The Speed Trap—Your Shot of Fearless Culture #413

Where change agents find their weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.

Feb 18, 2026

Fast feels productive.

But that’s not always the case.

I was working with an engineering team that fell into the speed trap.

The team started relying heavily on AI to accelerate development. Projects moved faster than ever. So they kept adding more—reviving features they’d previously killed because AI could handle them in the background.

Then their decisions started slipping.

Not because AI was wrong (at least not always). But because they stopped challenging AI. If the output looked reasonable, they shipped it. Their judgment got weaker.

Here’s the lesson: AI doesn’t just amplify your productivity. It also amplifies your judgment.

And bad judgment scales faster than good judgment.

Rather than delegating our thinking, we need to use AI to inform our choices. Not to decide for us but to help us make better decisions.

Enjoy my latest article → Five Practices for Thinking Better with AI
Practical insights and tools to be more intentional about how you use AI

Stay fearless, my friend.

Gustavo

In Case You Missed It

→ Why Intellectual Humility Is the Missing Skill in AI (Part 1)

What Daniel Pink Told My Publisher

“I finally got a chance to read Gustavo’s book. It’s excellent — super practical and hands-on for teams. Plus it shines a light on the huge, and often ignored, problem of passive silence in organizations.”

(He also wrote a blurb for the cover, but this note meant even more to me.)

PS, I’m excited about my book launch. Reserve your copy here.

Ask Your Team This

How is AI helping us move faster? Where is it weakening our thinking?

⚠️ Try This

Write Before You Ask

Before your next AI conversation, take two minutes to write down:

Your hypotheses about the problem
Your assumptions about the solution
What you think the answer could be

Then ask AI, and compare its answers with yours.

Reflect on the gap: Is AI helping you think better, or just making you think you're right?

🍦 Feed Your Curiosity

AI doesn’t reduce work—it intensifies it

Should we leave it to AI to make our hard choices?

Half your meeting attendees are bots

✏️ This is Your Last Chance (Really)

This is your last chance to join my Culture Design programs in 2026.

Starting in April, I’ll be shifting my primary focus to Forward Talk — the framework behind my new book.

Culture Design still remains core to everything I do. But I won’t be adding additional cohorts this year.

If you’ve been considering joining, this is the moment.

Book your spot:

👉 Culture Design Certification

👉 Culture Masterclass

👉 Build a Fearless Culture Program

Our culture design programs have 100+ 5-star Google Reviews.

Connect & Collaborate With Gustavo

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