Many workers are anxious, worn down, and demoralized. Headlines about AI displacing jobs dominate the news while CEOs publicly tout layoffs and cost-cutting. Economic uncertainty from trade wars, tariffs, and inflation only adds to their concerns. The numbers are stark. Employee engagement at companies around the world has risen overall since 2008, but according to Gallup dated in April, it’s still […]

Senior executives have to deal with a constant stream of what seem like urgent challenges, more than they can possibly deal with. But it’s not always clear when they need to jump in. When can they delegate? And what can they ignore? Last year, HBR published a framework from Nitin Nohria, a professor at and former dean of […]

Every leader faces challenges like establishing credibility, managing up, and building strategic relationships when they start a new role. One of the most sensitive and critical challenges is giving feedback, which can feel like walking a tightrope: You haven’t had the chance to build credibility with your new team, but you’re under pressure to prove your value quickly. Moving […]

In today’s complex, fast-moving business environment, the ability to influence others is no longer a “nice to have” leadership trait—it is foundational to strategic success. As organizations continue to operate in increasingly matrixed structures, with heightened ambiguity, speed, and global interdependence, leaders must influence without relying solely on authority. Influence is about gaining traction for […]

In the age of knowledge, ideas are the foundation of success in almost every field. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can’t persuade anyone else to follow your vision, your influence and impact will be greatly diminished. And that’s why communication is no longer considered a “soft skill” among […]

A year ago, I wrote a piece here about how people were really using gen AI. That article seemed to hit a note: It was popular, featured in viral posts, and the beautiful accompanying infographic has been shared far and wide. The use cases split almost equally between personal and business needs, with roughly half spanning both. Since then, the […]

When Alex walked into my office and said she was overwhelmed, I thought: OK, she needs my help. She needs answers. I listened, asked a few clarifying questions, and then did what I’ve been trained to do—fix it. I grabbed a pen, broke the problem into parts, and offered strategies: delegating more, calendar blocking, prioritization. […]

A senior executive I worked with—let’s call her Marisol—had spent years building trust, driving impact, and delivering results, only to find her role suddenly eliminated during a company restructuring. There was no discussion, no transition plan. Just a few polite reassurances, a severance package, and a carefully worded email later, and that was it. But […]

In the past few years, artificial intelligence has gone from being the prerogative of technical teams to a general use tool. While AI once worked behind the scenes—powering consumer products, for instance, or shaping social media feeds—now the general public interacts directly with virtual assistants and generative AI-based chatbots. This increase in usage has also […]

Unlike a company, which can expand capacity to meet increasing demand, a leader is constrained by nature: As they say, there are only so many hours in a day. Many people think they can increase their productivity by working harder. But that, in due course, is a losing game. They tire, their overall output falls, and they […]