Brennan McDonald's Newsletter

The 8 Hidden Patterns Behind Stalled AI Adoption

Why it's all about people and getting the culture right

Dec 3 • 

Brennan McDonald

13

2

6

November 2025

Live with Brennan McDonald

A recording from Brennan McDonald's live video

Nov 30 • 

Brennan McDonald

1

1

8:32

The Pilot Worked. The Rollout Didn’t. Now What?

How to figure out what is blocking you and get moving with AI transformation

Nov 27 • 

Brennan McDonald

14

5

6

3 teams getting real AI results right now

Forget the hype. Focus on Service, Marketing, and Operations. Here is the data.

Nov 19 • 

Brennan McDonald

19

6

6

October 2025

Why Smart Leaders Are Still Hesitant About AI

(And What They're Missing)

Oct 21 • 

Brennan McDonald

28

4

10

September 2025

The Monday Morning AI Test

Tomorrow morning, ask 5 employees what wastes their time. That's where your AI should start. Not another pilot. A real solution.

Sep 25 • 

Brennan McDonald

17

7

3

Why Your Smartest People Are Your Biggest Problem

Smart people need smart change strategies. Let's design yours.

Sep 18 • 

Brennan McDonald

6

1

5

When AI Does Your Job Faster

49% of employees secretly use AI at work. The other half are in denial. Both responses are destroying your transformation efforts.

Sep 11 • 

Brennan McDonald

3

7

August 2025

The Human Side of AI

Why Bringing Your Team Along Isn't Optional

Aug 29 • 

Brennan McDonald

11

2

13

The Adaptive Operating System

A Practical Path to Operating Model Compression

Aug 22 • 

Brennan McDonald

7

2

5

Why AI Winners Do More, Not Less

Focus wins. Except it doesn't anymore. Here's what Anthropic figured out that changes everything.

Aug 20 • 

Brennan McDonald

2

1

5

The Netflix Playbook for When Your AI Provider Becomes Your Competitor

Windsurf lost Claude access with 5 days' notice. Your AI tool could vanish tomorrow. Here's the Netflix playbook that works: multiple providers…

Aug 15 • 

Brennan McDonald

9

2

8