Advisory Programme
Your AI Investment Stalled.
Your Board Is Watching.
Here’s What Actually Fixes It.
The 90-Day CEO Reset is a private advisory programme for mid-market CEOs whose AI programme has lost momentum — and who need visible results before the next board cycle.
The Pattern
Most mid-market AI programmes don’t fail.
They stall — quietly, gradually, fatally.
The strategy was credible. The consulting firm was well-regarded. The board signed off. And somewhere between the final presentation and the real world, it stopped moving.
The roadmap exists. The technology was procured. The milestones were set. And 18 months later, nothing has moved in the numbers — while the consulting firm moved on to their next engagement.
This isn’t a strategy problem. It isn’t a technology problem. It’s an execution gap — and it sits directly in the CEO’s lap.
The board is asking questions that should have easy answers. The senior team is pulling in different directions. The AI investment that was going to transform the business is becoming a liability.
The 90-Day CEO Reset is built for exactly this moment.
Who This Is For
This programme is right for you if:
The Programme
Three focused sprints. One clear outcome.
Restored momentum, rebuilt board confidence, and a senior team aligned around the right priorities.
Diagnose
Cut through the status reports. Establish an honest view of where the AI programme actually is — not where it was last reported to be.
- Map what has genuinely been delivered vs. what was planned
- Identify the real blocking factors: capability, data, alignment
- Review cash and operational exposure tied to the programme
- Hold frank conversations with the senior team and key stakeholders
Restart
Identify the one or two use cases that can deliver measurable value in 60 days. Build credibility around those and create visible momentum.
- Ruthlessly triage: what stays, what stops, what restarts
- Launch 1–2 focused interventions with visible outcomes
- Establish a weekly rhythm with real metrics — not project milestones
- Create internal proof points that rebuild belief in the programme
Reset
Lock in a sustainable operating model. Rebuild board confidence with evidence, not narrative.
- Run a structured debrief with your senior team
- Establish 12-month focus with clear metrics and ownership
- Align governance and accountability around the programme
- Reframe the board conversation: from strategy to evidence
What Makes This Different
This is not another strategy review.
Most AI recovery efforts start with a revised roadmap. A new consulting firm. A fresh set of slides for the board.
This programme starts with operational reality — what is actually happening inside the business — and works forward from there. The output isn’t a roadmap. It’s restored momentum, rebuilt board confidence, and a senior team that is genuinely aligned around the right priorities.
I work with a small number of mid-market CEOs at any one time, operating as a discreet sounding board and execution partner — not as an external consultant delivering a report. I stay close to the problem until it’s solved.
Free Diagnostic Tools
Not sure where to start? Use these first.
Three short tools that take 10–15 minutes each and give you an honest picture of where the problem actually is.
The AI Stall Diagnostic
15 questions across five dimensions — programme clarity, execution, leadership, data readiness, and stakeholder confidence. Pinpoints exactly where your programme lost momentum and why.
The Financial Exposure Review
A structured worksheet to map the cash and cost at risk from your stalled AI investment — investment committed, ongoing burn, board exposure, and recovery potential.
The Execution Gap Scorecard
Identifies the team capability, data readiness, and leadership alignment gaps that are blocking delivery. Shows you which gap to close first.
Each tool is delivered as a PDF. No spam — your details are used only to send the download and occasional relevant insights from John.
About
I work with mid-market CEOs who are navigating the gap between what their AI programme promised and what it has delivered — and who need to close that gap before it becomes a board governance problem.
I’ve spent my career working at the operational level of business recovery and performance improvement. I’ve seen the execution gap up close, in multiple sectors, at multiple stages of crisis. The 90-Day CEO Reset is built on that experience.
I work with a small number of clients at any one time. Engagements are confidential.
The window to act is shorter than it looks.
Board patience doesn’t recover linearly. The CEOs who move at the first sign of stall consistently outperform those who manage around it.