From West Point to Chick-fil-A Owner + Leveraging AI with Jon Harmeling, USMA ‘08
Oct 16, 2026
“AI can help me be a better manager, but can AI help me be a better leader?” – Jon Harmeling, USMA ‘08
Speaker Bio:
Jon Harmeling is a Chick-fil-A Owner-Operator, retired Army officer, and creator of Frontline AI Leadership, an upcoming book on using AI to strengthen leadership instead of replace it.
After serving in the Army and teaching project management at West Point, a fellow Army officer introduced Jon to Chick-fil-A. Following an unexpected medical retirement, he eventually returned home to South Florida to lead a restaurant in the community where he grew up.
Running the restaurant gave Jon a new place to put his leadership philosophy into practice, from developing his team to helping employees pursue goals outside of work. His search for greater efficiency eventually led him to a bigger question: Could AI help him become a better leader?
That idea became Frontline AI Leadership, where Jon explores practical ways to use AI while keeping people at the center.
In this episode of the SABM podcast, Scott chats with Jon about:
An Unexpected Path to Chick-fil-A: How mentorship, years of preparation, and an unexpected medical retirement changed Jon's plans and ultimately brought him back home to South Florida.
Putting People Over Profits: Why Jon measures his impact beyond restaurant performance and sees leadership as an opportunity to invest in the people and community around him.
Leading by Letting Go: How Jon moved from working 80-hour weeks toward empowering his senior leaders with the authority and resources to make decisions without him.
Using AI to Become a Better Leader: How an experiment with automating administrative work grew into using AI to prepare for tough conversations, coach employees, and support their personal goals. Pasted text Pasted text
Keeping Leadership Human: The thinking behind Jon's upcoming book, Frontline AI Leadership, and why he believes AI should prepare leaders for human moments rather than replace them.
Timestamps:
1:19 West Point to the Army
2:10 A Mentor and Chick-fil-A
3:33 The Selection Process
4:31 Earning the Opportunity
7:06 Cancer and a Crossroads
10:01 People Over Profits
13:21 Life as an Owner-Operator
15:30 Leadership in the Unexpected
18:12 Introducing Frontline AI Leadership
18:44 From Admin Work to AI
19:30 Discovering AI Agents
20:36 Using AI to Lead People
21:50 The Frontline AI Leadership Book
24:24 Rehearsing Difficult Conversations
27:49 Leadership Beyond the Workplace
31:34 Building Better Relationships
34:40 Building the Bench
37:18 Keeping Humans in Charge
Connect with Jon:
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A special thank you to Jon for joining me this week. Until next time!
-Scott Mackes, USNA '01