Hi {{ subscriber.first_name }}, Most CEOs I speak with are exhausted. Not just by the speed of change, but by something more frustrating: large transformation programs that consume time, money, and trust — and still don’t deliver. When I sat down with Alex Adamopoulos on The World-Class Leaders Show, he put it bluntly: “Thirty years on, the failure rate of big change programs is still around 70%. The statistic hasn’t moved.” So why are we still stuck? And what are product-led, AI-enabled CEOs doing differently? Why transformation keeps breaking downAlex has spent nearly 35 years inside IT services, consulting, and large-scale transformations. His view is clear: The biggest issue isn’t technology. It’s silos and leadership. As he told me: “The reason a lot of these programs fail is because of silos. We still haven’t figured out how to get IT and the business working together effectively.” And even when the structure is right, support from the top is often weak: “Leaders are still the largest stumbling block. They sign off the big programs, but they’re not consistently involved at the level the teams need.” So you get a familiar pattern: big promises, vague value definitions, fading sponsorship, and rising fatigue. What “product-led” really meansMany organizations still operate with a project mindset: time-bound initiatives, Gantt charts, and success defined as “project completed.” Alex’s alternative is a product-led model: “Product-led is incremental delivery. It’s success measured by customer impact, not project completion. And it’s giving teams the autonomy to experiment.” Crucially, “product” isn’t only what you sell. It can be:
The key is the mindset: continuous discovery, testing, validation, and learning, with business and IT working as one team. AI, learning, and the capability gapEvery board now wants an AI story. Alex’s research shows that about three-quarters of leaders say AI will drive growth in their company — yet only a third invest meaningfully in AI-enabled learning for their people. His warning is sharp: “If you don’t have a continuous learning program for how people use AI in their real jobs, you can’t expect capabilities to improve.” Alex shared a few principles I strongly agree with:
Keeping humans at the centreDespite all the AI hype, Alex is very clear on one point: “The digital mind will never replace the analog mind.” Every organization has “knowledge carriers” — people who quietly know how things really work. If they leave, that experience doesn’t magically live in your LLM. Human-centric value means you:
As Alex put it, the goal is not to fire people faster — it’s to unlock more of their value. If you’re a CEO, start hereAlex’s advice to CEOs who want a product-led, AI-enabled organization is disarmingly simple: “Don’t start with a huge big-bang program. Start small. Pick a domain or product, run a controlled experiment, and show what great looks like.” Do that well, and you create what he calls a pull model: “Other people look across the organization and say, ‘What did you do over there? I want that.’” That’s how real transformation spreads — not by pushing another massive program onto a tired organization, but by letting tangible results create demand. 👉 Watch the full episode here Andrea Petrone CEO Whisperer | Top 1% Executive Coach and Speaker in the UK | Founder of WCL. You need more? Here are other ways to get value from what I do: 1) I’m launching Transformation Labs—new programs designed for every stage of a CEO’s journey: from new appointments to major transitions and legacy building. There’s also a new Lab dedicated to CEO leadership teams. Reply LAB if you’d like to explore how this could work for you, and we’ll set up a quick call. 2) Are you tired of leading alone and want to surround yourself with people who truly get it? WCL21 might be exactly what you need. WCL21 is our new hub for CEOs. Get inspired and build your powerful allies. Join the waiting list here 3) Want to establish authority and lead with confidence from Day One as a CEO? 3) Watch and listen to the "The World Class Leaders Show" podcast and leave a review: 4) Do you want me to speak at your next event or do you want me to support your organisation in a new initiative? Book a call with me here |