One of the most interesting effects of AI in the workplace is not automation itself, but the compression of cognitive lead times. For years, organizations applied “Just-In-Time” principles to physical supply chains: reduce inventory, eliminate slack, respond faster to demand, and minimize idle capacity. AI appears to be bringing a similar logic into knowledge work. Before modern AI tooling, many…
The pressure around a deal labeled “must-win” is something I have seen at many companies. The source of the pressure changes, but the expected action is usually the same: close the deal by a specific date, or something bad happens. That framing is sometimes accurate. Other times, it is just executive anxiety dressed up as sales strategy. The distinction matters. A must-win deal is not simply a…