Shownotes: https://www.berndgeropp.com/my-experience-with-ai

Today, I want to share a personal story and my current thoughts on artificial intelligence (AI).

A Surprising AI Conversation

A couple of weeks ago, I was on a long drive, listening to an audiobook about OKRs—Objectives and Key Results—a popular framework for setting and tracking goals. While the book offered great insights, it felt overly optimistic, glossing over some potential challenges with OKRs.

As I was pondering these issues, I thought, “Who can I discuss this with right now?” Instead of calling someone, I decided to open ChatGPT. But this time, I didn’t just type; I talked. Yes, I had a full voice conversation with ChatGPT using its text-to-speech capabilities.

I spoke to ChatGPT as if it were a friend—casually, openly, and without overthinking. And it replied in a natural, conversational way. To my surprise, this wasn’t just a Q&A. It felt like a real discussion. I even caught myself gesturing as if I were talking to another person. At that moment, I was fascinated—and a bit unsettled.

AI in Leadership and Beyond

This experience got me thinking: How can AI like ChatGPT be used in a professional context? Could it become a “virtual team member” during strategy meetings? Could two AI models debate with each other to generate fresh perspectives? And what impact will this have on how we work and interact?

AI is no longer a futuristic concept. It’s here, reshaping how we live and work. For example, AI excels at dynamic, complex tasks like autonomous driving, predictive modeling, and chatbots. In contrast, automation focuses on repetitive, rule-based tasks to increase efficiency and reduce errors. The real power lies in combining the two—what experts call “intelligent automation.”

Challenges and Limitations

While AI is powerful, it’s not without flaws. Let me share an example. I recently experimented with creating a customized AI chatbot, “Ask Bernd.” I trained it using my own leadership materials, including podcasts and video scripts. The goal was to make “Ask Bernd” answer leadership questions as I would.

While the responses were often insightful, they occasionally contained fabricated details. For instance, it would refer to specific videos in my course that didn’t exist. This issue, known as AI “hallucination,” highlights a critical limitation: AI can produce convincing but factually incorrect answers.

For businesses, this is a serious concern. Imagine using AI to create an internal knowledge base, only to find it spreading misinformation. Trusting AI blindly can lead to costly mistakes.

Why You Should Engage with AI Now

Despite its limitations, AI is a game-changer. Ignoring it isn’t an option. Remember the early 2000s, when some dismissed the internet as a passing fad? We all know how that turned out.

As a leader, you need to experiment with AI tools—whether it’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or others. Encourage your team to do the same. Right now, no one has decades of experience with AI because the field is evolving so quickly. This is your chance to learn, adapt, and stay ahead.

Practical Tips for Leaders

Here are a few ways to start:

1. Experiment Freely: Try tools like ChatGPT for drafting emails, creating job descriptions, or preparing interview questions.
2. Empower Your Team: Show your employees how AI can make their work easier and more efficient.
3. Continuous Learning: Attend webinars, take courses, and follow AI experts to stay updated.

Remember, AI is not a replacement but a tool. Those who learn to leverage it will thrive, while those who don’t risk being left behind.

Closing Thoughts

AI is not just a buzzword; it’s a transformative technology shaping our future. As leaders, it’s up to us to guide our teams in embracing this change and using AI as a strategic advantage.

Shownotes: https://www.berndgeropp.com/remote-work-experience

Today, I want to dive into a topic that's more relevant than ever: remote work. I'll share my personal experiences leading a fully remote team, explore who remote work is suited for, and discuss why some companies are still hesitant to embrace it.

Embracing Remote Work

When I started building my team, I made a deliberate decision: we’d work fully remote. That decision shaped everything—from hiring to how we communicate and collaborate. Today, my team consists of four people: Alex, Simone, Ersin, and myself. And yes, we're thriving in a remote setup.

But here’s the thing: remote work isn’t for everyone. It demands self-discipline, responsibility, and excellent self-management. If these qualities aren’t present, remote work can quickly fall apart.

The Rise of Remote Work

In the U.S., remote work skyrocketed during the pandemic, forcing many businesses to adapt overnight. Employees loved the flexibility and saved commute time, and many never looked back. Today, hybrid work has become the norm in many industries. However, tech giants like Apple and Meta are leading a counter-movement, calling employees back to the office.

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, famously said, "There’s no substitute for face-to-face collaboration." While he’s not wrong, I believe face-to-face interactions don’t necessarily mean daily office attendance. Instead, they can be achieved through periodic in-person team meetups, which is exactly what my team does.

Remote Work Challenges – And How to Overcome Them

Managing a remote team isn’t without its challenges. Communication, team spirit, and alignment can become tricky without the right processes in place. But here’s a hard truth: remote work doesn’t create leadership issues—it reveals them.

If your team isn’t self-managing or struggles with accountability, that’s likely a leadership issue, not a remote work issue. As I always say, after two years, every leader has the team they deserve. So, if your remote team is failing, it’s time to take a hard look at your leadership practices.

