Summary
This session addresses the core paradox of AI-era leadership: while AI technology evolves rapidly, self-awareness as the foundation of human leadership becomes MORE critical, not less. As AI handles increasing technical execution, leaders who master self-awareness—understanding their own Leadership OS and upgrading it systematically—will drive innovation and create the foundation for successful AI adoption.
The central thesis: AI accelerates technical execution, but self-aware leaders who understand their own decision-making patterns, mental models, and leadership operating system will design better AI-powered teams and thrive in an AI-first world.
You will learn:
- The Core Human Skill: Why self-awareness becomes THE foundational leadership skill in an AI world
- Leadership OS Framework: Systematic approach to understanding your own decision-making patterns, mental models, and leadership operating system
- Think-Do-Learn Loop: Practical methodology for continuous leadership improvement and upgrading your Leadership OS
- Immediate Assessment: Tools to audit your current Leadership OS and identify specific areas for improvement
- Implementation Path: Concrete steps to start developing greater self-awareness and systematic leadership improvement practices
Speakers
James Birchler is an executive leadership coach and technical advisor who specializes in helping engineering leaders and founders develop greater self-awareness and build high-performing teams. He combines deep technical expertise with practical leadership development, making him particularly valuable for technical leaders scaling their organizations.
As both a founder and engineering leader, James has more than 20 years of experience leading teams at companies ranging from early-stage startups to Amazon, where his current role is Technical Advisor to the VP of Amazon Delivery Routing and Planning. Most recently, he founded NICER, a premium natural personal care company, and Actuate Partners, his executive coaching and technical advisory practice. He also held VP of Engineering roles at companies including Caffeine (backed by Greylock and Andreessen Horowitz), SmugMug (where his team acquired Flickr), and IMVU.
At IMVU, James implemented the Lean Startup methodologies alongside Eric Ries, author of The Lean Startup and creator of the methodology, literally the first company to apply these principles. His team helped pioneer the DevOps movement by building infrastructure to ship code to production 50 times per day and coining the term "continuous deployment." This experience in systematic experimentation and continuous improvement now informs his coaching approach through frameworks like CAMS (Coaching, Advising, Mentoring, Supporting) and the Think-Do-Learn Loop.
James completed his executive coaching certification at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business Executive Coaching Institute. His coaching practice focuses on self-awareness, integrity, accountability, and fostering growth mindsets that support continuous learning and high performance. He writes the Continuous Growth newsletter and offers both individual executive coaching and peer learning circles for technical leaders.
Through his advisory work with growth-stage startups in the US and Europe, James helps leaders navigate common scaling challenges including hiring and interviewing, implementing development methodologies, establishing operational cadences, and developing other leaders. His approach treats leadership development like product development—with systematic feedback loops, measurable outcomes, and continuous improvement.
You can find James at jamesbirchler.com, LinkedIn, and Substack.
on ELC Annual 2025