My week in and with AI this week!

As a leader, I’m absolutely energized by this revolution, especially the chance to lead it with empathy. My style has always been to lead from the front, and frankly, I’m enjoying every moment of guiding our teams through this incredible transformation.

The AI OS Upgrade: Reimagining the Organization

This week’s most profound insight hit me hard: our organizations are running on pre-AI era operating systems.

Think about it. Most of our existing org design, our structures, and our processes were built for a different time. Trying to layer AI updates onto that old OS? It’s clunky, it crashes, and it never quite works right. What we need isn’t a patch; it’s a reboot and a full install of the new AI-era OS. This isn’t just about adopting tools; it’s about fundamentally redesigning the way we work to unlock AI’s full potential.

Mastering the Chaos: Horizontal vs. Vertical Learning

Navigating this new world requires a new kind of map. I was watching a fantastic piece from Maven on building AI mastery, and it perfectly captured the zeitgeist: this is an unpredictable world that is both chaotic and complex.

The key takeaway for me was the distinction between horizontal learning (breadth-first) and vertical learning (depth-first). In traditional times, we might prioritize one over the other. But in this era, we need a different learning approach. It’s not about just checking the boxes of traditional training; it’s about adopting a true learning mindset and constantly shifting our lens on how we approach knowledge. We need to build depth quickly in key areas while maintaining a broad, informed perspective on the rapidly changing landscape.

Remote Onboarding, AI-Powered Brain Width

Finally, the intersection of remote work and AI-era onboarding has been a personal highlight.

The traditional ramp-up process can be slow and fragmented, especially remotely. But AI tools are letting me move faster than ever. I’ve set up my own “MCP servers” (AI tools for the uninitiated!) to summarize information from various channels, connect the dots, and build meaningful insights for me to process.

It’s like getting a boost to my brain width and allowing me to process a higher volume of complexity and make stronger connections faster. This isn’t just a productivity hack; it’s a fundamental change in the leader’s ability to be fully informed and present.

The AI revolution isn’t just happening to us; it’s happening through us. We have a profound opportunity to shape it with empathy and a relentless focus on learning and innovation.

What’s the one organizational structure or process you think is most urgently in need of a full AI-era reboot?