CASE STUDY · HOME IMPROVEMENT RETAIL
Home Depot's leaders used AI on their own strategy, then owned the change
Chair, President and CEO Ted Decker and his leadership team tried AI hands-on on a real company problem, then decided who leads the change.
The result
3 months
from one AI workshop to the first review of returns
October 2025
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40
executives in the room, the CEO included
the leadership team, working hands-on with no slides
-
400,000+
associates the change has to reach
across 2,300+ stores. Company figures.
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$157.4bn
annual revenue
the world's largest home improvement retailer. Company figure.
The challenge
AI was helping customers. The company itself worked the same way.
The Home Depot's innovation team had already built AI for customers. Magic Apron helps customers plan home improvement projects. Sidekick helps store associates manage inventory.
Both were useful, and both sat with the innovation team. Neither had changed how the rest of the business worked day to day. The leadership team had looked at the usual options, including the top consulting firms. Those gave them an understanding of what AI could do. They did not give leaders the ability to spot the opportunities themselves, decide quickly and lead the change across the company.
Mindstone showed the power of AI tools in a concise manner that brought in a sense of urgency and gave us a lot of momentum to do what we know we needed to do.
Ted DeckerChair, President and CEO, The Home Depot
What they did
No slides. A real problem. Leaders at the keyboard.
Mindstone ran a hands-on workshop for the leadership team, built around a live Home Depot challenge rather than AI in general.
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Step 1: A real problem
The Pro strategy, the company's plan for serving professional contractors.
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Step 2: Hands on
Every executive used the tools on that strategy, the CEO included.
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Step 3: Test it hard
They pushed AI on the plan and found angles they had not considered.
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Step 4: See it whole
Many saw the tools work end to end on their own business for the first time.
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Step 5: Act on it
They turned what they saw into decisions straight away.
What changed for leaders
From observers to the people driving it
Before
Watching
AI sat with the innovation team. Leaders understood its potential but had not used it on their own work.
After
Driving
Every leader, not only the technical ones, could now lead changes to how work gets done.
What they decided
Three decisions came out of the room
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An AI group
A central group with its own leadership, weighing each idea's likely return and payback speed against how hard it is.
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HR leads the change
Stephanie Smith, Executive Vice President of Human Resources, took charge of changing how employees work. The people team, not the technology team.
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Data
More investment in data infrastructure and data leaders, because the workshop showed how much the tools depend on good context.
Where it went next
Returns reviewed, and the next changes chosen
At the first review, the executives looked at the likely return on each change to how employees work and decided which ones to scale. It was The Home Depot's first AI return milestone.
The data decision came from the same room. Seeing AI work on their own strategy showed leaders how much the value of their AI tools depends on context, and on strong data leadership. What began with executives testing their own plan became a way of choosing, with numbers, which changes deserve to grow.
Technology will be part of our transformation, but it's as much change management and workflow.
YOUR TURN
Your leaders have AI. What would they test it on?
Home Depot's executives put AI to work on one real plan, then acted. Find the decision where AI pays off first for you.
- Which decision AI pays off on first
- What leadership teams like yours decided first
- A straight answer on the return
About 10 minutes
30 minutes, 3 straight answers
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Sources and notes
- 3 months: from the workshop to the first review of returns on employee workflow changes, October 2025. Measured. Source: case study p.4 ('By October 2025, 3 months after the workshop').
- One AI workshop: workshop length is not stated on this page because the sources disagree (2 hours vs 4 hours).
- 40: executives in the workshop, including Chair, President and CEO Ted Decker. Measured. Source: p.1 ('Executives Trained: 40').
- Three decisions: central AI group with its own leadership; HR-led change to how employees work; more investment in data infrastructure and leadership. Measured. Source: pp.1 and 4.
- 400,000+ associates, 2,300+ stores, $157.4bn annual revenue, world's largest home improvement retailer, United States, Canada and Mexico: company facts, self-reported; Source: p.2.
- First AI return milestone: the October 2025 report-out reviewing returns (IRRs) on employee workflow changes to decide which to scale. Self-reported by The Home Depot.
- Company size band 10,000+: from 400,000+ associates.