The Level Up Leader Newsletter
The Insider Story: When Smart People Get Sloppy with Strategy
I’ve got a story this week that’s part hilarious, part painful, and fully loaded with a leadership gut check.
I was talking with a founder not long ago—sharp guy.
Visionary. Innovative. Obsessed with efficiency.
He built a product.
Launched it.
And absolutely no one showed up.
Now, this guy wasn’t lazy. He wasn’t unmotivated.
He was just sold on a dangerous shortcut.
He built the entire thing—copy, offer, strategy, email sequence—inside ChatGPT.
No team. No feedback. No structure.
Just him and a prompt box, clicking his way to brilliance.
Except… it wasn’t brilliant.
It was just fast.
And broken.
He said to me, “I thought if I could automate it all, I wouldn’t need a team.”
I said, “You didn’t automate your business. You isolated yourself.”
Here’s what people need to hear:
AI is a tool.
It’s not a team.
It’s not a strategy.
And it’s definitely not a replacement for execution.
You can prompt your way into a cool idea.
But if you don’t have the structure to carry it
If you don’t have a team to test it
If you don’t have leadership behind it…
You’re not building.
You’re playing smart guy solitaire.
I’ve watched too many leaders get seduced by “AI speed” and forget the fundamentals: Vision
Execution
Accountability
Clarity
Teamwork
Let me be blunt—
You can still fail.
AI just helps you do it faster.
This isn’t an anti-AI rant.
I use it every day.
But I use it with a framework. With systems. With people.
That’s the difference between playing and leading.
Watch this weeks video here!
Here’s the real question:
Are you using AI to enhance your team—or are you using it to avoid building one?
Are you outsourcing your thinking—or are you accelerating it through strategy?
Are you moving fast in circles—or are you actually executing?
Because if your prompt box is the only voice giving you feedback…
You’re not building anything real.
You’re just typing into the void.
Level Up Leader Tip: Your Calendar is a Mirror
If you want to know what matters to you—look at your calendar.
Don’t tell me you value growth if you’re not blocking time to build.
Don’t say you care about strategy when every hour is spent in someone else’s emergency.
Here’s the move this week:
Do a five-minute audit.
Pull up your calendar and ask:
- What should I stop giving time to immediately?
- What’s missing completely that needs a dedicated block?
- What am I doing out of guilt or habit instead of purpose?
Leaders who own their calendar own their outcomes.
Stop saying “I just need to manage my time better.”
Start making decisions that reflect what actually matters.
This Week on The Level Up Leader Podcast
Coming up this week, I sit down with Jeffrey Hayzlett, Chairman of the Board for the C-Suite Network.
This guy knows how to scale, how to build high-trust leadership, and how to challenge you without sugarcoating a thing.
We talk about real influence, executive presence, and what it really takes to stay relevant at the highest level.
Do not miss this one.
🎧 Listen and subscribe now: www.levelupleaderpodcast.com
Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your content.
Keep Showing Up
This newsletter exists to challenge the way you think, the way you lead, and the way you build.
No fluff. No filler. Just frameworks, questions, and bold moves.
If this story hit home, I’d love to hear it.
If you’ve found yourself trusting a tool more than your team—reply and share.
If you’re moving fast but not forward—what needs to change?
Keep leveling up.
You were built for better.
Until next time,
Michael
About Michael King
Michael King is an award-winning executive coach and the founder of Teams.Coach, Gawker Traffic, and CatalystCo. With two master’s degrees in Leadership and Executive Coaching from Bellevue University, he helps high-performing executives simplify complexity, optimize their leadership, and build teams that actually work.
A certified executive coach, Michael has spent years guiding Fortune 500 leaders, entrepreneurs, and teams through the real work of leadership—creating clarity, building systems, and driving results without the burnout.
When he’s not coaching, Michael is an accomplished singer/songwriter and music producer with over 100 published songs to his credit. He’s also a Ducati aficionado, a die-hard Apple fan, and probably has a Starbucks in his hand right now.
