A transformation advisor turned months of writing into an 85-page book in weeks
An 85-page executive publication on nine leadership capabilities, researched, drafted and produced with AI in weeks rather than months.
This author set out to write something serious for the people who carry organisations through change: CFOs, CIOs and transformation directors. Working with AI at every stage, they turned a sprawling body of research into a tightly built 85-page publication in weeks. It shows how a program skill can become a real working method, not just a shortcut.
Building Capability Under Pressure
Before
The idea was ambitious: nine leadership capabilities for keeping transformation moving when structures strain. It meant pulling together behavioural science, organisational psychology, evolutionary psychology, leadership theory and habit formation, from Kahneman to Lencioni to de Waal. A publication like that would typically take months of research and writing.
“A publication that would typically take months of research and writing was produced at professional quality in weeks, ready for both direct client use and LinkedIn distribution to a targeted prospect database of transformation leaders.”
In their own words
The turning point
They made AI a partner at every step, not just at the end. It helped design the 3×3 capability grid that organises the whole book, check academic sources and statistics, and carry all nine chapters from first concept through multiple drafts. It also kept voice, terminology and structure consistent across 85 pages.
After
Co-authored with Arthur de Oude, "Building Capability Under Pressure" was produced at professional quality in weeks, in Word, HTML and PDF formats. It now sits within a wider thought leadership platform, including a companion series called Decision Architecture and a LinkedIn content pipeline, all made with the same method.
What it lets people do
Leaders facing integration, restructuring or operating model change get a clear map of nine capabilities to lean on when pressure builds. A diagnostic map in the synthesis chapter links organisational symptoms to specific capability gaps, so readers can see where to focus.
What they learned
AI works best as a collaborator across the whole process: structuring ideas, validating research and holding a long work together. With the right method, a project that once felt like months of solitary effort can become a repeatable way of producing serious work.
Building Capability Under Pressure was built during AI Mastery.
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Written 14 February 2026 Submitted by the storyteller
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