AI can multiply your company's output, but it can also multiply its dysfunction. As CEOs explore AI intelligence, the real challenge is building the judgment, culture, and leadership needed to turn greater capacity into growth.

In this episode of The CEO Project Podcast, Jim Schleckser welcomes executive coach Maximos Lih, founder of Emboldened LLC, whose experience includes recruiting engineering talent at Google and supporting founders at Google Ventures. Together, they explore why scaling requires leaders to move beyond personal heroics and build systems that help people make good decisions without relying on the CEO for every answer.

Discover why strong performers and people with strong judgment are not always the same, and why that distinction matters when deploying AI intelligence. Jim and Maximos discuss values-based decision-making, hiring for adaptability and humility, and rethinking how employees are rewarded as AI expands their capabilities. They also explore how reinvesting time and capacity in employee development and new services can create opportunities beyond cost savings.

Check out this episode for a people-centered perspective on leading through change. Then ask yourself: What can your business do today that was impossible six months ago, and how are you helping your people make it happen?

Check out:

• [03:00] Why founders must change before their companies can scale: Maximos explains how early-stage heroics can become a liability, and why adding AI without improving leadership can amplify dysfunction.
• [24:00] Build AI around people with strong judgment: Learn why your highest performers may not be the right people to guide AI, and why buying greater capacity does not automatically create business value.
• [30:00] Reinvesting the AI dividend in people and growth: Maximos shares an IKEA example of reskilling customer service employees for interior design, prompting a bigger question: What can AI make possible beyond cost savings?

About Maximos Lih

Maximos Lih is an Executive Coach and founder of Emboldened LLC, where he helps small teams scale without losing their edge, and leaders grow with purpose and trust. His leadership philosophy was shaped by his grandfather—a self-taught orphan who became a four-star general—who taught him that true greatness is measured by how you make people feel. After immigrating to the U.S. and graduating from UC Berkeley, Maximos joined Google, where he specialized in recruiting top engineering talent before moving to Google Ventures. There, he guided hundreds of founders through rapid growth, witnessing companies like Uber and Flatiron Health scale at remarkable speed. Today, he draws on those experiences to coach the next generation of leaders in building mission-driven, high-performing teams.