Leadership | Arete Coach 2/13

SaaSpocalypse: The 48 Hours That Repriced Work Forever

For decades, the blueprint for growth has been linear: If you wanted more output, you added more "inputs”: You bought Software Seats (Salesforce, Microsoft) to equip your people; You paid Hourly Rates to consultants to solve your problems; and, You Hired More Heads to scale your revenue. It was considered a "Tool & Talent" economy. Success was measured by how many people you had and how well they used their tools.The logic of the last few decades hit a wall between February 3

2 days ago5 min read

How AI Changes Your Job as CEO

Last Tuesday, your CFO presented three acquisition targets. Each came with the usual arsenal: 50-page decks, financial models, market analyses. You had four hours to decide before the board meeting. You did what you've always done: relied on your gut, cross-referenced with two trusted advisors, and made the call. It worked. It always has. But here's what you didn't know: while you were triangulating opinions, your competitor's CEO fed the same data into Claude, ran sensitivit

Nov 19, 20255 min read

The Stories Leaders Can Tell to Calm AI Anxiety

As AI becomes woven into the fabric of everyday work, employees are asking: “Where do I fit in now?” Fear of AI rarely comes from the technology itself. It comes from the belief that someone, or something, will take away a person’s agency, relevance, or dignity. If leaders don’t address that psychological gap directly, no amount of training or tools will ease the anxiety. This is why the stories leaders tell right now matter more than the tools they deploy. Stories shape mean

Nov 12, 20253 min read

The Innovator's AI Dilemma

For decades, executives have wrestled with Christensen's theory of Disruptive Innovation: the idea that successful companies often fail to adapt to new technologies because they are too good at what they do. Now, a disruption of speed and scale we haven't seen since the internet's debut is here, and the stakes have never been higher. The choice before every business leader now is: Will you be the disruptor, or will you be the disrupted? AI is Following the Disruptive Playboo

Oct 30, 20254 min read

The New Executive Challenge: Conquering White Space

For years, the promise of technology has been the same: to save you time. Artificial Intelligence is the culmination of that promise, an efficiency engine capable of summarizing sprawling email chains, drafting detailed reports, and clearing the administrative clutter that consumes a leader's day. For the first time, the dream of being freed up for "more strategic work" is becoming a reality. But this new reality comes with a surprising and uncomfortable challenge. After year

Oct 13, 20257 min read