445- How CIOs Build Teams That Scale w/Brian Laird

Brian Laird's career has taken him through tech support, networking, security, software development, enterprise architecture, consulting, and the CIO seat. In this conversation with Doug Camin, he looks back on the week his former company sent thousands of employees home during COVID. Some customer service agents had no internet at home, so staff lined up at Verizon stores to buy hotspots three or five at a time. Early planning gave the company something to work from when the situation changed fast.Today, Brian is CIO at Bahler Group, a group of construction companies with manufacturing, supply chain, and field operations. His team is replacing a twenty-year-old Excel sales tool, connecting data across operating companies, and building systems that can support more revenue without adding staff at the old rate. He explains how family ownership changes the pace of decisions, why leaders need to understand the rhythm of the business, and how clear decision criteria help teams act with confidence.Brian also walks through Bahler Group's AI strategy. AI-assisted development helps the team build faster. Department copilots make operational data easier to query. Purpose-built copilots check estimates, contracts, and material takeoffs for details that may have been missed. Brian keeps people in the decision loop while the team learns where the AI can be trusted. He closes with four rules for team decisions and a direct challenge to rising IT leaders: learn how the business works and prove the value your work creates.