Transformation takes shape in the chaos of everyday work. It's in tough choices and moments when nothing feels certain, and leaders stand at the center of it all, steadying their teams and helping them move with purpose.

In this episode, Aaron Kopel chats with Republic Airways CIO Matt Belanger, who’s right in the middle of one of the most intense seasons a CIO can walk into. New headquarters are coming online, flight operations systems are being rebuilt, a major acquisition is closing, and two cultures are preparing to come together. It’s the kind of environment where leadership either shows up or doesn’t.

Matt talks openly about what it takes to prioritize when everything is important, how he stays present for his people when the pace spikes, and why CIOs have to step beyond being the “details person” and start leading like enterprise partners. His path towards aviation gives him a perspective you rarely hear, and it’s one every evolving CIO will recognize.

Key takeaways:

• Momentum requires leaders to let go of old habits
• Culture is the real engine of transformation
• Operational excellence earns you permission to transform

Episode highlights:

(00:00) Intro

(01:40) How Matt unlearned being “just the engineer”

(03:55) Why Republic’s transformation demanded a new leadership lens

(05:22) Managing extreme organizational load without losing culture

(06:48) The power of self-organized culture teams during heavy change

(07:55) How CIOs decide what deserves their time when everything is urgent

(09:10) What needs to stop in order to grow

(11:58) Why apprenticeships are a strategic advantage in tech

(13:40) The journey to modernizing aviation’s next frontier

(15:05) Why CIO credibility starts with operational reliability

(16:22) Building trust across the business through curiosity, not control

(20:40) Inside the Indiana CIO Network and why CIOs shouldn’t lead alone

Resources:

Matt Belanger on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattbelanger/

Aaron Kopel on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronkopel

Explore Project Brilliant: https://projectbrilliant.com/

Explore the Indiana CIO Network: https://techpoint.org/indiana-cio-network/

Buy Unlocking Momentum: https://a.co/d/hKPFqoS

Transformation doesn’t come from theory. It comes from motion. From momentum. And from leaders willing to do things differently.

Unlocking Momentum is for the evolving CIOs, strategic leaders who aren’t satisfied just managing systems, but driving growth, enabling innovation, and building the future of their organizations.

Hosted by Aaron Kopel, founder of Project Brilliant and creator of the Momentum Locksmith framework, this show is where forward-thinking leaders come to grow.