Harvard Business Review

Why Great Turnarounds Start with Culture, Not Strategy

September 11, 2026·39 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

What does it really take to turn around a company in the middle of massive disruption? In this episode of HBR IdeaCast, Verizon CEO Dan Schulman explains how he approached the challenge of leading the company into the AI age. He shares why putting customers—not engineering—at the center of the business required a fundamental shift in culture, how leaders can prepare employees for an AI-native future, and why successful transformation depends on reskilling people while being honest about the disruption ahead.Books, tools, and more: store.hbr.orgFollow us:https://hbr.org/https://www.linkedin.com/company/harvard-business-review/https://www.facebook.com/HBR/https://twitter.com/HarvardBizhttps://www.instagram.com/harvard_business_reviewSign up for Newsletters: https://hbr.org/email-newsletters#HarvardBusinessReview #YourCareer #Career #Job #Work #Business #Harvard #HarvardBusinessSchool Copyright © 2026 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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