Recent announcements from major corporations have caught the attention of business owners everywhere. The chief executives of two massive global brands, Coca-Cola and Walmart, announced their departures. The reason they gave for stepping down? Artificial intelligence.

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According to reports from CNBC, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey and former Walmart CEO Doug McMillon both pointed to the next wave of AI as a major factor in their decisions to hand over the reins. Quincey, who had led Coca-Cola since 2017, believes the beverage giant needed fresh energy to lead a complete enterprise transformation. "My job is also to think who’s the best team to put on the field to get the next wave done," Quincey explained to CNBC. "And I concluded that, actually, it was time to put someone else on the field for the next wave of growth."

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Similarly, McMillon recognized that while he could begin Walmart's AI transformation, he was not the right person to see it through to the end. "With what’s happening with AI, I could start this next big set of transformations with AI, but I couldn’t finish," McMillon noted.

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When top executives of global retail and consumer goods realize they might not be the right people to lead through the AI revolution, it sends a clear message to the rest of the market. This transformation is equally affecting mid-size companies across all industries. For example, investors recently panicked over a potential "SaaSpocalypse" as AI agents demonstrated the ability to autonomously handle tasks like drafting legal documents or managing customer relationships, threatening traditional per-user subscription models.

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Why Mid-Sized Companies Need a New Approach

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• Speed is the new standard: Revenue milestones that previously took years to achieve are now happening in a matter of months. For example, reaching $100 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) used to take six to eight years. Today, hyper-growth AI companies are hitting those same milestones in six to eight months. Companies desperately need leaders who can adapt to this unprecedented speed and manage rapid growth effectively.
• "Bolting on" AI is not enough: Many traditional leaders attempt to bolt AI onto existing workflows to solve problems. This approach is insufficient. Businesses must entirely rethink their operations and business models from the ground up to leverage the full potential of artificial intelligence.
• Organizations are flattening: AI is automating many routine tasks, including duties traditionally handled by middle management. This automation creates flatter organizational structures. Senior leaders can no longer sit at the top of a tall hierarchy. They must be much more hands-on, diving into the details and working directly with smaller, highly specialized teams.
• AI is making the actual building of products faster and easier: The core challenge has moved from how to build a product to knowing what product to build. Companies now desperately need leaders who intimately understand changing customer needs and can define AI-driven solutions.

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So, What Type of Leader Should You Look For?

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To guide your company through this transition, you must stop looking for traditional, off-the-shelf corporate stars who thrive in maintaining the status quo. Instead, seek out transformational leaders. If you are bringing new executives on board, look for candidates who embody the following characteristics.

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1) Practical AI experience

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Having theoretical knowledge of AI is no longer enough. You need active practitioners. The ideal candidate actively uses AI tools and data in their everyday work. Because they use this technology regularly, they intuitively understand how AI will transform their specific business function and the broader industry.

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2) A Product-Centric Mindset

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Because the central challenge has moved toward knowing what to build, companies increasingly need product-centric, product-intelligent leaders in the C-suite. Traditionally, these roles might have been filled by finance or operations executives. Today, leaders who are closest to the customer and understand changing monetization models are the ones who will drive the most growth.

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3) Agility Over Age

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Success in the current era depends on agility, not chronological age or traditional corporate tenure. You want leaders who possess an adaptable mindset. They must be able to unlearn old habits quickly and continuously update their skills. An agile leader can adjust to hyper-accelerated timelines and keep the company moving forward without getting stuck in outdated methods.

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4) Empathetic Communication

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Adopting new technologies inevitably causes anxiety among the workforce. Employees may worry about their job security or feel overwhelmed by new processes. Therefore, incoming leaders must possess high emotional intelligence. They need to be highly empathetic, capable of winning over employees, and skilled at proving that new technology represents an opportunity for growth rather than a threat to their livelihoods.

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5) Mavericks With "Wartime" Experience

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You need independent thinkers who challenge conventional thinking and are not afraid to rock the boat. These individuals thrive in chaotic, unstructured environments. Additionally, having "wartime" experience is highly valuable. Many current leaders have only operated during periods of economic prosperity. Leaders who have managed tight budgets, volatile markets, and economic uncertainty bring a level of resilience that is essential for surviving disruption.

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6) The Outsider Advantage

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When a massive industry change happens, it is often driven by individuals from outside the established space. Steve Jobs, for instance, famously built the iPhone using a team that had never worked on mobile phones before. Leaders coming from unfamiliar backgrounds are not bound by tradition or the status quo, allowing them to question legacy processes and identify inefficiencies that insiders overlook. Bringing in an outsider provides a fresh perspective to build solutions from the ground up, tailored for an AI-first era rather than retrofitting outdated systems.

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How to Successfully Hire Transformational Leaders

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Identifying these "diamonds in the rough" requires a completely different approach to hiring. Standard executive search firms often rely on transactional hiring, focusing on poaching established corporate stars who want a bigger paycheck to maintain the status quo. However, the most effective transformational leaders are usually deeply involved in driving changes at their current organizations; they are completely absorbed in their work and are not actively networking or thinking about a career move.

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At AnuPartha, we are positioned to help mid-sized and high-growth companies with this exact transition. As a global retained executive search firm, we focus exclusively on recruiting transformational talent. Over the past 30 years, we have carefully cultivated a global network of independent-minded change agents and visionaries.

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Leaders who fit these traits are rare. We do not limit our search to those who are most visible or who come from obvious backgrounds. Instead, we scan across industries, functions, and geographic regions to find potential leaders with the mindset and experience needed to drive change. This broader approach enables us to connect you with transformational talent that might otherwise go unnoticed, ensuring the right fit for your organization’s vision and challenges.

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Prepare Your Executive Team for the Future

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The decisions made by the leaders of Coca-Cola and Walmart highlight a reality every business must face: AI requires new types of leadership. If you are ready to find the leaders who will take your company into the future, we are here to help.