B2B Marketing Excellence & AI Podcast

How B2B Leaders Can Use AI to Review the Year and Plan Ahead

Episode Summary

In this episode, Donna Peterson walks leaders through a simple but powerful way to review the past year and plan the next one with clarity and intention. You’ll learn why slowing down to reflect actually saves time, how five pen-and-paper questions can reveal what truly moved your business forward, and how AI tools like ChatGPT can support deeper insight without replacing your judgment or voice. This is a working episode designed to help you protect your time, strengthen relationships, and build trust as you head into the new year.

Episode Notes

In this episode, Donna Peterson walks leaders through a simple but powerful way to review the past year and plan the next one with clarity and intention. You’ll learn why slowing down to reflect actually saves time, how five pen-and-paper questions can reveal what truly moved your business forward, and how AI tools like ChatGPT can support deeper insight without replacing your judgment or voice. This is a working episode designed to help you protect your time, strengthen relationships, and build trust as you head into the new year.

How can B2B leaders reflect on the past year and use AI to plan a more focused, meaningful year ahead?

What You’ll Learn:

• Why reflection is not wasted time, but a shortcut to better decisions
• The five manual questions every leader should ask before setting new goals
• How to identify what actually moved your business needle
• Where relationships strengthened or weakened, and why that matters
• How to use ChatGPT to spot patterns, protect your voice, and focus your time
• How to create an “anchor” that guides decisions throughout the year3

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Why the year felt so fast and why reflection matters
• 03:30 – Why leaders struggle to slow down
• 06:15 – Turning this into a working episode
• 07:45 – Question 1: What worked better than expected
• 11:30 – Question 2: What took time but didn’t move the needle
• 14:45 – Question 3: Where relationships strengthened or weakened
• 18:10 – Question 4: What felt heavy and draining
• 20:00 – Question 5: What do you want more space for
• 22:15 – Using ChatGPT to review your year
• 24:30 – Creating an anchor for the year ahead
• 26:15 – Final thoughts and next steps

The 5 Manual Pen-and-Paper Reflection Questions:
Take out a notebook and write your answers before using any AI tools.

• What worked better than you expected this past year?
• What took time and energy but did not move your business needle?
• Where did relationships strengthen, and where did they weaken?
• What felt heavy or draining and may not be the best use of your time?
• What do you want more space for in the coming year?

The 3 ChatGPT Year-in-Review Questions:
After completing the manual reflection, ask a large language model these questions

• What patterns do you see in my notes?
• What should I stop doing now?
• What should I protect or do more of?

You can also refine the timeframe, such as asking the model to evaluate only the last six months, to uncover deeper insights.

One Action You Can Take Today:
Block 30 uninterrupted minutes this week. Answer the five manual questions first. Then use ChatGPT to review your patterns and help you define one clear anchor that guides your decisions this year.

Call to Action:
If you’re looking for help aligning your marketing, sales, and AI efforts without losing your voice or weakening trust, reach out to Donna Peterson and the World Innovators team. We’re here to help you work smarter and build relationships that last.