Listen to the discussion (5 min.)
They lose to shifts they didn’t see or refused to name.
If you lead people, these are already on your doorstep. Not trends - operating conditions.
Model-assisted everything
AI isn’t a tool. It’s a teammate that never sleeps and exposes sloppy thinking.
Your job changes from maker to editor, from coordinator to designer of systems.
The leverage goes to leaders who can write prompts, architect workflows, set guardrails, and judge quality at speed.
Example: A manager drops meeting notes into a model and gets a solid client update in 3 minutes, then edits for tone and risk. The work shifts from writing every line to setting prompts, guardrails, and final judgment.
Fluid teams, fixed standards
Headcount will feel like a tide - vendors, contractors, pods, cross-functional swarms. The org chart melts. Culture can’t rely on proximity anymore.
If you don’t codify how decisions get made, how work gets handed off, and how “done” is defined, you’ll spend your week ‘referee-ing’ feelings.
Example: A product launch squad mixes employees, an agency, and two freelancers, so they use a one-page playbook that defines handoffs and “done.” Without it, you get nine versions of okay and a week spent settling arguments.
Trust as the product
Speed is abundant. Trust is scarce.
Clients will ask to audit your security, your data hygiene, and your model policies. Employees will judge you by how quickly you own mistakes and how clearly you explain tradeoffs. Reputation will move in hours, not quarters.
Example: A prospect asks for your AI policy, data retention rules, and incident plan before signing. You share a clear Trust page and a weekly status rhythm, and the deal moves because the risk is visible and managed.
Take Action
Pick one workflow and cut the turnaround time in half using model-assisted drafts and a sharper definition of done.
Write a two-paragraph AI policy that your clients and team can understand. Publish it internally, then externally.
Replace one status meeting with a written weekly scoreboard - cycle time, defects caught upstream, client surprises avoided.
If you lead, lead where the game is actually being played.