s skills align and where there could potentially be gaps. It’s still up to you to dig deeper during the interview (don’t outsource your interviewing and people skills), but this can give you some things to think about.

Summarize employee feedback

Employee satisfaction surveys and performance reviews often include valuable insights, but parsing through endless responses can be overwhelming. AI tools can identify recurring themes and summarize findings, providing actionable insights in minutes.

Example prompt:

“Summarize strengths and challenges mentioned in these employee reviews.”

Create personalized onboarding plans

Effective onboarding is key to retention. AI can help HR teams design tailored onboarding programs by factoring in the employee’s role, location, and team structure. Here’s a more in-depth post on this subject..

Example prompt:

“Design a 30-day onboarding plan for a Customer Success Manager that includes training, shadowing, and performance check-ins.”

Risks and pitfalls to consider while using AI

While AI offers game-changing potential, it’s not without its challenges. Here are some key risks to keep in mind when integrating AI into your business functions.

Hallucinations and errors

AI can sometimes provide inaccurate or overly confident responses, particularly in legal, financial, or compliance scenarios. Always double-check AI-generated outputs to ensure accuracy.

Loss of context

AI tools need precise, well-organized data to deliver meaningful results. Vague or overly general prompts can produce irrelevant or misleading results.

Be detailed in your instructions, and ensure all necessary context is provided.

Data privacy concerns

Many AI tools rely on cloud-based systems, meaning any data you input is stored or processed externally. Avoid pasting sensitive information into tools without clear data privacy policies, or consider enterprise-grade AI solutions with stronger security measures.

Potential bias

AI tools trained on public datasets may unintentionally replicate biases present in the data. Use tools designed for fairness to eliminate potential bias in job descriptions, performance reviews, or customer-facing policies.

Wrap-up

Automation technology like AI doesn’t aim to replace professionals. Rather, it acts as an invaluable assistant. Think of AI as your fastest, most focused assistant, quick to get things moving but still reliant on your expertise for the best results.

By leveraging AI, you can drastically cut down on repetitive tasks, streamline complexity, and empower your team to focus on high-impact work. Transforming departments like legal, finance, and HR has never been easier, or more essential, in staying ahead in today’s fast-paced business world.

What about you? What are your favorite use cases of AI in “the back office”?

empty meeting room with an AI bot hovering over the table

Are AI notetakers helping or hurting your meetings?

It feels like every other week a new AI tool pops up, promising to “make meetings effortless, saving you hundreds of hours.” One of the hottest right now is AI notetakers. Tools that join your Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet, quietly record the call, and then generate a transcript and summary for you.

In theory, it sounds amazing. No more frantic typing. No more “Wait. What did they say about that deadline/that feature request?” You can actually sit back and be present.

I was a rabid fan when I started using them. But, like most shiny new AI helpers, it’s not all upside.

The positives

You’ll never miss a detail again
Having a transcript is great if someone misses a meeting or if you just want to check back on who agreed to what. From an accountability standpoint, that is a huge plus.

Freedom to actually listen
Instead of scribbling notes, you can make eye contact the entire time and really focus on the conversation, knowing the AI will capture it all.

Great for remote teams
When your teammates are spread across time zones, having a neat summary waiting in Slack or email can keep everyone aligned without another meeting.

So far so good.

Where it gets messy

People clam up
The moment you tell a customer, “By the way, we’re recording this,” the tone often changes. They’re less likely to be brutally honest about what isn’t working. That’s obviously a problem if you actually want the truth.

Things become performative
The opposite can also happen: instead of clamming up, people sometimes go into “stage mode” when they know they’re being recorded. They perform instead of just talking, which makes the whole meeting feel less authentic.

You stop taking your own notes
There’s something about writing things down that makes your brain hold onto them better. If you just rely on AI, you’re outsourcing not just the notes but your memory. I can certainly attest to that. I remember more details from meetings I had pre-notetaker compared to the ones where I had it running.

