Leadership in the Age of AI

Leadership Debates: Converting Motion to Momentum

Brett and Drew pick up where they left off, exploring communication, leadership philosophy, and workplace dynamics. This episode blends storytelling, sharp debate, and hard-won insight — covering everything from how we interrupt each other to how AI might reshape what leadership actually looks like. Topics Covered The Power of the Pause The episode opens with a reflection on why thoughtfulness is sometimes mistaken for deceit. Brett and Drew explore why our culture tends to reward quickness over depth — and what we lose when we do. Is it always disrespectful to interrupt someone? A surprisingly nuanced conversation about intention vs. perception, ADHD and interruption as a sign of engagement, and two practical communication habits anyone can adopt: state your intention before your message, and respond to others with "here's what I heard." AI will expose most leaders as highly paid administrators Brett and Drew unpack the difference between motion and momentum, the Picasso napkin story, and why organizations may be structurally handicapping their best thinkers by making them produce work product instead of ideas. Coaching underperformers: efficient or not? Brett walks through his bell curve framework — Resistors, Bystanders, Supporters, and Leaders — and how over-investing attention in the bottom tier costs you your best people. Drew adds a key reframe: before labeling someone a bystander, ask whether they're unwilling — or just allergic to the paddles you've given them. Do A players hire A players, and B players hire C players? It's not just who you hire — it's why. The conversation expands into the psychology of hiring for security vs. hiring for growth, complacency, and systemic accountability. Key Takeaways * State intent before message. One sentence of framing before delivering feedback changes everything about how it lands. * Respond with "here's what I heard." It's a bid for understanding that defuses conflict before it starts. * Check your assumptions. Before deciding someone is underperforming, ask whether they lack the will — or just the right resources. * Momentum, not motion. Leaders should be asking whether activity is moving toward something, not just moving. * Protect your stage fours. Your top performers won't wait around while you spend all your energy on resistors. They'll find another boat. Resources Mentioned * 📘 Atomic Habits – James Clear [https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits] — Brett references the distinction between action and motion * 📊 Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report [https://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-of-the-global-workplace.aspx] — Drew cites the stat that 70% of employee engagement is determined by a direct manager * 🎙️ Clover App [https://www.cloverapp.ai] — mentioned as a tool for reviewing and analyzing podcast conversations with AI

Leadership in the Age of AI

What happens when the tools designed to make leadership easier begin to reshape how we think and learn? In this episode of the Good Company Podcast, Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren explore how AI is reshaping leadership in ways that are both promising and worth questioning. They discuss the various benefits of AI, especially as a problem-solving tool, and why it’s a game-changer for neurodivergent thinkers. At the same time, they unpack the risks of overreliance, including over-validation and the loss of discomfort that drives real growth. Through the lens of The Matrix and The Karate Kid, they examine the tension between knowing and learning, and the evolving role of leaders in guiding others in an AI-assisted landscape. Rather than offering simple answers, they challenge the assumption that more efficiency always leads to better outcomes and consider what it means to lead in a world where the process itself can be bypassed. Tune in today for a thoughtful look at how leaders can engage with AI without losing what makes leadership human! Key Points From This Episode: * The origin story behind Brett’s company name, Axom Leadership. [0:00:00] * Personal updates and what’s been going well for Brett and Drew. [0:07:06] * The concept of psychological safety and its unintended “shadow side.” [0:11:47] * Today’s topic: How AI is Changing the Work of Leadership. [0:18:52] * The unique opportunities and risks of AI, especially for neurodivergent thinkers. [0:21:55] * AI as a tool that removes friction and accelerates thinking and execution. [24:43] * Finding the balance between removing friction and providing challenge. [0:32:02] * AI as a safe space to test ideas without real-world consequences. [0:33:21] * Using AI to challenge thinking, expose blind spots, and add productive friction. [0:41:06] * Unpacking the role of leadership in the future world of AI. [48:23] * Lessons from The Karate Kid and The Matrix: the tension between knowing and learning in an AI-driven world. [0:52:22] * Final takeaways and reflections. [0:59:48] Quotes: “The irony is, everyone wants to talk about developing resiliency, but then they live in a world of over-validation, and that's a huge issue with AI, – it just tells you everything you do is amazing, and that feels good [but] it is really bad for your ongoing development.” — Brett Elmgren [0:19:55] “The biggest revolution that you're going to see as more people use [AI], is it's going to redefine atypicals’ understanding of their role in leadership.” — Drew Dudley [0:22:33] “What's the equilibrium, if there even is one, between the right amount of friction that it is still developmental, but continues to produce that momentum which is exhilarating and really productive?” — Brett Elmgren [0:32:51] “[AI] allows me to test and fail faster, with fewer consequences than has ever existed before.” — Drew Dudley [0:34:07] “Our role as leaders in a world of AI is to make sure that human leadership still exists. It doesn't become human-assisted leadership. It is AI-assisted leadership, not human-assisted leadership.” — Drew Dudley [0:52:06] “There's a huge difference between learning and knowing, and the leader's job is learning to create the environment where people have the ownership so they can be on the right side of that.” — Brett Elmgren [01:07:41] Links: Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership [https://www.drewdudley.com/] Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership [https://www.axomleadership.com/]

Making Leadership Desirable Again

Join Brett Elmgren & Drew Dudley as they explore trending desires for positions of power and leadership. What does a healthy desire for leadership look like and how can we support leaders who are leading with positive intent? Tune in to learn from the experts!

