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.

What business constraint is holding your company back? Smart CEOs are exploring how AI can remove bottlenecks, free up valuable time, and help their teams focus on the work that drives growth.

In this episode of The CEO Project Podcast, Jim Schleckser welcomes Ray Meiring, CEO and founder of QorusDocs, to discuss practical ways to put AI to work. From streamlining proposals and RFP responses to reducing sales administration and accelerating financial analysis, Ray shares how AI can support better business performance while keeping people at the center.

Discover why the biggest opportunity goes beyond saving time. Smart CEOs reinvest that capacity in stronger customer relationships, more compelling proposals, and higher-value activities. Jim and Ray also explore three priorities for adoption: establish privacy and security guardrails, select a low-risk use case with meaningful value, and carry successful experiments through to everyday use. Throughout the conversation, they emphasize the continuing importance of human judgment, trust, and leadership.

Listen now for a practical perspective on getting started. Then identify one bottleneck in your business where AI could help your team spend less time on administration and more time delivering value.

Check out:

• [16:00] Practical AI applications for sales and finance: Ray shares how AI can reduce administrative work, accelerate analysis, and give teams more time for customer relationships and decision-making.
• [19:00] Turning time savings into better business results: Discover why smart CEOs reinvest the capacity AI creates into strategic selling and stronger proposals to improve win rates.
• [21:00] Three priorities for successful AI adoption: Ray explains why leaders should establish security guardrails, choose a low-risk, high-value use case, and follow through beyond the proof of concept.

About Ray Meiring

As CEO and co-founder of QorusDocs, Ray Meiring leads a team of passionate problem solvers to create award-winning customer experiences. Under Ray's leadership, QorusDocs supports a customer base that includes over 150 of the world's largest tech & professional services firms. These firms generate proposals worth billions of dollars through the QorusDocs solution.

QorusDocs helps bid, proposal, business development, marketing and sales teams craft visually compelling, accurate and secure proposals and RFP responses more efficiently.

With more than 25 years of industry experience, Ray is a frequent speaker, author, and webinar host on a wide variety of topics including leadership, market strategy, automation and the application of AI, and proposal automation for professional bid and business development teams.

Business growth takes more than a great product. It takes strong teams, thoughtful reinvestment, and a CEO willing to evolve alongside the company. Are you building the capabilities your business needs for its next stage of growth?

In this episode of The CEO Project Podcast, Jim Schleckser welcomes Drew Allen, President and CEO of Grace Technologies, to discuss building strong teams and reinvesting for success. Drew shares how a costly product launch failure changed his approach to customer validation, engineering capabilities, and product development.

Learn why Drew hires curious, adaptable people who can work across disciplines, and how that approach reduces handoffs and helps ideas reach customers faster. Discover how reinvesting in employee skills, prototyping tools, and manufacturing capabilities supports growth. Jim and Drew also explore how strong teams benefit from leaders who remove bottlenecks, welcome feedback, and approach challenges with greater resilience.

Listen to the full episode for practical lessons you can apply to your business. Consider where an investment in your people, tools, or capabilities could remove a barrier to growth.

Check out:

• 05:00 | A $450,000 lesson in customer validation: Drew shares how a failed product launch changed his approach to testing demand before committing money and engineering time.
• 08:00 | Reinvesting in people and tools: Learn how upskilling engineers and bringing prototyping capabilities in-house helped Grace develop products faster.
• 26:00 | Building strong teams with adaptable generalists: Drew explains how people who work across disciplines can reduce handoffs and accelerate development, with specialists refining the results.

Drew Allen is the President and CEO of Grace Technologies, Inc. Under his leadership, Grace has become a recognized leader in electrical safety and predictive maintenance solutions. Drew is passionate about building intelligent technologies that protect lives, optimize industrial operations, and help facilities achieve zero downtime and zero harm.

He is also the founder of Maple Studios, an industrial venture studio that helps early-stage companies scale from prototype to production. Drew believes in empowering the next generation of industrial innovators through collaboration, entrepreneurship, and a belief that the world needs better leaders.