You over-rely on other people’s discussions
If you care about delivering the right products and services to your customers, you can’t just lurk in transcripts of meetings you weren’t in. You need to talk to customers yourself frequently (here’s more on the subject). You know best what insights you want, and you’ll never get the same clarity secondhand.

Coaching gets robotic
It’s tempting to let AI summaries or call insights do the work of coaching sales reps and customer success managers. But AI can’t detect subtle hesitations, awkward silences, or emotional tones that matter in human relationships. Leaders still need to guide and mentor, especially since AI doesn’t have the same context as you when it comes to organizational history, challenges, or your relationship with a customer.

AI can’t read the room
Yes, it knows what was said. But it has no clue how it was said. That subtle sarcasm? Gone. The change in tone? Undetected. The tension you felt when someone crossed their arms? Can’t be found in the notes.

Not every meeting needs a transcript
Sometimes it’s overkill. Recording everything can make people feel like they’re under surveillance. And honestly, it can be a massive distraction. Plus, it’s a time sink when people start digging through meetings they weren’t even in just out of curiosity.

Privacy risks are real
You’re storing transcripts of strategy calls, customer complaints, even HR issues. Those are sensitive topics, and they need to be treated with care, or it could come back to bite you.

Is there a middle ground?

To be clear, I’m not anti-AI notetaker. They can be lifesavers in the right situation. But like most tools, the value depends on how you use them.

Ask yourself:

Do we really need this meeting recorded?
Will it make people less likely to share openly?
Am I letting AI make me lazy?

If the answer to any of those is “yes,” maybe leave the bot out of it.

AI notetakers are like that super-organized friend who always remembers the details. They’re great to have around, but you don’t want to rely on them so much that you stop paying attention yourself.

Meetings are, at their core, about humans connecting problem-solving, and helping each other . Let’s not lose that just because a bot can spit out bullet points.

What about you? Do you find that AI-notetakers help or hurt your meetings?

Thank you for your (current) shortcomings, AI

AI dominates today’s business conversations. Companies are pouring billions into tools that write, analyze, and automate. But the leaders who thrive aren’t those who blindly outsource to machines. They’re the ones who recognize AI’s limits and lean into the distinctly human strengths that technology can’t touch, at least not yet.

As leadership expert Cy Wakeman reminds us, “Your circumstances aren’t the reason you can’t succeed. They’re the reality in which you must succeed.” AI isn’t the obstacle. It’s the reality. Your edge as a leader comes from doubling down on what AI can’t do.

1. Context over data

AI is fantastic at processing information, but it doesn’t live in your organization. It can’t read the silence in a tense meeting, recall the project that failed (but succeeded to traumatize your team members) two years ago, or understand that one employee’s informal influence outweighs their job title.

Satya Nadella has described AI as a “copilot, not an autopilot.” That distinction matters. Leaders who know their company’s culture, history, and unwritten rules can make calls no algorithm could ever justify in a spreadsheet.

2. Inspiration instead of automation

AI can generate motivational text on command. But true inspiration isn’t written. It’s experienced. It comes from leaders who rally a team through uncertainty, or who celebrate a small breakthrough that carries months of weight.

Empathy requires sensing what’s said and what’s left unsaid. It means taking a struggling employee out for coffee, or lowering the temperature in a tense room. Those moments build culture and commitment. As Wakeman teaches, great leaders skip the drama and connect people back to reality and purpose.

3. Values-based judgment

AI will show you probabilities. It won’t show you principles. Leaders make decisions where the “optimal” answer isn’t the right one, where cutting costs might please the board but result in burnout on your team.

Google’s Sundar Pichai has called AI “more profound than fire or electricity.” If that’s true, then leaders need to be the firebreak: using judgment, ethics, and values to ensure the power of AI serves people, not the other way around.

4. Trust through humanity

Trust doesn’t live in dashboards or reports. It grows in hallway conversations, after hours crisis calls, and moments where leaders admit they don’t have the answer.