Keys to Remote Work Success

Over the years, I’ve identified five principles that have helped my team succeed remotely:

1. Clear Communication Channels We use Zoom for meetings and quick check-ins, and emails for longer messages. Everyone is expected to respond within a business day—but immediate responses aren’t required.
2. Defined Responsibilities Each team member owns their domain. For example, Alex handles marketing and video production, Simone manages community and events, and Ersin focuses on leadership coaching. Ownership fosters creativity and expertise.
3. Regular In-Person Meetups Every 4–6 weeks, we meet in person—whether for a strategy session, a conference, or just team-building. For example, we attended a marketing conference in Frankfurt last fall and have a team retreat planned in Hamburg next week.
4. Continuous Learning Professional development is a priority. From conferences like VidSummit in Los Angeles to sales training programs, we invest in learning as a team.
5. Quarterly Strategy Meetings Every quarter, we reflect on our achievements and set goals for the next quarter. This ensures alignment and keeps us moving forward.

Who is Remote Work For?

Remote work isn’t one-size-fits-all. It’s ideal for knowledge workers who value flexibility and autonomy but less so for roles requiring hands-on tasks or constant supervision. For companies hesitant to adopt remote or hybrid models, here’s a reality check: in today’s job market, offering flexibility is often non-negotiable for attracting and retaining top talent.

Closing Thoughts

Remote work isn’t a passing trend; it’s a fundamental shift in how we work. As leaders, we must adapt and find ways to make it work for our teams and businesses. That means investing in your people, refining your processes, and embracing change.

Thank you for tuning in to Leadership Made Easy. If you found this episode valuable, please share it or leave a review. And as always, keep leading with intention and purpose. Until next time!

Shownotes: https://www.berndgeropp.com/leadership-in-2025

Welcome back to 'Leadership Made Easy,  the podcast where we simplify the art of leadership for small and medium-sized businesses.

Its been quite a while since our last episode - in fact, over three years.

Thank you

A big thank-you to all of you who have stayed connected, kept listening to past episodes, and even joined our email list during this time. Your support and interest mean the world to me.

So, where have I been?

Well, I‘ve spent the past few years focusing on my work in Germany, helping leaders and especially business owners build stronger teams and lead with confidence.

But I‘ve always known I would return to this podcast, because leadership challenges are universal, and this is where we can tackle them together.

Over the last years I build a small but mighty team. Everyone in my team is an expert in their field. In one of the next episodes I will introduce them to you.

Working with such a great team was a game changer for me. And that is now why I finally have the time to focus on this podcast again.

Trends in 2025

As we step into 2025, the landscape for leaders continues to evolve. Whether you are leading a small team or managing a growing business, the challenges are real - From hybrid work environments to the integration of AI and technology, to retaining great talent in a competitive market.

But let me tell you: leadership remains the single most important factor in a business success.

In todays episode, I want to share three key trends that I believe every leader should focus on in 2025:

1. Empowering Hybrid Teams: Many of us are still adapting to managing people both in-person and remotely. All my team members are working remotely. I‘ll share my experience how this works in detail and I’ll give you my tips on how to create trust and accountability in such a team.
2. Leveraging AI Without Losing the Human Touch: AI is a powerful tool for efficiency, but the best leaders know how to balance data-driven decisions with emotional intelligence. Over the last 12 months I played around with AI for my business and I interviewed several experts on this matter. Some results are fascinating, others are rather sobering. So I’ll keep you updated on my AI Journey in this podcast.
3. Building Leadership at Every Level: In 2025, the best teams won‘t rely on a single leader. In one of the neyxt episodes of this podcast I‘ll share my ideas on how to identify and develop future leaders within your team.

Each of these trends represents a unique challenge, but also an incredible opportunity. And in the coming weeks, we‘ll dive deeper into each of these topics.

Today I talk with Mike Ashie from the YouTube channel: "Leadership with Mike" about tips for first-time managers.

Find his YouTube channel Leadership with Mike here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX_oT8liQty9EL7ZJVpz3RA

Find the Shownotes here: https://www.berndgeropp.com/tips-for-first-time-managers-with-mike-ashie

When I founded my first company, a high-tech start-up, together with a partner more than 25 years ago, I had a completely wrong idea of ​​managing people. In this post, I'll talk about how I learned to delegate and give you tips on how you can learn it, too.

Find the shownotes here:

https://www.berndgeropp.com/how-i-learned-to-delegate/

If you'd like to watch the video, check it out here: https://youtu.be/y1PJpAMeuyg

Subscribe to my leadership impulses here: https://www.berndgeropp.com/subscribe/

A manager always works in a sandwich position. I explain my struggles with it and why I decided to leave the corporate world more than 10 years ago.

Shownotes: berndgeropp.com/quit-job

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/QnTTgi1nPSs

One-one-one meetings create trust: Why do you need them? What do you actually talk about and how often should you do one-on-ones?

Shownotes: https://www.berndgeropp.com/one-on-one-meetings

Video: https://youtu.be/QPsUBZsCFps

When you are new in your manager role, you surely don’t want to make any unnecessary mistakes, don’t you?

You want to become a good manager. To meet the challenges of your new role, I will give you my five best practical tips to become a good leader.

You'# find the shownotes here:

https://berndgeropp.com/episode030

If you like to watch the highly entertaining YouTube-video-version, click here: https://youtu.be/_wlwpSXVfp0

Goal setting with employees is not easy. How can you be successful with it? Here are my 5 most important tips you should know!

Find the Shownotes here: berndgeropp.com/set-goals-with-employees

Today I invited 5 leaders with different backgrounds. I wanted to know from them, what they wish they knew, before becoming successful leaders.

You'll find the shownotes wiht all the links to the participants here: https://berndgeropp.com/what-do-you-wish-you-knew