Why Every Leader Should Be Vibe Coding
Vibe coding isn’t about learning to code.
It’s about turning ideas into something real—fast.
As AI collapses the distance between intent and execution, the most effective leaders aren’t just setting direction anymore. They’re creating first versions their teams can see, react to, and build on.
Today, we’ll break down why vibe coding is becoming a true leadership advantage, and highlight a few tools you can start experimenting with right away.
How Vibe Coding Accelerates Teams
Vibe coding turns fuzzy ideas into real, clickable prototypes in hours. Instead of debating static slides, teams align and decide on something they can actually use.
With vibe coding, leaders can:
Prototype an idea - Build a one-day prototype of a workflow or product decision (e.g., a new pricing flow, onboarding path, or AI support assistant) and pressure-test it live with customers, the board, or frontline teams—so feedback is based on use, not opinions.
Replace static slide decks - Create a simple, interactive strategy or OKR app that shows current priorities, owners, metrics, and tradeoffs in real time, so alignment doesn’t depend on the latest slide version or quarterly refresh.
Fill short-term gaps with lightweight internal tools - Quickly stand up lightweight tools, like a partner cockpit that shows pipeline health, an AI strategy hub that tracks experiments, or a VoC dashboard that surfaces customer signals, then hand the most valuable ones to product or engineering to build and scale.
This fundamentally changes the leadership equation.
Instead of:
“Here’s what I’m envisioning — now let me explain.”
You get:
“Here’s an idea. Try it. Improve it with me.”
The shift isn’t just faster.
It’s clearer, more aligned, and far more collaborative.
Questions Worth Asking
If you’re leading a team, or part of one, pause and ask:
What decision, process, or idea keeps getting stuck in slide decks or documents?
What would change if you could turn that into something interactive?
What would it unlock if your team could see and use the idea instead of just hearing about it?
That’s the opportunity.
This isn’t about doing more work.
It’s about doing the right work, closer to the source.
The exec-IC era is here — and vibe coding is one of the most powerful ways to step into it.
Four Vibe-Coding Tools to Try (Start Here)
If you’re curious about vibe coding, don’t overthink it. The best way to learn is to try a few tools and see what clicks for how you think and work.
Here are four we consistently see leaders and teams getting value from:
Lovable
Best for turning an idea into a working app. If you want to describe what you’re trying to build and see something real appear quickly, start here. Tip: Use meta-prompting to get unstuck. First, use ChatGPT or Gemini to help you write a clear “builder prompt” (what the app does, who it’s for, and what success looks like). Then paste that into Lovable to generate your first version.
Replit
Best for experimenting and collaborating. Great for prototyping internal tools, testing ideas with teammates, and iterating in real time. Tip: Treat Replit like a shared sandbox. Invite teammates early and use it as a live workspace where ideas evolve together, don’t wait until it’s “ready.”
Vercel (v0)
Best for polished, production-ready experiences. Ideal when design quality matters and you want something that feels close to what you’d actually ship. Tip: Start with one core flow or page (not the whole product). Let v0 generate the UI and structure, then refine from there instead of trying to design everything upfront.
Claude Code
More technical. Best for working directly with code and logic. Perfect if you want AI to help write, clean up, or automate technical work without switching tools. Tip: Use Claude Code for “cleanup and acceleration,” not greenfield perfection. Ask it to refactor messy code, automate scripts, or explain logic, so you can move faster with confidence.
Podcast Spotlight: Cabi’s Vibe Coding Moment (Proof This Is Real)
In our latest podcast episode, Keith Fairclough (CIO at Cabi) showed what happens when vibe coding moves from a buzzword to an operating rhythm.
What Cabi Built (Fast)
1) An AI styling + virtual try-on tool — built by one intern in weeks
An intern (recent grad) built a working experience that:
Generates outfits from Cabi’s own catalog
Creates the “flat lay” style-board image automatically
Makes it shoppable (so commissions still attribute correctly)
Can even incorporate a customer’s “closet” history to mix old + new items
Includes virtual try-on using a trained fit model
This is the clearest example of vibe coding’s promise and how the distance between an idea and working product is collapsing.
2) A clickable training simulator — built by Keith in ~3–4 hours (no engineering)
Cabi needed to train 2,000 stylists on a new Shopify-based POS experience before launch (but couldn’t give them access yet).
Instead of Loom videos or an LMS, Keith used Lovable to vibe code a gamified, step-by-step “click here” training wizard:
Real screenshots turned into an interactive prototype
Pulsing cues, progress tracking, even confetti
A fully guided “learn by doing” experience
These are two real examples of when a leader builds the first version, teams start with something real and there is less translation, fewer meetings, faster iteration.
Some Final Tips for Vibe Coding
Don’t aim for perfect.
Aim for useful.
Build something small.
See how people respond.
Improve it together.
This is exactly how modern teams move faster, and how leaders stay close to the work without getting stuck in it.
Reminder: Join Our AI First Community Call — January 27
If you want to see how AI-first teams are actually working, join us for our next AI First Community Call.
This month, Adam will share insights from dozens of recent conversations with CEOs, CIOs, and CMOs - what were the trends and what is he seeing as the real constraint to becoming AI First.
He’ll also walk through Claude Cowork as a hands-on example — not just how it works, but what it reveals about where work is heading and how teams will need to evolve to keep up.
See you there!
Stay Curious. Stay AI-First.
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