Shiny tool looking for a Problem, with Richard Geary

Most organisations have bought AI. Fewer can say they are actually better at anything that matters.

Andy Lambert (AcademyAI) talks with Richard Geary of Flow HQ about practical AI adoption: diagnose the real problem before you buy the shiny tool, train for adoption rather than checkbox tool skills, and close the gap between personal productivity wins and organisation-wide value.

Richard has worked through the early SaaS wave (Salesforce, Oracle), helped build SeatGeek’s B2B business toward unicorn status, and has trained thousands of people on AI. His bar is clear: he is not training a tool. He is training for adoption, so people leave able to do something they could not before, and want to keep doing it.

In this episode:

• Why rolling out licences first creates a shiny tool looking for a problem
• People → process → technology, in that order
• Why Sally in accounts and Brian in the stores know what leadership misses
• Enablement vs one-and-done certificates when models change weekly
• AI as “the world’s most well-read intern” and critical review after every output
• Personal Copilot wins vs measurable organisational ROI
• A cabinet-maker proposal workflow cut from hours to about 40 minutes
• What to say when someone tells you “we need to do AI”

Start with why. Find the people who know how the work really breaks. Buy the shiny tool last.

Guest: Richard Geary, Flow HQ Host: Andy Lambert, AcademyAI

AcademyAI: https://academyai.co 

Andy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyrlambert/

Richard;'s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gearyrichard/