EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
When AI gives us a recommendation, who owns the decision?
AI can inform a decision, but leaders still decide what matters, what needs verifying, and who stays accountable.
SEE A REAL DECISION →FLAGSHIP KEYNOTE
BETTER JUDGMENT
IN THE AGE OF AI.
Information is becoming cheaper. Judgment is becoming more valuable.
A keynote for leaders and business professionals making decisions in a world where AI can produce convincing answers in seconds.
Alen Mayer · Speaker, Workshop Facilitator & Executive Coach · 33 Years in International Business
33 years
International business experience
10,000+ professionals
From 122 countries
42 countries
Training delivered on six continents
WHY THIS KEYNOTE NOW
An intelligent answer is not necessarily a good decision.
AI can analyze information, spot patterns and recommend actions at extraordinary speed.
The challenge is no longer getting an answer. It is knowing what to trust, what to question, what matters in the situation, and when to act.
This keynote explores how to make better decisions with AI, without handing over the judgment the decision requires.
It explores four realities: answers are abundant, confidence is persuasive, context changes meaning, and responsibility remains human.
A LITTLE TASTE OF THE KEYNOTE
I was the AI before AI existed.
From Alen's signature keynote
After more than three decades in international business, I decided to take a sabbatical.
One year.
Well, that one year became three. And somehow, I ended up owning a bookstore in Spain.
When there were no customers, I was reading. Everything. Romantic comedies. Thrillers. Historical fiction. Crime novels. Fantasy.
I was the recommendation engine.
Of course, I had a few limitations. My processing speed was terrible. My memory wasn't always reliable. And unlike today's AI, I needed coffee.
But before recommending a book, I always asked a question: "What do you like? What would you like to experience?"
Because I could have read every book in that store and still recommended the wrong one.
"Knowing the books was not the same as knowing the reader."
Today, AI has read more than I ever could. But someone still has to decide whether the answer fits.
IN THE ROOM
Not another lecture about AI.
There will be stories. There will be humour. And there will be moments when you're absolutely convinced you've made the right decision.
Until you hear what the person sitting next to you decided.
Through live judgment challenges, Alen invites the audience to examine how they reach conclusions, what they assume, and what they might have missed.
AI is part of the conversation. But the real subject is us, and how we decide when intelligent systems make convincing answers effortless.
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1
The story
A sabbatical, a bookstore, and a rather unreliable human recommendation engine.
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2
The connection
What knowing the books but not the reader teaches us about decisions in your industry.
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3
The experience
The audience faces realistic decisions, votes, challenges assumptions and discovers what the information didn't establish.
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4
The takeaway
Practical questions to carry into the next meeting, recommendation or consequential decision.
45–60 minutes · Live or virtual · Interactive decision challenges · Optional 90-minute Judgment Lab to follow
60-SECOND JUDGMENT CHALLENGE
Is your team really aligned?
After a tense launch meeting where nobody openly objected, AI summarizes: "Proceed with the launch. Leadership team aligned."
But two executives went quiet, and one said: "If everyone else believes we're ready, I'll support it."
What do you do?
THE HIDDEN TRAP
The summary recorded what was said, not what people meant. The decision may be clear. The commitment may not be.
YOUR CHOICE ASSUMES
Who genuinely agreed, and who simply stopped objecting?
In the keynote, the whole audience works through decisions like this together.
ONE SIGNATURE KEYNOTE. FOUR PATHWAYS.
One story. Different decisions.
Every keynote begins with Alen's signature bookstore story. From there, the examples, questions and live decision challenges are adapted to the people in the room.
SALES
Knowing everything about a product is not the same as understanding the customer.
AI can prepare the proposal, but salespeople still have to recognize what the customer actually needs.
SEE A REAL DECISION →HR & PEOPLE
Knowing everything about a candidate is not the same as understanding their potential.
AI can organize evidence, but people decisions depend on what the information leaves out.
SEE A REAL DECISION →FINANCE
Knowing every number is not the same as knowing what it proves.
AI can model the scenarios, but financial leaders still decide what the evidence supports.
SEE A REAL DECISION →Mixed business audience? The cross-functional version asks: when answers become cheap, what makes human judgment valuable?
TAKE SOMETHING BACK TO WORK
Three questions before you act.
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1
What would have to be true?
What assumptions must hold for this recommendation to make sense?
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2
What have we actually established?
Which assumptions are supported by evidence, and which remain unverified?
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3
What would change our decision?
What new information, changing circumstances or competing priorities would make us reconsider?
A practical discipline for examining any recommendation, human or AI, before acting on it.
ABOUT ALEN
Alen Mayer
Speaker, Workshop Facilitator & Executive Coach
Alen has spent 33 years in international business, moving from frontline sales and sales leadership into training, coaching and consulting. He has trained more than 10,000 professionals on six continents and written seven books on sales, business and human performance.
His work today focuses on the human judgment behind consequential decisions as AI becomes part of everyday work.
Has spoken at: Toronto Region Board of Trade · ConnectCon (Data.com by Salesforce) · internal client conferences and sales meetings (details on request)
Featured in: HubSpot Sales Blog · Accelerate! podcast · John Mattone's Expert Interview Series, plus dozens of podcasts and interviews on sales and leadership
WHAT PARTICIPANTS SAY ABOUT ALEN'S TRAINING
"I have been in sales for over 28 years, and I was very surprised when you delivered some tips and tactics that no training I have ever been to has mentioned. I was impressed!"
"I especially liked your energy, which allowed the injection of some humor."
More about Alen →"I particularly liked the high level of interaction you managed to foster in the discussions and exercises."
INVITE ALEN TO SPEAK
Bring Better Judgment to Your Event.
A keynote tailored to your audience, your industry and the decisions that matter to your organization.
Available for industry conferences, leadership meetings, executive offsites, sales kickoffs, and customer and association events.
Prefer to talk first? Book a 20-minute call →