How do we scale without losing our humanity? - Insights from Meri Williams
February 3, 2026
Scaling teams in the age of AI may seem like a race in efficiency, but the truth is - teams can’t make it without empathy. In the launch episode of The Future Is Human podcast, host Naomi Trickey sits down with Meri Williams, seasoned CTO and chair of LeadDev, to explore what makes teams truly successful. Listen in for their thoughts on why vulnerability and psychological safety are non-negotiable in intense work environments, how neurodivergence and lived experience reshape leadership and the critical strategies for building diverse teams that outperform homogeneous ones.
The takeaway is simple: succeeding in tech is less about the shiny tools at your disposal and WAY more about making care, curiosity and critical thinking (deeply human traits) your competitive advantage.
Scaling teams in the age of AI may seem like a race in efficiency, but the truth is - teams can’t make it without empathy. In the launch episode of The Future Is Human podcast, host Naomi sits down with Meri Williams, seasoned CTO and chair of LeadDev, to explore what makes teams truly successful.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to build psychological safety as your foundation for scaling
- The “Purpose-Autonomy-Mastery-Inclusion” framework for sustainable high performance
- Why "soft skills" aren't optional; they're learnable leadership multipliers
- How to measure human-centered leadership with concrete metrics
- The critical distinction between identity and behavior in feedback
- Why "should we do this?" matters more than "can we do this?" in an AI-driven world
Turns out - succeeding in tech is less about the shiny tools at your disposal and WAY more about being caring, curious and thinking critically.
The Future Is Human is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so