Insights
Cloud, AI, leadership — and the threads between them.
Technology scales systems. Curiosity scales ideas.
This is where everything I write lands — cloud strategy, leadership notes, daily reflections, the occasional wine pour. If you want one topic, the navigation has dedicated pages for cloud, leadership, and change. Here, it's everything in the order it arrived.
The New IT Sprawl Is AI Sprawl
Organizations spent years managing application sprawl and cloud sprawl. Now a new challenge is emerging: AI sprawl. Here’s why leadership and direction matter more than ever.
Wired for Purpose — Week 7: Margin and Recovery
Mental margin protects clarity, judgment, and resilience in fast-moving leadership environments. Recovery is part of the system.
The Quiet Trade Nobody Talks About in AI
AI was supposed to make work more human by removing repetitive tasks. Instead, many people now feel like they are operating at machine speed while AI does the thinking. This is not just a technology conversation anymore. It is a conversation about trust, leadership, burnout, and what it means to stay human inside modern work.
The AI Stack Problem No One Planned For
Most enterprises are running Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Grok in parallel — with no rationalization, no governance, and no operating model.
Wired for Purpose — Week 6: Daily Alignment
Daily alignment helps leaders focus on what truly matters before distractions and urgency take over the day.
Wired for Purpose — Week 5: Healthy Latency
Healthy latency creates space for better thinking, stronger decisions, and intentional leadership in fast-moving environments.
Featured in Human Capital Leadership Review: When Technology Moves Faster Than Clarity, Leadership Breaks First
Michael Earls shares insights on leadership, AI, and clarity in fast-moving organizations in his featured article published by Human Capital Leadership Review.
Wired for Purpose — Week 4: Foundation
Most people run on default habits they never chose. Learn how to audit and reconfigure your daily systems for better focus and leadership.
Your AI Agent Isn’t the Problem. Your Infrastructure Is.
AI agents are ready—but most enterprises aren’t. The real gap isn’t the model, it’s infrastructure, data, and direction.
Wired for Purpose — Week 3: Foundation
A simple daily work journal can transform how you track decisions, lessons, and growth. Learn how leaders build self-observability.
AI Has an Ownership Problem.
AI doesn’t fail because of technology—it fails without clarity and ownership. Here’s how to move from disconnected pilots to real business outcomes.
Wired for Purpose — Week 2: Foundation
Incident readiness isn’t built in the moment—it’s built in preparation. Learn how leaders develop habits that show up when pressure hits.
The Hidden Cost of AI: Why Data Centers Are Drinking the Future
AI is accelerating demand for data centers—but behind the compute is a growing dependency on water. Here’s why water usage is becoming the next constraint in cloud and AI.
Wired for Purpose — Week 1
A simple morning routine for leaders to reclaim focus, clarity, and direction before the day takes over. Part of the Wired for Purpose series.
AI Has the Same Problem Cloud Did — No One Owns It
AI isn’t failing because of technology—it’s failing because no one owns it. Learn how unclear ownership and operating models limit real transformation.
AI Agents Are the New Cloud Spend Problem
AI agents aren’t just automating work—they’re introducing a new kind of cloud cost. Without guardrails, autonomy turns into unbounded spend.
AI Is Changing Work. But Not How You Think.
AI isn’t just changing the work—it’s changing how we show up. From trust to communication to authenticity, this is the real shift most leaders are missing.
Lift and Shift Isn’t Transformation
Most cloud migrations don’t fail—they stall. Learn why lift and shift creates the illusion of progress and what real cloud transformation requires.
Experience Is the Hidden Advantage in the Age of AI
AI tools are accessible to everyone, but experience and judgment may be the real advantage in the age of AI. Why leaders over 40 and 50 may be best positioned for this shift.
The Brain on All-Day Video: Zoom Fatigue and Staying Human in a World of Endless Meetings
Why video meetings exhaust our brains. The neuroscience behind Zoom fatigue and how all-day video calls affect focus, energy, and the rhythm of modern work.