Whether you’re drafting an email, calling your phone company’s customer service, or ordering a spicy chicken sandwich at the drive-thru, AI is everywhere. It’s reshaping how businesses interact with customers and redefining the skills employees need to succeed. One study estimates that by 2030, 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change.
Companies of all sizes are starting to realize the bottom-line value of AI. Among small and medium-sized businesses that have adopted generative AI, 51% report a revenue increase of 10% or more.
And yet, full-scale adoption still lags. According to McKinsey, despite widespread use, just 1% of companies consider their AI adoption to be mature. Surprisingly, it’s not employee resistance that’s slowing things down—it’s leadership hesitancy.
As CEO of a SaaS company, I’ve learned that preparing your business for the AI era starts at the top. AI agents—the latest evolution in this technology—are not a passing trend. They’re capable of handling complex tasks across systems, platforms, and roles. Here’s what every executive needs to know to lead effectively in this new era.
Familiarize Yourself With The Landscape
For leaders, the first step in becoming AI-agent savvy is understanding the main types of agents. Then, you can develop a strategy for implementation that promises some quick wins and longer-term foundational shifts in the way your business functions.
Automation agents are best suited for behind-the-scenes tasks like content generation, supply chain management, and software testing. These agents can independently execute rote operations, process large volumes of data, and make rule-based decisions. When implemented well, they can boost efficiency, reduce human error, and lower operational costs.
Conversational agents are no longer the future of customer service—they’re the present. These tools use natural language processing, machine learning, and behavioral modeling to quickly generate accurate, human-like responses. At Jotform, we’ve found that users don’t fear these interactions—in fact, some even prefer them. Without the pressure of speaking to a human, people often feel more comfortable asking basic or repetitive questions. Conversational agents can improve the customer experience on both sides of the screen.
Multi-agent platforms combine different types of agents to handle complex, multi-step workflows without human intervention. These systems coordinate across tasks: agents can share data, make suggestions, and take action. Adoption is growing quickly in areas like sales, marketing, and customer support.
Lead By Example
If executives are still lagging in embracing AI agents, it falls on the C-suite to lead by example. Start by using agents as always-on collaborators in your own workflows. Whether acting as a writing partner, researcher, or decision-making assistant, they can significantly elevate both the quality and speed of your work.
For example, when I’m developing a business strategy—say, entering a new market—I give an AI agent that goal, and it handles the legwork. It researches the landscape, synthesizes internal and external data, and proposes several strategy options, complete with risks, potential channels, and metrics. I can review everything in a clear, organized summary before a meeting. Whether I use the agent’s suggestions or not, my idea pool is always better after considering more angles and thinking through different possibilities.
Regularly exploring new agents to incorporate into my workflow also helps me stay current with the latest AI developments, which is an essential part of leadership today.
Start Small, Think Big
If you’re just getting started with AI agents, the landscape can feel overwhelming. New tools seem to launch daily—from tech giants to scrappy startups, everyone’s releasing their own version.
The World Economic Forum offers a useful tip: “[I]t’s often easiest to start small, by showing teams how to use AI for simple tasks to make their day-to-day work more effective. Small wins and consistent communication pave the way for the more disruptive changes that likely lie ahead.”
So what can leaders do to encourage these small, targeted shifts? Start by allowing employees a bit of slack in their day—not too much, but just enough to experiment with introducing agents into their existing workflows. Give them room to discover how agents can eliminate tedious, repetitive tasks and free up time for more creative, strategic thinking.
In my experience, this creates self-propelling momentum. As employees chip away at the inevitable drudgery of their roles, they become more curious, more engaged, and more open to AI’s potential. Each small success builds confidence, and the benefits flow to customers and the business as a whole.
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