Great list and +1 on Notebook LM! Granola is perhaps the most elegantly designed meeting tool I’ve seen so far, but I’m a renegade when it comes to recorded meetings. I find that transcripts = more information that needs to be managed and curated. Plus, I tend pay much closer attention in meetings when I know that I can’t “find it in the transcript” later. 😆
I dislike them too! For work, I have to use Teams and all the other Microsoft tools that feel so outdated and useless, haha. Granola surprised me when I was able to have a dialogue and ask questions about the meeting, like, "When did she say that?" and "What was her reaction?" There are calls when I get distracted easily too.
You're much better at paying attention and retaining information than I am, Karen! 👏
https://www.granola.ai/security now I don't have a sponsorship deal with Granola haha, just FYI. The nice thing about it vs. other AI note-takers is there's a pop-up with each meeting, and you can choose to transcribe them or to ignore them, so it really falls on the user to use their discretion.
That's a really good point. Granola is not like other tools where everything automatically gets sent to people. To me, it's like you taking your own notes on an app. It really is up to the user to either divulge details from those notes or not to. So it does take the discretion of whoever's taking notes or whoever's using the Granola app.
While this is not required by the Grinola app, I do think it's a good practice in sensitive conversations to let the other person know that notes are being taken and to turn the app off if they are not comfortable.
Thank you for your answer. Transparency and people’s consent are essential points.
Another key aspect of confidentiality is data storage: where is the information stored by the app, and how is it protected? For corporate or sensitive use cases, this could be a real concern. 🤔
Great Article! This approach is a masterclass in outcome-driven AI use. Each tool solves a real leadership problem, research, strategy, synthesis, presence, or self-awareness. Letting leaders focus on what truly matters: decision-making, relationships, and team alignment.
What a great summary, just what I needed to up my leadership game! I use Fireflies for note taking, but I'll give Granola a go just to compare them. 🩷🦩
I'll give it a test run. I was planning on doing a note taker tool comparison anyway! Christmas is around the corner, so I'll have to squeeze it in next week. Glad I came across your post. Very insightful, thanks for sharing. 🩷🦩
Wow, that would be great! Now we have Fireflies, Fathom, and Granola competing. I wasn't aware of the first two, but it's great that others are mentioning their own stacks!
Thanks Joel and Elena for this amazing article and also a timely one, given we have SO many AI tools to choose from now! Always better to have a grip on few selected tools rather than scattering your attention to 10 different ones. The leadership style assessment is a great value add because we seldom focus on the personality-style element in leadership systems.
Also, curious to try Granola–I currently use Fathom for note-taking but not totally convinced about its accuracy.
Thanks, Raghav. That's so true. We have so many tools now that I bet many people are probably spending more than they should. It's similar to what's happening with broad streaming platforms. You don't know if you should keep them all, and even if you do, you probably won't watch their entire libraries! 🤪
I've never heard of Fathom, another one probably worth checking out!
Haha yes, its time we as consumers think about our own budgets more often for these subscriptions. Let me know how you find Fathom relative to Granola!
Finally, a list that makes sense and isn’t just one long advertisement for things that you don’t actually use! Thank you to Elena and Joel for this—Granola sounds the most promising to me. I love Claude Projects, NotebookLM (reminding myself to write an article about my use cases for it) and Perplexity Pro.
I know that feeling! The purpose of this collaboration was to show others how we’re using these tools, that was a must for Joel and I. I'd love to share more examples, perhaps in a second part. :)
I just subscribed to your channel. I'd love to see how you use this, too.
Thanks Elena and Joel for another great article. I already use some of the tools, but great to see how Elena uses them in comparison. I have never used Granola before though, so going to check that out. 🙏
It's really good. It helps me stay focused on the other person instead of trying to listen to them and take notes at the same time. You can use AI to run some sort of sentiment analysis and uncover patterns that you probably didn't even realize were there during the call.
NotebookLM is great for analysing long documents, or in my case interview transcripts. Instead of Granola, I use Otter, but will have to check that one too.
Great, Frank! What has worked for me is reviewing my current processes and agendas, as well as how I approach certain things and why I dedicate space to them. If I can't justify their existence, then I either don't understand their importance or I'm depending on someone else.
I start delegating when I have that clarity, either to a person or a tool, as in the case of this article.
Great list and +1 on Notebook LM! Granola is perhaps the most elegantly designed meeting tool I’ve seen so far, but I’m a renegade when it comes to recorded meetings. I find that transcripts = more information that needs to be managed and curated. Plus, I tend pay much closer attention in meetings when I know that I can’t “find it in the transcript” later. 😆
Good point on transcripts! I m also a heavy notebook lm user
I dislike them too! For work, I have to use Teams and all the other Microsoft tools that feel so outdated and useless, haha. Granola surprised me when I was able to have a dialogue and ask questions about the meeting, like, "When did she say that?" and "What was her reaction?" There are calls when I get distracted easily too.
You're much better at paying attention and retaining information than I am, Karen! 👏
🤣
Ah Microsoft Teams + SharePoint…it’s like going back in time. 😆
I know, I know... That's corporate life. 🦖 You can't live without the emotion, right? 🤣
That’s my nonprofit’s exact tech stack haha
My condolences! 🤣
Thank you for this clear overview of the tool!
