AI Follows the Culture | What CEOs Miss About Fear and Adoption | Brett Schklar

Your AI rollout will only be as healthy as the culture it lands in. Brett Schklar, CEO of GROW Powered and author of AI Without the BS, has talked with nearly 2,000 CEOs about AI. He explains why so much of the workforce is still afraid of it, why adoption starts with 1% wins instead of home runs, and why IT should not lead the charge.

TOPICS COVERED

Why AI follows the culture you already have

What fear of AI looks like two or three levels below the CEO

Why 1% better each week beats swinging for home runs

Thinking in tasks: small, medium, and the ones you thought were impossible

Why small and mid-sized companies can now outrun big ones

IQ, EQ, and what Brett calls Generation AI

Who should own AI adoption, and why it should not be IT

How to keep AI from becoming your echo chamber

(00:00) Welcome and Introduction(00:24) Meet Brett Schklar, Author of AI Without the BS(01:42) What Nearly 2,000 CEOs Taught Him About AI(02:24) Why Most of the Workforce Is Still Afraid(03:05) Get to First Base: 1% Better Every Week(04:15) What Ignoring the Fear Costs(06:43) Think in Tasks: Small, Medium, and Impossible(09:33) Why Smaller Companies Can Move Faster(10:51) AI Follows the Culture(13:26) Does AI Erode Judgment?(14:52) IQ, EQ, and Generation AI(17:41) Who Should Own AI Adoption, and Why Not IT(21:42) Show-and-Tell: The Use Cases That Spread(23:15) Brett's Own Fear: Moving Too Fast(26:14) The AI Echo Chamber(30:17) One Thing to Leave With: 1% Every Week(31:47) Where to Find Brett

FROM THE EPISODE"If you have a bad culture and you put AI into it, and that culture has not been fixed, the AI is going to follow the culture." Brett Schklar