Consistency, vulnerability, and care build psychological safety. Can this be automated? Not now, at least. AI can give your team information faster, but only you can make them feel safe enough to share the truth.

5. Vision beyond the data

AI predicts the future by analyzing the past. But breakthrough innovation requires imagination. Leaders must see possibilities no dataset can show. Think of the iPhone before the iPhone, or the electric car before it was mainstream.

In Contact, when scientist Ellie Arroway witnesses a cosmic spectacle too beautiful for words, she says: “They should have sent a poet.” Even with all our technology, some things require human awe, artistry, and vision. (Fittingly, OpenAI is currently hiring poets: it turns out machines still need us to make sense of wonder.)

The leadership advantage

Understanding AI’s limits reveals where leaders should focus: contextual intelligence, emotional intelligence, values, trust, and vision. AI offers speed and scale, while humans offer meaning and direction.

Organizations that integrate both (using AI as a copilot while leaders lean into uniquely human strengths) will outperform those that rely too heavily on either side alone. The gift isn’t what AI can do. The gift is what it can’t, and the space it leaves for leaders to show up more fully human.

What about you? Which shortcomings of AI do you see not as flaws, but as your opportunity to lead differently?

b2b handshake on the left, college committee meeting on the right

B2B vs B2HE: They’re not the same

Selling products or services to colleges and universities might look a lot like classic B2B marketing at first glance, but the similarities are often only skin deep. Many vendors new to the space underestimate the real differences involved in business to higher education, which I like to call B2HE. Attempting to apply a standard B2B playbook to higher ed institutions can backfire, leading to longer sales cycles, disengaged stakeholders, and partnerships that fizz out before real value is delivered.

If higher ed is on your radar or you’re struggling to get traction there, understanding what sets B2HE apart is crucial. Here are some of the main reasons why selling to higher education isn’t just business as usual. Decision-making, budgets, values, and communication styles differ in B2HE.

Understanding the unique dynamics of B2HE

Why B2HE is more than just another vertical

Traditional B2B models are built around organizational efficiency and scale. But higher education operates on a completely different foundation, and it shows up at every stage of the buying process. There are a few key factors that set B2HE apart.

Navigating complex decision-making structures

Multiple stakeholders and diverse priorities

While most corporate deals are managed by a clear decision-maker such as a CIO or procurement director, higher ed purchases rarely rest in one person’s hands. Instead, you’re engaging an intricate web of:

Marketing, communications, and accessibility experts
Enrollment
Advancement
Budget and finance administrators
IT leadership and administrative officers
Department heads

Consensus is essential, requiring more meetings, more documentation, and a heightened focus on inclusive communication. This results in longer sales cycles, but also increases the likelihood of deeply buy-in when the decision finally lands.

Prepare for a slower, collaborative process that honors multiple voices. Treat conciseness and transparency as your most valuable assets.

Budget structures require adaptation

Funding, grants, and endowments

Budgets at colleges and universities aren’t structured like those at most private companies. They’re organized around fiscal calendars, government funding cycles, and multi-year endowment allocations. Subscription models tied to headcount or monthly usage may not resonate. Instead, higher ed buyers prefer:

Predictable annual costs
Multi-year contracts that provide budgeting stability
Transparent pricing that fits within allocated grant or state funds

Flexibility and predictability win over complexity.

Mission over metrics

Values are just as important as, if not more important than, ROI

Corporate buyers place heavy emphasis on ROI, scalability, and efficiency. Higher ed buyers still care about those, but just as often prioritize mission-driven outcomes like:

Student success
Community impact
Equity, diversity, and inclusion
Academic integrity and compliance

When selling to higher ed, your story has to go beyond efficiency. It must show how your product actually helps fulfill the core educational mission.

Learning platforms that improve accessibility or support underserved students instantly stand out, even if their ROI story isn’t the strongest on paper.

