Field Notes for an AI-First World
People-centric leadership, AI teammates, networked selling, and what it takes to build trust when the machines never sleep.
The Seller's Edge: What Stays Human in an Agentic GTM World
Agent-to-agent go-to-market is arriving fast, but it will not replace the seller. In this Meerkat and Sandler field report, Mary Shea and Seth Marrs explain why the human seller becomes the revenue team's most valuable asset, and they give revenue leaders five moves to make. Download the full report or read the summary.
The Ways We Work
The Ways We Work is Meerkat's thought leadership series on how AI is reshaping the future of work. We feature innovative professionals at various stages of their career journeys who are leaning in rather than turning away from change. Each piece blends lived experience with practical strategies, offering a vision for more human-centered and future-ready ways of working.
THE WAYS WE WORK
People-Centric Leadership
What it looks like to lead with relationships first, in an age where AI handles more of the work and trust becomes the only sustainable edge.
Networked Selling
Why the warmest introduction beats the best pitch deck, every time. Field notes on relationship-led revenue from a team that practices what it preaches.
AI-First Teams
What happens when every role has an AI counterpart, how teams restructure when machines handle execution, and what it means to lead a workforce that never sleeps.
All posts
Be The Brand: Why Trust Matters in an AI-Always World
In an AI-first world where content is commoditized, trust is the key differentiator. Learn how brands build credibility, stand out, and influence decisions when everyone sounds the same.
AI Can Write. It Still Can’t Tell a Story.
AI can write content at scale, but it cannot replicate authentic human storytelling. In an AI-driven world, stories built on real experience drive engagement, build trust, and create lasting impact. Learn why storytelling remains a critical competitive advantage for leaders and…
What Should They Study Now?
What should students study in the age of AI? The answer is shifting. While STEM remains important, skills like critical thinking, communication, and adaptability are becoming more valuable. This piece explores why liberal arts and a broad, flexible skill set may offer the…
Future-Proofing Leadership in the Age of AI
As AI reshapes how work gets done, the real leadership advantage is shifting. Tools will evolve, but the habits that define great leaders endure. Curiosity, constructive dissatisfaction, comfort with discomfort, and personal conviction are becoming the attributes that matter…
When AI Is Your Teammate, Alignment Is Your Advantage
As AI reshapes how teams build, clarity becomes the real competitive advantage. AI accelerates execution, but without explicit ownership, durable decisions, and shared context, speed amplifies misalignment. High-performing organizations treat alignment as operating…
AI Teammates Make It Rain for a New Class of Sellers
In 2026, generative AI is reshaping how B2B selling organizations operate and organize. This piece explores how AI teammates change sales roles, enablement models, and seller performance, creating a new class of B2B sellers and a widening performance gap between teams that adapt…
The Networked Teammate: Your Next AI Advantage Is the People Around You
We are entering a new phase of AI where individual speed is no longer enough. The real advantage comes from how teams share context, connect information, and build on each other’s work. In this piece, I explore why productivity now depends on the networks around us and how the…
Always Be Networking: The New Currency in an AI-First World
In an AI-first world, your network, not your résumé, is your real advantage. As hybrid work and AI reshape how we connect, “Always Be Networking” (ABN) is the new rule. At Meerkat, we help professionals turn static contact lists into living relationship graphs powered by AI…
The Merriam-Webster Word of 2025 Is… “Vibe”
2025 belongs to the vibe. Microsoft’s “vibe working” turned a developer phrase into a global movement. In this Ways We Work edition, Mary Shea unpacks how vibe working—co-creating with AI through intent and flow—reflects a deeper shift in how we work. At Meerkat, we go further…
Stop Rolling Out AI. Start Onboarding It.
Most organizations don’t fail at AI because of technology — they fail because of people. In this Ways We Work feature, Dr. Eve Kedar explores why 95% of enterprise AI initiatives fail and how leaders can close the gap by treating AI adoption like employee onboarding. Drawing on…
From Burnout to Breakthrough: Leading with Humanity in the AI Era
In From Burnout to Breakthrough: Leading with Humanity in the AI Era, guest blogger Laura Ivonne Hernandez shares how AI helps women leaders amplify creativity, efficiency, and well-being without losing authenticity. Learn actionable ways to integrate AI as a teammate…
Invisible or Indispensable? How to Show Up in the GenAI Buyer Journey
GenAI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, and Gemini are now the starting point for B2B buyers. Research from Spotlight and Profound shows that visibility across trusted sources—peer reviews, analyst research, communities, and structured content—determines which vendors GenAI…
Let’s Bring More Wonder into Our Business Conversations
In today’s workplace, leadership isn’t about having all the answers; it’s about asking better questions and listening with intent. Discover how AI tools can sharpen your focus, reduce distractions, and help you show up more curious and more human in every conversation. This…
The AI Writing Revolution: Your Creative Partner, Not Your Replacement
AI writing tools are not here to replace authors. They are here to help you write faster, stay organized, and keep your creative spark alive. As I complete my third book, Stroke of Success, I have seen how AI can serve as a true writing partner. It can structure chapters…
AI at Work: Power, Promise, and Peril
AI isn’t hype. It’s a power shift. Like the dot-com bubble, it will create winners and losers. In this post, I share how AI amplifies productivity, where the risks lie, and why guardrails matter. The future of work won’t be evenly distributed. It will tilt. Your job is to stand…
People-Centric Leadership in an AI-First World: A CRO’s Guide for Sustainable Growth
People-Centric Leadership in an AI-First World: A CRO’s Guide for Sustainable Growth As AI reshapes how we sell, strategize, and serve, one truth remains: you don’t grow revenue, your people do.
The Death of “Got a Minute?”
“I leaned back in my chair and said to my co-founder sitting in a cube over in our co-working space, ‘Got a minute? I’m trying to get the language right for this outreach campaign.’ She responded, ‘Oh yeah, I just found this new tool for A/B testing. Let’s see what the bots…
From Pink Slips to Power Plays: Make AI Your Next Teammate
A Tipping Point for Work and Workers The flood of headlines, hot takes, and forecasts about GenAI’s rapid maturation and its potential to reshape the ways we work is overwhelming. Some days, you might want to tune it all out. I get it. Even for me, a former analyst and now…