Hot take: AI isn’t going to turn your mediocre marketing, sales, SDR, or dev team into a good one.
AI has a polarizing effect on teams. It makes your best performers 10x better.
I’ve seen non-native English speakers create fantastic copy. Product marketers draft a book in four hours. CEOs post daily on LinkedIn. Non-engineers code mission-critical apps.
And I’ve seen struggling folks… continue to struggle. They stop after one disappointing prompt. They churn out generic ChatGPT copy. They’re not curious about new tools and tactics. They think AI doesn’t apply to what they do.
Don’t get me wrong: no one is doomed. Someone who wasn’t a top performer yesterday can adopt an AI mindset and change. But that’s really hard, and it’s rare. Which is one reason for recent tech layoffs: the gap between top and bottom performers is widening fast and becoming hard to ignore.
For founders and team leaders: don’t expect AI to fix weak talent. Double down on your strongest people and give them the tools and freedom to run.
For team members: AI is your chance to leapfrog. Curiosity, persistence, and experimentation will set you apart. The ones who lean in are having more impact, more fun, and more job security.