The demand for customization and flexibility

No size fits all

B2B vendors often seek scalable, repeatable solutions. But every college has its own legacy systems, departmental independence, and varying technical skills. This means your product needs to be:

Flexible enough to support unique workflows
Highly configurable for decentralized department ownership
Compatible with legacy IT infrastructures

Rigid, one-size-fits-all solutions rarely stick. Institutions expect partners to accommodate the idiosyncrasies that make their campus unique.

Offer product demos that highlight customization. Be ready to discuss integration with legacy data systems and non-technical user support.

Building enduring relationships

Focus on long-term partnership

A tech startup might swap vendors every two years in search of the next advantage. By contrast, higher ed institutions expect solutions to last and evolve. Once they invest in you, they want assurance that you’ll:

Provide high-touch, ongoing support
Offer comprehensive onboarding and training
Grow and adapt as their needs change

Expect more focus on references, trust-building, and post-sale relationship management.

Invest in a Customer Success program dedicated to higher ed. Highlight case studies that show long-term, evolving partnerships with other institutions.

Community and peer advocacy drive adoption

Peer recommendations make the difference

The higher education space is highly networked. Professionals regularly trade insights at conferences, on listservs, and through formal consortia. A peer endorsement from another university can carry more weight than any marketing collateral you might send.

Tactics to boost credibility in higher ed:

Encourage reference calls or campus visits among current and prospective customers
Support user groups and online communities
Invest in customer success stories specific to peer institutions

Word-of-mouth among institutions can either accelerate your adoption or stunt it completely.

Communication styles matter more than you think

Formality, context, and respect

Corporate sales outreach often favors brevity, casual tone, and friendly assumptions. Higher ed professionals value something quite different:

Clear, context-rich subject lines (e.g., “Supporting accessible learning at [Institution Name]”)
Well-written, respectful, and grammatically correct messages
Personalization and reference to the institution’s educational mission
Respectful timing and considered follow-ups

“Quick question?” subject lines and pushy weekly nudges don’t land here. Quality outshines quantity.

Develop tailored, thoughtful messages that acknowledge the institution’s specific goals and challenges. Assume your reader is analytical, busy, and invested in their work.

How to succeed in B2HE

Rethink your playbook

Treating higher ed like a standard B2B client almost guarantees you’ll miss the nuances that matter most. To stand out, you need to:

Rethink your sales cycle for consensus-based decisions
Structure contracts for stability and transparency
Develop messaging tailored to mission-driven priorities
Feature solutions that are adaptable, configurable, and legacy-friendly
Build long-term, trust-driven relationships
Leverage peer advocacy and customer-led storytelling
Communicate with clarity, respect, and context

By truly understanding and adapting to the B2HE model, you position your company as a valued partner rather than just another vendor. That mindset shift will pay off in longer, richer relationships and stronger results for the institutions shaping our future.

Wrap-up

Unlocking higher ed as a growth channel isn’t about changing what you sell. It’s about honoring who you’re selling to and how they define success. Start by reevaluating your messaging, your pricing structures, and your approach to ongoing support. Listen closely to current customers and ask for feedback on your outreach style. Engage with the broader higher ed community and invest in building references and relationships.

If your solution supports educational missions and you’re ready to rethink your approach, the B2HE world can offer uniquely rewarding partnerships that last a decade or more.

Looking at constraints as a positive

Most people see constraints as obstacles to overcome. But what if your biggest limitations might actually be your greatest opportunities for breakthrough thinking and meaningful progress?

When resources are scarce, deadlines are tight, and options feel limited, our natural instinct is to focus on what we can’t do. We get stuck in frustration mode, wishing we had more time, more budget, more resources, or more freedom. But this mindset misses a fundamental truth: constraints don’t just limit us. They can actually be liberating.

Hear me out.

Don’t underestimate the power of limitations

Constraints force us to think differently. They strip away the paralysis of infinite options and demand focus on what truly matters. When you can’t do everything, you’re forced to do the right things really well.

Consider the most innovative solutions you’ve encountered. Chances are, many emerged not in spite of constraints, but because of them. Look at all the innovations and pivots that happened during COVID!

