Leadership Archives

AI Isn’t Coming—It’s Here: How to Make Smarter Decisions in 2026

Enterprise leaders who are still talking about the future of AI are already behind. In 2026, AI isn’t a trend to watch—it’s a capability to master. The real conversation now is: how do we embed it into daily decision-making to move faster, smarter, and with less guesswork?

Decision Velocity is the New Competitive Advantage

CIOs and CTOs are under pressure to deliver results faster. But the winners aren’t just accelerating decisions—they’re improving them. AI is giving leaders the ability to process complex datasets, model outcomes, and get clarity on risk before the first move is made.

At Intertech, we’ve seen this firsthand. Whether it’s fine-tuning product development roadmaps or optimizing operational workflows, AI-driven insights are changing how decisions get made—and who gets to make them.

Practical AI, Not Hype

Forget the moonshot scenarios. The most valuable AI tools in 2026 are the ones enhancing real workflows. Leaders are deploying models to:

Prioritize backlogs based on customer impact
Improve forecasting with historical and real-time data
Flag inefficiencies or security risks before they become problems

And thanks to platforms like Intertech’s UnifiAI, our clients are doing this with tools purpose-built for software development. From planning to deployment, we’re integrating AI to support better decision-making without disrupting team flow.

The Human-AI Partnership

AI isn’t replacing leadership—it’s elevating it. The smartest companies are training their teams to ask better questions, interpret AI-generated recommendations, and use those insights as a launchpad for innovation. The future belongs to those who know how to collaborate with AI, not compete with it.

Ready or Not, the Shift is Here

If your organization still treats AI as a pilot project or fringe initiative, now’s the time to course-correct. Set clear business goals. Train your team. Choose tools that integrate with your workflows. And remember: in 2026, smart decisions aren’t just human-powered—they’re AI-enabled.

The 5 Questions Every Tech Leader Should Ask Their Team This January

January is reset season. While resolutions dominate our personal lives, it’s also the ideal time to recalibrate professionally. For tech leaders, this means engaging your team in meaningful conversations—not about bandwidth or backlog, but about vision, roadblocks, and potential. The right questions now can prevent drift later.

Here are five questions worth asking in your first one-on-ones or team huddles this year:

1. What’s one thing that slowed us down last year—and how do we fix it?

Encourage your team to reflect. This isn’t about blame; it’s about friction. Whether it was manual testing, unclear handoffs, or surprise scope creep, identifying root issues early sets the tone for improvement.

2. Where do you see opportunities to use AI or automation?

With generative AI moving fast, your team likely has ideas—if not prototypes. Ask, listen, and log the patterns. It shows you’re open to innovation and can unearth grassroots experiments worth scaling.

3. What’s one skill you want to develop in 2026—and how can we support that?

Employee growth is leadership gold. Give people permission to speak openly about where they want to go—and then point them toward courses, mentorships, or stretch projects to get there.

4. Where do we risk getting stuck in “the way we’ve always done it”?

Legacy thinking isn’t always tied to legacy systems. This question reveals hidden inertia. Look for dated processes, tooling habits, or meeting formats that need rethinking.

5. What would make our team more connected—even while working remotely?

Hybrid work isn’t going away, but silos can be. This question opens the door for small culture upgrades—more in-person meetups, Slack rituals, cross-team shoutouts, or monthly BBQs (like we do at Intertech).

Final Thought:

Great leaders start the year with curiosity. These five questions won’t just inform your strategy—they’ll demonstrate that your leadership is grounded in listening, alignment, and continuous improvement.

7 Mistakes Leaders Should Avoid in 2026

Staying on top means staying self-aware. As we enter 2026, the challenges facing leaders—especially those in tech and consulting—are evolving fast. AI is reshaping how we deliver value, hybrid work is no longer novel, and clients are expecting more transparency and results than ever.

Below are seven leadership missteps to watch out for this year—along with a few ideas on how to avoid them.

1. Relying on Gut Over Data

In 2026, instinct is no longer enough. With AI-driven insights, customer analytics, and data-rich environments, leaders who continue to make key decisions based on hunches risk falling behind. The leaders who win will be the ones who blend their experience with real-time insights.

Tip: Tools like Intertech’s UnifiAI can help make sense of project data, customer behavior, and risk signals across your ecosystem.

2. Ignoring AI Literacy

AI is no longer optional. Leaders don’t need to be engineers, but they must understand how AI works, where it fits, and how it impacts both their team’s output and their customers’ expectations.

Tip: Invest in AI training for yourself and your team. Even a 60-minute session on prompt engineering can pay off fast.

