No More BS: How AI Will Transform the Way You Lead, Manage, and Sell

It’s interesting how things evolve at an incredible pace nowadays. Back in 2018 at NEOJETS , we were navigating a huge pivot—from a consumer-facing app to a B2B platform. At the time, we didn’t have the tools we have today—tools that could have helped us manage both the strategic pivot and the cultural shift that came with it. Fast forward to now, and I’ve been experimenting with AI, and it just feels like 2018 was a lifetime ago.

While using multiple AI tools can be overwhelming and frustrating, yesterday (September 16) I started using o1-preview, and became instantly addicted to this new version. I powered through all my tokens in two days (even using the enterprise version of GPT, this new release has very low usage limits) and now have to wait for 6 days to use it again! It’s funny, but it also opened my eyes to how AI is advancing in ways that I couldn’t have imagined just a few years ago. The leap from ChatGPT-4o to o1-preview was substantial—especially in its reasoning and problem-solving capabilities.

When we were making those big strategic decisions at NEOJETS, AI could have transformed our process. And beyond strategy, it’s AI’s potential to reshape organizational culture that stands out.

The Role of Organizational Culture in Change Management

When we first introduced the idea of pivoting to B2B at NEOJETS, there was immediate resistance. People naturally felt protective of their work, and when change comes, it's easy to see it as a threat. Managing organizational culture during this time wasn’t just about rolling out a new strategy; it was about addressing these concerns head-on.

1. Acknowledging Resistance:

It’s natural for people to resist change. At NEOJETS, I made it a priority to openly acknowledge the concerns people had about moving to B2B. Rather than bulldozing through, we had honest conversations about what the pivot meant for each team.

2. The Shift in AI Perception:

Interestingly, this resistance isn’t unique to NEOJETS. When we first started experimenting with ChatGPT-3.5, no one in development thought their jobs were at risk. It was seen as an interesting tool to support coding but nothing revolutionary. Then came ChatGPT-4, and that feeling shifted a little—developers started to wonder what else it could do. But with o1-preview scoring in the 89th percentile in Codeforces competitions, I’m seeing the last walls of resistance begin to crumble. This leap in AI’s coding abilities is forcing even the most skeptical developers to reassess their approach. The lesson? Change doesn’t stop, and resistance is futile—adaptation is the only way forward, or we risk being left behind.

3. Building Trust through Transparency:

When navigating change, transparency is critical. At NEOJETS, I kept the entire team informed of why we were pivoting, how the decision came to be, and what the expected outcomes were. People respond better when they’re part of the process and understand the rationale behind the change.

4. AI as a Change Accelerator:

AI is now more than a tool—it’s an accelerator of change. What excites me is how it can help leaders manage organizational culture more effectively by reading sentiment, predicting bottlenecks, and enabling more personalized communication strategies. If we had these tools back at NEOJETS, the change management process would have been smoother and faster, with less resistance and more buy-in.

AI, GTM Strategy, and the Future of Organizational Change

At NEOJETS, our GTM strategy was all about agility. We had to shift gears from marketing to individuals booking private charters to selling enterprise solutions to operators. This wasn’t a simple flip of a switch; it required strategic alignment across teams, a change in how we approached the market, and a reassessment of our product offerings. But even with the tools we had, it was still a slower process than I would have liked.

Looking back, I can see how AI could have helped us execute that strategy much faster. I’m seeing firsthand how advanced reasoning is not just for organizing thoughts—it’s for deep problem-solving. Imagine using AI to identify market trends in real-time, allowing us to predict the pivot before we even felt the need to. We could have refined our product earlier and launched with more confidence, saving us months of deliberation.

Real-Time Market Insights:

AI would have allowed us to analyze real-time market data and predict operator needs long before we discovered them manually. It could have been a game-changer in identifying the right pivot point before we fully committed.

Cultural Alignment with AI:

Even more fascinating is how AI is starting to help with cultural alignment. Sentiment analysis tools powered by AI can now predict how teams will react to certain changes. Back at NEOJETS, we had to manage this manually—communicating, listening, and adjusting in real-time. With AI, that process becomes more data-driven, allowing leaders to anticipate resistance and address it proactively.

AI and GTM Strategy:

The integration of AI in go-to-market strategies isn’t just about automation; it’s about strategic optimization. With advanced reasoning capabilities, AI can provide insights on customer segmentation, predict which products will perform best in certain markets, and even help automate feedback loops from customers to product teams.

Embracing AI for Organizational Culture and GTM Strategy

As we move forward, it’s clear that AI is going to play an increasingly significant role—not just in strategy but in how we manage organizational change. The days of AI being a “nice-to-have” are long gone. Now, it’s essential for companies to adapt, and that adaptation starts with culture.

The leap of the recent models is just the beginning. AI’s potential to revolutionize how we lead, manage, and execute strategy is vast, but only if companies embrace the cultural shift required to let AI take the reins where it can.

At NEOJETS, I saw firsthand how critical culture is to change management. AI could have transformed our approach by offering real-time insights, helping us move faster and with more precision. But the real takeaway? Organizations that don’t adapt to the speed of AI and manage the cultural shifts that come with it will be left behind. It’s not just about using AI—it’s about integrating it into the fabric of how we operate.