GRAIL Story - Act 1: The Moment (Refined)
December 2022

"How am I even relevant as a senior executive if I stay in the status quo?"

I was a Chief Product Officer, running 70% of the company's staff. Working 120-140% capacity. I thought I had it figured out.

Then the first large language models dropped.

I felt two things immediately: Excitement about what technology could enable humans to do. And fear – genuine fear – about my own relevance.

The Pattern

I started seeing second-order consequences. Junior hiring down 40%. Entry-level roles disappearing. It's not stopping there. It's coming for middle managers. Senior executives. Everyone who doesn't adapt.

I made a choice. Not slowly. Not carefully. All in on re-engineering my role.

GRAIL Story - Act 3: The Transformation (Refined)
I Didn't Theorize About The Future

I Became The Living Prototype

Six months of deliberate re-engineering. Here's what happened when I rebuilt my executive role around AI augmentation.

Time Investment
120%
50%
Same role. Same outcomes. Better quality. Half the hours.
Output Multiplier
1 : 20
One hour of my time now generates twenty hours of output.
AI Agent Team
20+
Specialized agents running 24/7 across strategy, operations, and execution.
😰
Before
Drowning in execution
Endless meetings with no prep
Email overload, reactive mode
Strategic work pushed to evenings
Always behind, never enough hours
Transformation
After
Operating at CEO level
Perfect prep for every conversation
Proactive strategic decisions
Deep work during business hours
Time for creation, not just management

What Unlocked The Transformation

Building a specialized AI ecosystem around my executive role. Not one AI assistant—a distributed intelligence network where each agent excels at specific cognitive work.

20+ Specialized Agents
Running continuously across domains
Strategic Intelligence
Strategy Consultant Competitive Intelligence Market Researcher Trend Analyst
Operational Excellence
Executive Assistant Meeting Coordinator Project Monitor Business Controller
Specialist Advisors
Legal Advisor Investment Advisor HR/Talent Advisor Risk Advisor
Innovation
Business Innovation Partner Structure Architect Deep Research Specialist Storytelling Coach
Personal Development
Executive Coach Decision Advisor Reflection Partner Private PT
Passion Projects
Ghost Writer Creative Thinking Partner Technical Coach Family Experience Designer
+ many more specialized agents
Powered By
Claude Code Chat GPT-5 NotebookLM Voice Agents Transcription AI Automation Tools Image Gen

What I Did With The Freed Capacity

This wasn't about working less. It was about working on what actually matters.

01
Wrote "The Execution Revolution"

Synthesized 15 years of strategy execution expertise into a book. Something I'd wanted to do for years but "never had time" for. Published, shipped, making impact.

View on Amazon
02
Launched ThinkRoom Podcast

300+ episodes with CEOs and leaders. Sweden's top-ranked leadership podcast. Each conversation deepening my understanding of what executives actually need from AI transformation.

Listen on Spotify Watch on YouTube
03
Founded GRAIL

Developed the methodology. Met with dozens of CEOs in "ghost mode" to understand their reality. Validated the model. Obsessed over what's actually possible with AI-augmented transformation—not theory, lived experience.

I didn't replace myself with AI.
I elevated myself with AI.

Not a consultant theorizing about the future of work.
A practitioner who became the prototype.

GRAIL Story - Act 2: Two Lives
Same Calendar. Same Meetings. Same People.

Two Completely Different Lives

A day as a senior executive. Before and after augmentation.

😰
Before
Drowning in Logistics
6:30 AM
Wake up already stressed. Emails piled up overnight. Slack notifications. You check your phone before saying good morning to your family.
8:50 AM
Rushing to first meeting. No prep. Scanning notes on your phone while walking. What did they want again? Wing it.
9:00 AM
Meeting 1: Half-listening. Answering Slack. Calendar shows back-to-backs all day. Your brain is already at the next meeting.
10:05 AM
Late to meeting 2. No bathroom break. No coffee. Rush between conference rooms. Already exhausted.
12:30 PM
"Lunch" at your desk. Eating while on a call. Sandwich tastes like cardboard. You don't even register eating it.
3:00 PM
Six meetings down. Zero thinking time. No decisions made. Just reacting. Your calendar owns you.
5:30 PM
Meetings finally end. Now the real work begins. Reports. Emails. Follow-ups you promised. Nothing captured from today.
9:00 PM
Still working. Strategic thinking pushed to night. Again. Family asleep. This is not sustainable. One crisis away from breaking.
What You Optimize For
Logistics and admin
Reacting to urgency
Calendar compliance
Survival mode
After
Operating at Peak
6:30 AM
Wake up clear. AI handled overnight emails. Morning brief on your nightstand: today's priorities, who you're meeting, what matters.
8:50 AM
Walking to meeting. Perfect prep already reviewed. You know exactly who they are, what drives them, what they need. You're ready.
9:00 AM
Meeting 1: Laptop closed. AI taking notes. Fully present. Real human connection. This is what leadership actually feels like.
10:05 AM
30 minutes before next meeting. Time to think. Take a walk. Grab proper coffee. Your AI already sent follow-up from last meeting.
12:30 PM
Lunch with someone interesting. Meaningful conversation. No laptop. No phone. Just two humans creating ideas.
3:00 PM
Three high-value meetings done. Deep work block scheduled. Two hours of strategic thinking. Creating, not reacting.
5:30 PM
Work complete. All follow-ups done automatically. Reports generated. You actually finished during business hours.
9:00 PM
Family time. Present. Energized. Not checking email. Tomorrow's prep already done. This is what you imagined executive work would be.
What You Optimize For
Human connection
Creative work
Strategic decisions
Meaning and impact
Hours Worked
14+ 9
Quality Output
Reactive Strategic
Energy Level
Depleted Energized
GRAIL - Next Steps CTA