10: How Do Business Leaders Navigate AI? with Joanna Pineda

As AI rapidly advances, business leaders face the daunting task of navigating its impacts – both the potential upsides and inevitable disruptions.

In this episode of The AI-Powerered Business Leader, Alastair McDermott sits down with Joanna Pineda, CEO and “Chief Troublemaker” at Matrix Group, a digital agency serving associations and nonprofits.

Joanna provides a refreshingly candid perspective on the role of AI in her company’s deliberate strategy to “reinvent” itself every 3-4 years to stay ahead of technological shifts. She shares how Matrix has embraced open communication and experimentation around AI tools, from productivity aids to potential new AI-powered services.

The conversation dives into the often-avoided elephant in the room – the impact of AI on jobs and employees’ valid concerns about getting displaced. Joanna offers a pragmatic approach centred on transparency, continuous learning, and leveraging AI for growth rather than layoffs.

You’ll gain valuable insights on:

  • Creating a culture that embraces AI experimentation while addressing ethical considerations like data privacy
  • Practical ways to upskill teams and help them develop an “AI-augmented” mindset
  • How to have honest conversations about AI’s impacts without stoking panic
  • Leveraging AI as a force-multiplier by automating grunt work, not replacing human expertise

Whether you’re just beginning to explore AI’s potential or are already on the journey, this candid discussion will equip you with a balanced, human-centric framework for leading your organization into the AI-powered future.

Resources

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Written by Alastair McDermott

I help leadership teams adopt AI the right way: people first, numbers second. I move you beyond the hype, designing and deploying practical systems that automate busywork - the dull bits - so humans can focus on the high-value work only they can do.

The result is measurable capacity: cutting processing times by 92% and unlocking €55,000 per month in extra productivity.

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I turn AI tech & strategy into clear, actionable insights. You’ll discover how to leverage AI, how to integrate it strategically to get a competitive edge, automate tedious tasks, and improve business decision-making.

– Alastair.