Take Georgia State University, for example. When in-person orientation was canceled during COVID lockdowns, they didn’t try to replicate the traditional experience with clunky Zoom calls. Instead, they launched a gamified digital orientation that used mobile apps, behavioral nudges, and personalized messaging to walk students through everything from class registration to financial aid. Not only did engagement increase, but the infrastructure they built continues to support hybrid orientation year-round. The constraint became a springboard for deeper personalization and better outcomes.

Or look at Little Sesame, a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant in Washington, D.C. When they had to shut their doors, they could’ve waited it out. But instead, they pivoted to launch “Hummus at Home” meal kits, a creative way to bring their brand into customers’ homes. They paired that with a community initiative called “Feed the People,” delivering free meals to frontline workers and local families. In the process, they built a new revenue stream, expanded their customer base, and deepened their brand’s emotional resonance.

These are perfect examples of how constraints can channel creative energy into focused, high-impact solutions. When limitations demand better thinking, organizations often uncover approaches they wouldn’t have considered in times of abundance.

How constraints may foster better thinking

When facing unlimited options, we often freeze. Research shows that too many choices can lead to decision fatigue and decreased satisfaction. Constraints narrow our focus to what’s actually possible and important.

With limited resources, you can’t pursue every good idea. Instead, you must identify what matters most. This forced prioritization often reveals insights that would remain hidden in environments with excess.

Constraints make us more creative with what we have. When the usual solutions aren’t available, we’re pushed to find novel approaches, repurpose existing resources, or discover efficiencies we never knew existed.

Shifting Your Constraint Mindset

The key to leveraging constraints isn’t to pretend they don’t exist or to simply “think positive.” It’s to fundamentally shift how you relate to them.

“I Can’t” -> “How Might I?”

Instead of focusing on what constraints prevent, ask what they make possible. What new approaches do they open up? What assumptions do they force you to challenge?

Problem -> Parameter

Treat constraints as design parameters rather than problems to solve. If you’re building a house, the lot size isn’t a problem—it’s a boundary that shapes your design. Apply the same thinking to your professional limitations.

Scarcity -> Focus

Reframe limited resources as focused resources. When you can’t do everything, you get the rare chance to do the right things exceptionally well.

How you talk about constraints matters.

In my post “Venting: The Not-So-Silent Culture Killer”, I explored how habitual complaining creates a ripple effect of powerlessness. When we vent about constraints without reframing them, we reinforce the idea that we’re stuck. But when we treat constraints as catalysts, we reclaim the narrative and the power.

Getting started

Embrace “good enough”: Perfectionism and constraints rarely coexist. Often, a good-enough solution delivered on time and within budget is far more valuable than a perfect one that’s too expensive or too late.

Look for unconventional resources: When traditional resources are limited, think creatively. Can you partner with another team? Leverage user-generated content? Build a minimum viable version first? Let your constraint spark resourcefulness.

Question assumptions: Constraints surface hidden assumptions. Use them as prompts to challenge standard approaches and uncover new paths.

Use and build on what you have: Inventory what’s already working. Often, progress comes not from acquiring more, but from better using what you already have.

Even in the most constrained situations, you retain control over your response. You can’t always change your circumstances, but you can change how you approach them.

As noted in “Developing Resilience in the Face of Adversity”, focusing on your locus of control is essential to both personal effectiveness and professional impact. When you shift from lamenting constraints to leveraging them, you unlock a form of agency that’s deeply energizing.

When a constraint shows up, pause before defaulting to frustration. Ask:

What does this limitation force me to focus on?
What creative solutions does this constraint make necessary?
How might this restriction lead to a better outcome?

Keep a record of times when limitations actually led to better solutions. This helps build confidence that the next constraint could be a new opportunity.

And when you see colleagues struggling with limitations, share your own constraint-to-clarity stories. This builds a culture that sees possibility where others see barriers.

What about you? When have you benefitted from a constraint?