Over the past year, I’ve spent a lot of time in boardrooms with managing partners, CEOs, CFOs and technology leaders across accountancy and asset management firms.
Almost every conversation now includes AI.
Most organisations recognise that AI has the potential to significantly change how they operate, serve clients and create value. But what I’ve found interesting is that technology itself is rarely the biggest differentiator.
The firms making the most progress are not always the ones with the largest budgets, the most advanced systems or the biggest internal technology teams.
They are the firms that successfully combine two things: a clear strategy and curious people.
Technology strategy is only half the equation
At T-Tech, we spend a lot of time helping firms build technology and AI strategies. We help identify opportunities, prioritise investments, establish governance and create practical roadmaps.
Without a strategy, AI can quickly become a collection of disconnected experiments with little commercial value.
Its impact depends on how willing people are to explore, adopt and build on the opportunities it presents.
What consistently separates successful firms from those struggling to gain momentum is what happens after the strategy is agreed.
Where curiosity creates value
Recently, we were reviewing processes with a client who had accepted that a particular administrative task took several hours every week. The process wasn’t necessarily broken, it had just never been properly questioned.
During the discussion, someone asked a question: could AI help with this?
Within days, they had identified a different way of approaching the task, reducing hours of effort down to minutes.
The technology was not new. The opportunity was not hidden. Nobody had been curious enough to challenge the process.
In another client meeting, a manager had started using AI to help summarise meetings, structure client communications and prepare first drafts of documents. There was no formal project. Nobody instructed them to do it. They were just interested enough to explore what was possible.
What started as individual experimentation then helped shape wider conversations across the business.
The biggest risk is not falling behind on AI
Many leaders ask how quickly they need to adopt AI. The better question is whether their organisation has the culture to take advantage of it.
Processes become accepted. Ways of working become embedded. People stop asking why.
AI is moving too quickly for organisations to rely only on annual training programmes or formal projects. The people creating the most value today are often the people exploring between meetings, testing ideas, sharing discoveries with colleagues and asking ‘what if?’
What leaders should be looking for
Historically, professional services firms have hired for expertise. And rightly so. Technical knowledge, qualifications and experience remain incredibly important.
But I believe another attribute is becoming equally valuable: the willingness to learn, experiment, challenge assumptions and go looking for better answers.
Increasingly, when I meet people, I am less interested in whether they know every answer. I am more interested in whether they are naturally motivated to go and find them.
With knowledge becoming more accessible through AI, the people who thrive will be the people who continually learn faster than those around them.
The winning formula
There is a lot of focus on AI strategies right now, and with good reason. Every firm needs a roadmap, governance, investment priorities and clear direction.
But strategy on its own is not enough. Equally, curiosity without direction can create noise and distraction.
The firms seeing the greatest success are the ones that combine both. Leadership provides the vision. The technology strategy provides direction. The people provide the curiosity.
Together, they identify new opportunities, challenge long-established processes and find better ways of serving clients.
At T-Tech, we often help firms define where they want to go and how technology can help them get there. What we cannot do is replace the curiosity of the people inside the organisation.
That is the ingredient that unlocks the real value.
“Strategy without curiosity delivers limited results. Curiosity without strategy creates noise. Together, they create transformation.”
I would be interested to hear your perspective.
How are you encouraging curiosity within your organisation, and what impact is AI having on the way your people learn, innovate and serve clients?
Feel free to comment below or reach out directly if you would like to discuss how your firm can build both the strategy and culture needed to thrive in the AI era.