The Churchill Principle: Why History's Greatest Leader Would Excel at AI

Let’s go back in time to 1940. Europe is burning. Britain stands alone.

And in a London apartment, the fate of the Western world is being decided… in a bathtub.

Winston Churchill soaks in steaming water, cigar smoke swirling above him. 

His secretary waits in the next room, typewriter ready.

Churchill barks out phrases of what will become a historic address to Parliament.

His secretary says out loud "Distinguished ladies and gentlemen..."

"Don't call them distinguished! They're not!" Churchill interrupts her, splashing water over the tub's edge.

She responds: "Dear ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered together..."

"Get to the point!" he screams

His secretary doesn't just type what Churchill says. She captures his intent. Predicts his direction. Translates his scattered thoughts into coherent prose fit for the public.

All while Churchill remains immersed in his thinking.

What Churchill had that morning was what every entrepreneur, creator, and leader desperately needs: a thinking partner who amplifies their intelligence.

Today, the technology exists to give everyone—from Fortune 500 CEOs to solo entrepreneurs—this same advantage. But there's a critical mistake 90% of people make that prevents them from experiencing it.

The difference between modest AI results and complete transformation isn't better technology or more complex prompts. It's a fundamental shift in how you relate to AI.

This isn't about using better tools. It's about forging a different kind of relationship.

Don't Ask AI, Let It Ask You

Most people ask AI questions and expect answers.

Here's the shift: Don't just ask AI - let it ask YOU.

You can say "How should I structure my product launch?"

Or flip it: "What questions should you ask me to create the most effective launch strategy?"

This is fundamentally different from any previous tool. Excel can't teach you Excel. AI can teach you to use itself - if you're smart enough to ask.

Try this right prompt right now:

"You're an AI expert. I need a consultation to identify where AI can transform my business. Ask me questions one at a time about my workflows, KPIs, and objectives. Then give me two obvious and two non-obvious recommendations."

The mediocre use AI as a calculator.

The exceptional use it as an advisor.

Research shows AI can make people 25% faster with 40% better quality. Yet less than 10% see real productivity gains.

This is the "realization gap."

It’s not a tool, it’s a teammate.

If a tool gives mediocre results, you either fix them yourself or give up.

If a teammate delivers mediocre work, you coach them. You provide feedback.

The winners ask their AI:

• "What else do you need to know from me?"

• "What ten questions should I be asking instead?"

• "How would you approach this differently?"

Last month, I helped a course creator scale his business. Instead of just asking AI for marketing ideas, we had it analyze his top competitors, create audience personas, and then build a structured marketing system that identified gaps nobody was serving.

He implemented it and doubled his conversion rate in 14 days.

That's not using a tool. That's strategic collaboration.

Most people use AI to do what they already know. The best use it to discover what they don't.

How to Go Beyond 'Good Enough' Ideas

A seventh-grader once wrote: "Creativity is doing more than the first thing you think of."

This captures our universal bias. Humans fixate on early solutions and settle for "good enough."

With AI, getting to "good enough" is effortless. But "good enough" doesn't win business.

The biggest mistake I see: accepting AI's first response. They ask for a marketing email, get a decent draft, make tweaks, and ship it.

The magic happens when you push:

"Give me five completely different approaches." "Combine elements from versions 2 and 4 with a more provocative hook." "What would this sound like if written by Naval Ravikant?"

This isn't about replacing your creativity. It's about exploring possibilities at warp speed.

The average accept what AI offers. The extraordinary demand what AI is capable of.

Here’s 2 quick methods to get the best content out of AI

The only correct answer to "How do you use AI?" is simple: I don't.

I don't use AI. I work with it.

When you shift from user to collaborator, it transforms how you build, create, and think.

This isn't incremental improvement. It's exponential leverage.

The future doesn't belong to those who can prompt AI the best. It belongs to those who can think with it the best.

Adapt. Evolve. Create. The future belongs to the collaborators.