Leading the Next Wave: How Business-Leaders Must Embrace AI to Win in 2026

Leading the Next Wave: How Business-Leaders Must Embrace AI to Win in 2026

In the world of operations, supply chain and e-commerce, we are in the early innings of a profound shift. Not just incremental improvement, but a change in how we work, how we think, and how we compete. If you’re a leader who wants to scale your organisation, you must stop treating AI as a tech-toy and instead treat it as a strategic lever.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the past two weeks and what I believe leaders must do now to win in 2026.

AI isn’t just automation – it’s leadership’s ultimate change-management project

In the book The AI‑Savvy Leader: Nine Ways to Take Back Control and Make AI Work (by David De Cremer) the central thesis is that AI is THE next great leadership challenge. He argues that many companies treat AI as an engineering exercise rather than a strategic, behavioural, organisational one.
When AI initiatives fail, it is rarely because the tool is wrong. The most common reason are:

1. Leaders were not aligned.

2. Teams were not prepared, adequately trained, or provided with the vision clarity from organisational leadership.

3. Data maturity was not assessed.

4. Workflows were not reviewed and redesigned.

5. Organisational culture did not support experimentation.

Technology is unable to compensate for unclear leadership.
And within the new era of AI, the organisations that WIN will be those with leaders capable of steering change; not just signing off on them!

The Winning Mindset Isn’t “Replace People”, It’s “Augment People”

One of the strongest messages from my learning this week is the need to reframe the role of AI.

Poor leaders see AI as a shortcut for reducing headcount and cost.
Great leaders see it as a multiplier of human ability.

The LinkedIn course on Custom GPT's reinforced this: the exponential value comes when AI becomes a partner; a way to:

• Accelerate decision making.

• Improve visibility.

• Unlock creativity.

• Reduce manual friction.

• Analyse data at scale.

• Give teams more time to think, not just do.

The real opportunity isn't just productivity alone.
Its transformation: how teams work, think & collaborate.

If leaders fail to communicate this, fear will replace progress.

According to Dan Martell: 2026 is the “Execution Deadline”

Dan Martell has been clear in his content recently; businesses that fail to adapt to AI by 2026 will fall behind those that have already rebuilt their systems around it.

Not tentatively.
Not experimentally.
Fully rebuilt.

His argument is compelling:
AI is enabling a new kind of company; A leaner, faster, more insight-driven and more scalable.
And by 2026, these “AI-native companies” will compete on a level that traditional operators will struggle to match.

The window for early advantage is open.
But it is closing quickly!

For Operations, Supply Chain and eCommerce, the Stakes Are Even Higher

In these sectors, the pressure is already intense:

• Volatile demand.

• Rising costs.

• Growing SKU counts.

• Customer expectations of speed and precision.

• Competition from AI-enabled disruptors.

AI is not a future tool here, it is a clear active differentiator.

AI is already transforming:

• Real-time inventory decisioning.

• Predictive demand modelling.

• Logistics routing.

• Fulfilment optimisation.

• Scenario simulation.

• Workforce planning.

• End-to-end visibility.

But without rethinking workflows and leadership behaviour, these technologies will fall flat.

The companies that succeed will combine:
Process excellence + human intelligence + AI capability.
Not one in isolation.

The Core Leadership Challenge: Skills Haven’t Changed, But Context Has

One of De Cremer’s strongest insights is that leadership fundamentals are timeless, but the environment has changed.

The leaders who thrive in the AI era will be those who:

1. Ask business-first questions, not tech-first questions.

2. Understand the link between data, workflows and value.

3. Bridge the gap between technical teams and operational realities.

4. Empower teams to experiment and learn.

5. Model curiosity, not certainty.

AI doesn't remove the need for leadership.
It exposes whether leadership is actually happening!

The Real Question for 2026 Is Not “Can We Adopt AI?” But “Will We Lead It?”

In every conversation I have had recently with clients and connections, the pattern is clear:
EVERYONE knows AI is important, but VERY FEW know how to lead the transformation.

And that leadership gap, is where the real competitive advantage lies.

AI won't replace leaders.
But it will replace leaders who refuse to adapt.

The opportunity for organisations and for consultancies like CoreFlow, is to guide teams through this shift, not just install tools.
Strategy, processes, people, culture and technology all have to move together.

Final Thoughts: The Next Two Years Will Divide the Imitators from the Innovators

As 2026 approaches, business leaders face a simple but powerful choice:

Do we adopt AI reactively? Or do we shape our business around it proactively?

The companies that make the second path won't simply be more efficient.
They'll redefine how work gets done.
They'll retain talent.
They'll outpace competition.
They'll lead, not follow.

This is the moment.
And the decisions we make today will determine the organisations we run in two years’ time.