Checking the work · for leaders
Checking AI output as a leader
Leaders read more AI-produced material than they write. Direct reports send summaries, forecasts, and recommendations that AI helped produce. Leaders also ask AI to summarize long reports before a decision. In both cases, the output is fluent and the errors are hard to see.
Checking the work at this level means asking where each claim came from. It means tracing important figures to their source and noticing what a summary left out. It also means knowing when to send work back and ask how it was made.
Where it comes up
Summarizing a long report before a decision
An AI summary of a 90-page consultant report is a starting point. Before you rely on it, read the report’s own conclusions and its limitations section, and check that the summary reflects both.
Reviewing a forecast from your team
Ask which inputs the forecast used, which steps AI performed, and which figures a person checked. A forecast is only as sound as its weakest assumption.
Checking figures before a board update goes out
Every figure in the update should match the finance team’s approved numbers. Check the period, the definition, and the units, not only the value.
What it looks like at each band
E1 · Foundational
Reads AI output for sense and tone, and catches obvious errors. Tends to accept figures and summaries that sound plausible. Rarely asks a direct report how an analysis was produced.
E2 · Proficient
Checks key figures against source data before using them. Compares summaries with the original document’s conclusions. Asks the team which parts of an analysis came from AI and which were verified.
E3 · Distinguished
Checks in proportion to the stakes. A board figure gets traced to source, while an internal draft gets a read. Looks for what is missing, such as a dropped risk or an excluded data set. Asks the model to list its least certain claims and checks those first.
E4 · Exceptional
Sets the review standard for the team, such as which documents need a second reader and how AI use is disclosed in analysis. Can explain why an analysis is wrong. Catches subtle errors, such as a correct figure for the wrong period or a definition that changed.
Common mistakes
Trusting a summary of a document you have not opened
Summaries tend to drop caveats and conditions. Read the original conclusions and limitations before the summary shapes a decision.
Accepting team analysis because it reads well
Clear writing does not mean sound analysis. Ask what data was used and what was checked by a person.
Checking the number but not its definition
Revenue, churn, and headcount each have more than one definition. A correct value under the wrong definition still misleads the board.
A worked example
Your operations lead sends an AI-assisted analysis recommending closing one of three regional offices.
Read the analysis, find it well argued, and add the recommendation to next week’s leadership agenda. The analysis says the office has the lowest revenue per employee.
The leader has not asked what data was used, how the figure was calculated, or what the analysis left out. A recommendation this serious affects people’s jobs. It needs more than a clear argument.
Before scheduling discussion, ask the operations lead three questions. Which data and period did the revenue figure use? Which steps did AI perform, and which did a person check? What does the analysis leave out, such as client relationships or local hiring costs? Trace the main figure to the finance data yourself. Then decide whether the recommendation is ready for the leadership team.
The leader checks the source, the method, and the gaps before the analysis drives a decision about people. Asking how the work was made becomes normal practice for the team.
The full study guide for this skill, for every role, is Checking the work. The other five skills for leaders are on the AI skills for leaders page. A one-page summary is in the AI fact-checking checklist.
See where you stand
The free check grades checking the work and the other five skills in about fifteen minutes. Nobody sees the grade but you.
Then build the skills and prove it. The three steps for leaders list the courses and templates that fit the work.