Finding Leadership Momentum When Your Tank is Empty

Finding Leadership Momentum When Your Tank is Empty What do you do when you want a fresh start, but your tank is still empty? In this Season 3 premiere, Drew Dudley and Brett Elmgren discuss how to restart when your energy is low and momentum feels hard to find. First, they share what’s been good, what’s been weighing on them, and steps for a powerful check-in when you are depleted and worried it is leaking out as guilt, frustration, or anger. They dig into what anger can signal and the complexities around setting healthy boundaries as a leader. Drew and Brett then dig into ways to restart when your energy is low, and you cannot find the motivation to start. They explore the tension between bending your schedule to match your energy versus trying to force your energy to match your calendar, and why urgency for relaxation usually backfires. They unpack why tolerance for discomfort is important, how to develop the discipline muscle, and the role of accountability and discipline in finding motivation. They also share their new “Agree to Agree” segment, which tests how much they actually align on culture versus strategy, toxic high performers, and the only holiday argument that really matters. Join Drew and Brett to discover how to reframe tasks, learn simple habits to restart when your energy is low, and uncover the interdependence between culture and strategy. Key Points From This Episode: • Bending your schedule to your energy versus bending your energy to your schedule. [0:17:55] • How breaking a task into smaller steps can unlock momentum and build discipline. [0:26:04] • Learn why accountability is vital, how to sustain discipline, and the role of patience. [0:30:58] • An overview of the new “Agree to Agree” segment and the motivation for starting it. [0:37:24] • Explore the complex interplay between culture and strategy and why it matters. [0:40:23] • Find out whether toxic employees should be fired regardless of their performance. [0:47:56] • Unpack the concept of exploring your “wrongness” as an intellectual exercise. [1:05:30] Quotes: “It is amazing what you attract when you are driven by certain purpose.” — Brett Elmgren [0:06:02] “We’ll never start if we are searching for motivation – but if it is a search for patience, that makes it a search for quiet, which often makes it a search for peace.” — Drew Dudley [0:35:34] “Strategy will sometimes eat culture for breakfast, but culture is going to give you a six-pack over time. – So, culture beats strategy [in the] long-term.” — Drew Dudley [0:42:31] “Culture informs strategy, and culture has to be part of strategy. They are integrated with each other, they are not two separate entities.” — Brett Elmgren [0:45:43] “Problematic behavior cannot be corrected if people [are] not aware that it is problematic.” — Drew Dudley [0:55:21] Links in Today’s Episode: Atomic Habits [https://a.co/d/iU4Xokc] The Last Lecture [https://a.co/d/4eHHyEH] Outliers [https://a.co/d/1dFfVzJ] The Tipping Point [https://a.co/d/f78jYLu] Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership [https://www.drewdudley.com/] Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership [https://www.axomleadership.com/]

The Impact of Assumptions at Work

How can we change the default assumptions we make? How do we start creating better ones to build trust and ultimately, better organizations? In the Season 2 finale of Good Company, we’re talking about the impact of assumptions at work. Drew starts us off with a recent experience that opened his eyes to the hidden assumptions quietly shaping our relationships. Next, we explore how having trouble remembering people’s names might point to a different set of skills rather than a lack of care. Our conversation also touches on setting a vision for your workplace and explores the impact of common assumptions on workplace relationships, and what we could train ourselves to think instead. When you stop looking for faults, you find solutions, and this episode will equip you to reframe your thinking to be more compassionate and ultimately, more productive. Key Points From This Episode: • The theme covered in this Season 2 finale: changing the default assumptions we make at work. [0:00:00] • Experiences that led Drew to focus on the pivotal role of assumptions. [0:05:05] • How Drew’s difficulty remembering names illustrates the problem of making incorrect assumptions. [0:08:16] • Default assumptions and expectations that hurt our ability to understand each other. [0:14:40] • How defining your vision for your workplace can reframe what you want in a way people can deliver. [0:21:36] • The challenge of having management buy into a new way of thinking about assumptions. [0:27:18] • Unpacking Kathryn Schulz’s three assumptions. [0:30:35] • Busting the myth that becoming aware of a bad assumption is bad for us. [0:39:02] • Considering the impact of our assumptions on other people. [0:46:06] Quotes: “If there [were] one question that really got to the heart of the current trust level in an organization, it [is], how generous are your collective assumptions?” — Drew Dudley [0:03:11] “If we could live in a world where we just didn’t hold expectations linked to these traditional assumptions, how much better [could we] understand each other, lead each other, and work with each other?” — Drew Dudley [0:13:39] “When we evaluate people’s motivations with the assumption that they’re doing it for the same reason I would, [we’re] closing off any option that wouldn’t occur to us, and [that’s] dangerous.” — Brett Elmgren [0:14:55] “We stifle our interesting in an effort not to be annoying.” — Drew Dudley [0:21:48] “You need to build relationships with people so that they make better assumptions of your intentions.” — Brett Elmgren [0:34:01] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Kathy Bates’ Mom’s Reaction To Her Oscar Win [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w87ET2owyAQ] Being Wrong [https://www.amazon.co.za/Being-Wrong-Adventures-Margin-Error/dp/0061176052] Strengthsfinder [https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/254033/strengthsfinder.aspx] Drew Dudley | Everyday Leadership [https://www.drewdudley.com/] Brett Elmgren | Axom Leadership [https://www.axomleadership.com/]