Engineering Leadership and AI: What I've Learned from Embracing the Revolution
Originally published on Endeavor Life
As an engineering leader with decades of experience in DoD and surveillance technology, I've witnessed countless technological shifts. But nothing has fundamentally changed how I approach leadership, creativity, and productivity quite like AI. Over the past two years, I've not only embraced AI tools but made them integral to both my professional work and my personal brand, Endeavor Life. I have learned so much, and I still have so much more to learn as these tools continue to evolve. Here is what I know today.
The Speed Revolution: From Weeks to Hours
The most immediate impact? Speed. Tasks that once took weeks now happen in hours. When I'm developing content for my Bible studies like "Marked for Mercy" or crafting children's books in the "Tommy the Town Keeper" series, AI helps me iterate through concepts, refine messaging, and even generate initial drafts that I can then infuse with my voice and purpose.
But speed without direction is just chaos. The key lesson: AI amplifies your existing capabilities—it doesn't replace your judgment, creativity, or leadership instincts. It's a force multiplier, not a replacement.
Not All AI is Created Equal: Choose Your Tools Wisely
Through trial and error, I've learned that AI tools vary dramatically in quality and application. Some excel at creative tasks, others at analytical work, and many fall short of their marketing promises. The winners in my daily toolkit include:
For Creative Work:
Advanced language models for brainstorming and content refinement
AI image generation for book covers and mood boards (following my steampunk/engineering aesthetic)
Automated formatting and structure optimization for my Amazon KDP publications
For Engineering Leadership:
Data analysis and pattern recognition for system optimization
Technical documentation generation and review
Strategic planning frameworks and scenario modeling
For Personal Brand Development:
Content calendar planning and social media optimization
Website copy refinement for endeavorlife.tech
Email marketing automation and personalization
Daily Efficiency Gains: The Compound Effect
The real magic happens in the compound effect of small daily improvements. AI has transformed my morning routine, project planning, and creative processes. I now maintain a structured weekly planning rhythm where AI helps me:
Prioritize tasks based on impact and urgency
Generate multiple creative approaches to challenges
Automate repetitive administrative tasks
Create first drafts that I can then refine and personalize
This efficiency gain means more time for what matters most: mentoring my team, spending time with family, and creating meaningful content that serves others.
Professional Impact: Adding Value to My Employer
In my current role, AI integration has made me a more valuable leader and contributor. I'm now able to:
Accelerate Innovation Cycles: What used to take months in research and development can now be compressed into weeks through AI-assisted modeling and simulation.
Enhance Decision Making: AI tools help me analyze complex data sets, identify patterns, and present insights that inform strategic decisions at the executive level.
Improve Team Productivity: By implementing AI workflows across my teams, we've reduced administrative overhead and freed up engineers to focus on high-value creative problem-solving.
Strengthen Strategic Partnerships: AI-powered market analysis and competitive intelligence have improved our partnership negotiations and vendor relationships.
Enhance Proposal Quality: AI has revolutionized how I approach RFP responses and business proposals. From analyzing requirements to generating compelling technical narratives, AI helps create more persuasive, comprehensive, and error-free proposals with enhanced validation and compliance checking that win more business.
The Creative Renaissance: Personal Projects and Professional Growth
Perhaps most surprisingly, AI has unleashed a creative renaissance in my personal work. My publishing output has increased dramatically—not because AI writes my books, but because it helps me overcome creative blocks, explore new ideas, and maintain consistency across multiple projects.
Whether I'm developing a new men's study like "Men, You Are Not Alone" or crafting a children's story about "Robo's Amazing Amusement Park," AI serves as both collaborator and efficiency engine. It helps me:
Generate initial concepts and outlines
Refine messaging for different audiences
Maintain consistency across series
Optimize for Amazon's publishing platform
Leadership Lessons: Embracing Change While Maintaining Values
As leaders, we face a choice: embrace AI's potential or risk being left behind. But embracing AI doesn't mean abandoning our core values or human-centered approach to leadership. Instead, it means:
Leading with Purpose: AI amplifies your existing purpose and values. If your foundation is strong, AI will make you more effective at serving others.
Maintaining Human Connection: The most important aspects of leadership—trust, empathy, vision—remain fundamentally human. AI handles the mechanics so we can focus on the relationships.
Continuous Learning: The AI landscape evolves rapidly. Stay curious, experiment regularly, and don't be afraid to fail fast and iterate.
Ethical Implementation: With great power comes great responsibility. Use AI to serve others, not just to maximize efficiency or profit.
The Road Ahead: Building What Matters
Looking forward, I see AI not as a destination but as a tool for building what matters most. At Endeavor Life, my mission remains unchanged: to build tools, stories, and resources that empower others—especially youth and families—to grow, dream, and lead with intention.
AI simply makes me more effective at fulfilling that mission.
For fellow engineering leaders, my advice is simple: start experimenting today. Pick one area where AI could improve your effectiveness, run a small pilot, measure the results, and iterate. The future belongs to leaders who can harness AI's power while maintaining their human focus on serving others.
The question isn't whether AI will change your industry—it's whether you'll be leading that change or scrambling to catch up.
Brian Adams is an engineering leader, author, and founder of Endeavor Life. He has published over 30 books on Amazon including Bible studies, children's books, and personal development resources. Connect with him on LinkedIn or visit endeavorlife.tech to learn more about his work.
