Your junior consultants can code.

They can prompt.

They can ship.

But many are not customer facing, not consulting. 

And in three to five years, that gap could become existential.

At the end of 2025, we spoke with 15 leaders of small-to-mid-sized software agencies about what was keeping them up at night. The answer wasn’t AI replacing delivery teams.

It was that AI is creating a ceiling on growth by creating a leadership bottleneck.

Amid the seemingly endless tensions businesses face to do more with less, communication breakdowns pose challenges we all recognize: misaligned teams, vague directives, and missed opportunities. These result in unmet deadlines, conflicting visions, frustrated employees, and missed targets. Yet, these challenges are not only preventable, but they also hold the seeds of transformation.

Leading with empathy can be stressful and exhausting. Discover tips for self-care that any manager can do to keep themselves healthy and sane.

Cultivating a DEI-based culture begins with an authentic commitment to inclusive management rather than a dedicated DEI department or officer.

Sometimes you have to go back to the beginning to get where you want to go.

When faced with a new challenge, find ways to draw on experiences you know well.

Getting your hands dirty and diving into something new can shift the way you think about your day to day work.