3. Micromanaging a Hybrid Workforce

The days of “management by walking around” are over. In 2026, micromanaging remote or hybrid teams erodes trust, kills morale, and signals that you don’t trust your people.

What to do instead: Set clear goals, track outcomes, and check in with curiosity, not control.

4. Saying Yes to Everything

This one hasn’t changed in decades, but it’s even more dangerous today. Saying yes to every meeting, project, or proposal spreads your team thin and leads to burnout—or worse, underdelivery.

Smart leaders in 2026 are ruthless about priorities. If it doesn’t move a key needle, it’s a no.

5. Skipping Structured Communication

In the age of Slack and “quick Zooms,” communication can become reactive and chaotic. That’s why structured communication—like daily huddles, monthly all-hands, and weekly project updates—is more valuable than ever.

At Intertech, our daily huddle keeps everyone aligned and accountable in under 15 minutes. It’s a staple of how we operate and scale clarity.

6. Overlooking Culture During Growth

Growth is exciting—but it also hides cultural cracks. When the pipeline is full and the team is growing fast, it’s easy to forget the things that made your culture great in the first place.

Remember: Culture doesn’t scale on autopilot. Protect it, promote it, and hire people who fit and elevate it.

7. Failing to Communicate the “Why”

Teams want more than tasks—they want meaning. Leaders who don’t tie projects to purpose will lose the hearts and minds of their best people.

Tie each initiative back to how it serves the customer, supports the team, or moves the mission forward. Especially with younger team members, the “why” matters more than ever.

Final Thought

Leadership in 2026 isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being present, intentional, and adaptable. The mistakes above aren’t new, but the stakes are higher. If you can spot them early and course-correct, you’ll set your team—and yourself—up for a strong year.

What CIOs Are Prioritizing in 2026: A Forecast from the Trenches

2026 is the year enterprise tech strategies go from experimental to essential. CIOs are setting clearer expectations, cutting through buzzwords, and demanding solutions that actually move the business forward. It’s not about trying everything—it’s about doing the right things well. Here’s what we’re seeing CIOs prioritize this year, based on what they’re asking for in our conversations at Intertech.

1. AI That Actually Delivers Value

The GenAI gold rush has matured. In 2026, CIOs aren’t exploring—they’re implementing. They want AI models that connect to their data, automate real tasks, and create measurable outcomes. At Intertech, we’ve seen demand surge for integrating AI directly into software development workflows—not as a bolt-on, but as a core capability. That’s exactly why we created UnifiAI—to help teams embed generative AI into the dev process itself, from architecture and design to deployment and optimization.

2. Legacy Tech: Simplify or Sunset

CIOs are done paying for bloated, redundant systems. The mandate this year is clean architecture, consolidated tooling, and platforms that scale without dragging down innovation. We’re working with several clients to rationalize their software ecosystems—sunsetting old apps and refactoring others—because leaner tech stacks aren’t just cheaper. They’re more resilient, more secure, and easier to evolve.

3. Security Is the New Differentiator

Cybersecurity isn’t just IT’s problem anymore. Boards and regulators are watching closely, and smart CIOs are investing in “secure by design” practices from day one. For Intertech clients in healthcare, finance, and other regulated industries, this has meant proactively baking compliance and threat mitigation into every project. Trust is now a feature—and it better be included at launch.

4. Outcomes Over Output

The days of measuring value by hours worked are fading. What clients really want is impact. Did we help users move faster? Did support calls drop? Did we help unlock new revenue? These are the metrics that matter. That’s why we always define success metrics early in every engagement—and revisit them constantly. It keeps us and our clients aligned on what actually moves the needle.

5. No Room for B-Teams

CIOs are being blunt in 2026: they don’t want to pay for learning curves, fluff, or consultants who can’t handle ambiguity. They want talent that’s smart, experienced, and collaborative. At Intertech, we hire for technical strength, yes—but also for emotional intelligence, curiosity, and the ability to operate as a true consulting partner. That’s what makes our teams different—and why so many clients keep coming back.

The Gift of Stability: Why Consistency Beats Flashy Perks

Holiday bonuses, flashy parties, and gift cards get attention—but what most employees remember is how their company made them feel all year long.

Stability is the ultimate benefit: Predictable expectations, steady communication, and leaders who show up.

Culture isn’t seasonal: BBQs, dart tournaments, and happy hours are great, but they only matter if they reflect a deeper respect for people.

Clear values matter most during chaos: When economic pressure or project shifts happen, employees watch how leaders behave.

Consistency builds trust: That’s the real gift employees take with them into the new year.

This season, give your team the gift of clarity, consistency, and genuine appreciation. The ROI lasts longer than any end-of-year bonus.