I have a question about Granola: when it’s used in a corporate context, how do you handle data confidentiality and sensitive information?
https://www.granola.ai/security now I don't have a sponsorship deal with Granola haha, just FYI. The nice thing about it vs. other AI note-takers is there's a pop-up with each meeting, and you can choose to transcribe them or to ignore them, so it really falls on the user to use their discretion.
Thank you!! 😊
That's a really good point. Granola is not like other tools where everything automatically gets sent to people. To me, it's like you taking your own notes on an app. It really is up to the user to either divulge details from those notes or not to. So it does take the discretion of whoever's taking notes or whoever's using the Granola app.
While this is not required by the Grinola app, I do think it's a good practice in sensitive conversations to let the other person know that notes are being taken and to turn the app off if they are not comfortable.
Thank you for your answer. Transparency and people’s consent are essential points.
Another key aspect of confidentiality is data storage: where is the information stored by the app, and how is it protected? For corporate or sensitive use cases, this could be a real concern. 🤔
Great Article! This approach is a masterclass in outcome-driven AI use. Each tool solves a real leadership problem, research, strategy, synthesis, presence, or self-awareness. Letting leaders focus on what truly matters: decision-making, relationships, and team alignment.
Love this insight!
What a great summary, just what I needed to up my leadership game! I use Fireflies for note taking, but I'll give Granola a go just to compare them. 🩷🦩
I’d love to know your thoughts if you use both!
I'll give it a test run. I was planning on doing a note taker tool comparison anyway! Christmas is around the corner, so I'll have to squeeze it in next week. Glad I came across your post. Very insightful, thanks for sharing. 🩷🦩
Wow, that would be great! Now we have Fireflies, Fathom, and Granola competing. I wasn't aware of the first two, but it's great that others are mentioning their own stacks!
I'm eager to see that post, thank you!
I’m looking forward to your post :)
Will report back. I always do. 😉🩷🦩
Thanks Joel and Elena for this amazing article and also a timely one, given we have SO many AI tools to choose from now! Always better to have a grip on few selected tools rather than scattering your attention to 10 different ones. The leadership style assessment is a great value add because we seldom focus on the personality-style element in leadership systems.
Also, curious to try Granola–I currently use Fathom for note-taking but not totally convinced about its accuracy.
Thanks, Raghav. That's so true. We have so many tools now that I bet many people are probably spending more than they should. It's similar to what's happening with broad streaming platforms. You don't know if you should keep them all, and even if you do, you probably won't watch their entire libraries! 🤪
I've never heard of Fathom, another one probably worth checking out!
Haha yes, its time we as consumers think about our own budgets more often for these subscriptions. Let me know how you find Fathom relative to Granola!
What I like about granola is it doesn’t jump into meetings like a floating ai, it runs in the background
Thats smooth. I'll try it out for sure!
Finally, a list that makes sense and isn’t just one long advertisement for things that you don’t actually use! Thank you to Elena and Joel for this—Granola sounds the most promising to me. I love Claude Projects, NotebookLM (reminding myself to write an article about my use cases for it) and Perplexity Pro.
Thanks for sharing :)
I know that feeling! The purpose of this collaboration was to show others how we’re using these tools, that was a must for Joel and I. I'd love to share more examples, perhaps in a second part. :)
I just subscribed to your channel. I'd love to see how you use this, too.
Thank you! 🙏🏻
Another great LIC! This is the smart way to use AI. Not to lead for you, but to offload all the boring stuff so you can actually do your job.
Exactly!!!
Amen to that! 👏
Staying focused on what actually matters is what keeps leaders steady.
💯
Absolutely! If you get distracted by the unimportant, things will always become unbalanced.
Amazing list. Perplexity is pretty much a must-have at this point. Exciting times.
It is! It's especially outstanding for competitor analysis.
I rlly need to explore perplexity more
Thanks Elena and Joel for another great article. I already use some of the tools, but great to see how Elena uses them in comparison. I have never used Granola before though, so going to check that out. 🙏
It's really good. It helps me stay focused on the other person instead of trying to listen to them and take notes at the same time. You can use AI to run some sort of sentiment analysis and uncover patterns that you probably didn't even realize were there during the call.
I started using granola on Elena’s recommendation, it’s been great!
NotebookLM is great for analysing long documents, or in my case interview transcripts. Instead of Granola, I use Otter, but will have to check that one too.
Great article and step-by-step guidance! Love the examples and explanations. Elena, another amazing product using lovable? I must've been missing out!
Haha, I'm probably getting addicted to this! 😂 And I still need to add the AI Advent to your website. Thanks, Jenny!
This is spot on! I also started using 1-4, 5 is new thank you!
Thank you if you use the #5 please let me know what you think, I’m collecting feedback to make it valuable 🙏🏻
The idea that AI doesn’t replace leadership but clears space for it feels so true—especially when transitioning from doing to leading.
I love how you framed tools as problem-solvers rather than shiny distractions.
Makes me want to rethink which tasks I’m holding onto manually and how I can focus more on actually leading.
What’s one task you wish you could hand off today?
Tools that are problem solvers for one are shiny distractions for someone else, it’s good perspective
Yes Joel
The trick is in the person
Somehow, we are still the most important piece ;)
Not everyone knows
Great, Frank! What has worked for me is reviewing my current processes and agendas, as well as how I approach certain things and why I dedicate space to them. If I can't justify their existence, then I either don't understand their importance or I'm depending on someone else.
I start delegating when I have that clarity, either to a person or a tool, as in the case of this article.