The Day Our CEO Quit Unexpectedly
Picture this: Our CEO dropped a bombshell resignation on a Tuesday morning. Panic ensued. The board scrambled, HR hyperventilated, and the “leadership bench” we’d bragged about? Turns out it was more of a folding chair.
That’s when we turned to AI. Not to replace humans, but to find the humans we’d overlooked. Here’s how it saved our butts—and can save yours too.
1. AI Doesn’t Play Favorites (Like Gary from HR)
We thought we knew our high-potential employees. Spoiler: We didn’t.
AI dug into data we’d ignored—like who actually mentors newbies, volunteers for cross-department hell-projects, or quietly fixes execs’ PowerPoint disasters.
Real Example:
Maria, a mid-level manager, had solved three team crises without fanfare. AI flagged her as CEO material. Gary from HR had her pegged as “too quiet.” Guess who’s leading the company now?
2. It Predicts Who’s About to Bolt
People don’t quit jobs—they quit dead ends.
AI analyzed patterns (slackened productivity, skipped promotions) and warned us our star engineer was one boring project away from joining a startup. We fast-tracked her to R&D. She stayed.
Your Move:
Use AI to spot flight risks before they update their LinkedIn.
3. No More “Mini-Me” Leadership Clones
Humans promote people who remind them of themselves.
AI doesn’t care if your next CMO is a 25-year-old TikTok addict with zero golf skills. It only cares if they can do the job.
Bonus:
Diversity stats skyrocketed. Surprise!
4. “What If?” Scenarios That Don’t Put You to Sleep
AI simulates disasters so you don’t have to live them.
Example: “What if 3 VPs quit after the holiday party karaoke incident?” AI instantly generates a backup plan involving the IT director and that intern who negotiates like Elon.
5. Skills > Diplomas
We almost promoted a guy because he had an Ivy League MBA.
AI shut it down: “He tanked every team project. Also, his Excel skills are a crime against humanity.” Instead, we promoted a self-taught lead from customer support who’d aced crisis management.
The Awkward Part
AI isn’t perfect. Once, it tried to recommend our office dog as “Chief Morale Officer” (to be fair, Buddy is a good listener). Human oversight fixed that.
How to Start (Without Burning Cash)
Free Tools:
Use LinkedIn’s “Career Explorer” or free trial HR platforms to dip your toes.
Ask AI the Right Questions:
“Who solves problems we don’t pay them to solve?”
Celebrate the Weird:
Promote the data nerd who codes in their lunch break.
Bottom Line: AI Won’t Replace Your HR Team. But It Will Make Them Look Like Geniuses.
Hot Take:
If your succession plan is just a spreadsheet, you’re basically using a flip phone in the TikTok era.
