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by Harvard Business Review
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- 3 days ago31 min
How AI Is Changing Talent, Not Just Tasks: Rethinking Where Human Judgment Matters Most
The decisions leaders must make about AI today go far beyond what platforms to invest in: AI is changing organizational culture and leadership for good. In episode 1 of a special four-part series on how AI is changing leadership, we look at how the technology is changing how people interact at work, the new culture it is creating, and how leaders can get smart about talent management and strategy in this rapidly advancing world. Paula Goldman, Salesforce’s chief ethical and humane use officer, argues there's currently a big opportunity to redesign work around the complementary strengths of humans and AI. She explains how AI could reshape entry-level jobs and the development of future leaders, why companies need to rethink internal mobility and talent development, and how executives can prepare their organizations for an AI-powered workforce without sacrificing accountability, creativity, or trust. Goldman is the author of Manage the Machine: How to Harness Human-AI Collaboration at Work. Plus: • Why “human in the loop” is an outdated model for managing AI—and what it means to put humans “at the helm.” • How leaders can determine which tasks to delegate to AI and where human judgment matters most • Why treating AI primarily as a cost-cutting tool could mean missing its bigger potential • How companies can redesign jobs and develop talent as AI takes over more routine tasks • Why leaders need to think differently about entry-level hiring and the development of future executives • How organizations can use AI to improve management, internal mobility, and employee development
- 5 days ago25 min
What It Takes to Make Progress When the Future Feels Out of Control
When the future feels increasingly out of our control, how can leaders and organizations make progress? University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman, a pioneer in the study of optimism, resilience, and human flourishing, argues that the answer is agency: the belief that we can influence outcomes and create positive change. He defines agency as a combination of three capabilities: efficacy—the belief that you can achieve a goal now; optimism—the belief that you can achieve it in the future; and imagination—the ability to envision possibilities that don't yet exist. And he explains how leaders can cultivate these qualities in themselves and their organizations, how managers can help employees overcome catastrophizing, and what AI can—and can't—do when it comes to one of the most important human capabilities: imagination. Seligman is the author of Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress.
- 1 weeks ago31 min
A Leading Restaurateur on What It Takes to Scale a Winning Culture
When a company is small, maintaining a strong culture can feel relatively easy. But as organizations grow, layers of management, geographic distance, and pressure for efficiency can make it much harder to preserve what made the company special in the first place. Restaurateur Danny Meyer has spent decades figuring out how to do just that. He founded Union Square Cafe and built Union Square Hospitality Group, then helped scale Shake Shack from a single location in New York City into a global restaurant chain. Along the way, he’s learned that culture isn’t what happens when the CEO is in the room—it’s what happens when they’re not. He explains how he turned his philosophy of “enlightened hospitality” into a set of specific behaviors that employees can understand and practice. He discusses why companies should hire for both technical expertise and emotional skills, how to identify people with a high “hospitality quotient,” and why promotions are one of the most powerful tools leaders have for reinforcing culture. Meyer is the author of What Could Possibly Go Right? The Essential Journey to Scale an Enduring Culture.
- 2 weeks ago25 min
Are Great Leaders Truly Great—or Just Lucky?
How much does a leader actually matter to an organization’s success? We tend to credit CEOs, founders, and other powerful figures with shaping the institutions they lead, but historian Jared Diamond argues that we often underestimate the role of timing, circumstance, industry, and plain luck. Diamond explains his “Hamlet test,” which asks whether someone else could have achieved the same outcome or whether the leader was uniquely qualified to do it, and how it applies to many business leaders. He also explains why some leaders are able to seize a fleeting moment of opportunity, why founders can have an outsized influence on institutions, and why boards may overestimate the impact of replacing a struggling CEO. Diamond is author of Prophets, Profits, Coaches, and Kings: (When) Do Leaders Matter?
- 3 weeks ago20 min
How People Without Formal Power Gain Influence
In today’s increasingly decentralized workplaces, leaders often need to get things done without having direct authority over the people they depend on. So how can you influence colleagues, clients, vendors, and even senior executives without simply telling them what to do? Pamela Meyer, founder and CEO of Calibrate, says the answer is learning to read the room—and understanding the informal networks, emotional dynamics, and hidden sources of power that shape decisions. She explains five paths to indirect influence: becoming an influence spotter, a backchanneler, a precision mover, a connector, and a pulse reader. Meyer also explains why the best influencers focus less on how they’re performing and more on what the people around them need. Meyer is the author of How to Read the Room: The Art and Science of Social Observation and the HBR article “Five Ways to Wield Influence When You Lack Authority.”
- Aug 18, 202628 min
Living and Working in the Age of Longevity
People are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. But many of our assumptions about executive careers—from climbing the corporate ladder to retiring at 65—haven't caught up. London Business School professor Lynda Gratton says we need a new way of thinking about work and life, and argues that traditional career paths are giving way to more flexible, multi-stage journeys that require greater personal agency, continuous learning, and a long-term perspective. She explains why leaders should think of their lives less as a ladder and more as a fabric they actively weave over time, and offers up practical advice for balancing productivity and personal well-being, preparing for career pivots before they're necessary, and developing the skills that will matter most in an AI-powered future. Gratton is the author of the upcoming book Living the 100-Year Life: How to build a career that lasts and a life you love.
- Aug 11, 202631 min
The Innovation Strategy Most Companies Miss
Companies often build products for wealthy markets first and then try to adapt them for the rest of the world. But according to Dartmouth Tuck professor Vijay Govindarajan and MIT professor Amos Winter, designing for the toughest constraints first—whether that's affordability, portability, or limited infrastructure—can lead to products that perform better everywhere. They explain how leaders can identify high-impact opportunities, uncover customer needs through deep field research, and design solutions that balance performance with cost. They also discuss why organizational mindset—not technology—is often the biggest obstacle to global innovation, and where AI can (and can't) accelerate the design process. Together they wrote the book Global by Design: How to Create Innovations That Scale, Travel, and Transform.
- Aug 4, 202632 min
Why Great Turnarounds Start with Culture, Not Strategy
In an era of constant disruption, successful turnarounds require more than a new strategy—they demand a new culture. Dan Schulman, former CEO of PayPal, came out of retirement to tackle the challenge of taking over the helm of Verizon as it entered the AI age. He explains how they needed to put customers—not engineering—at the center of the business, how he reshaped company culture, and what it really took to prepare employees for an AI-native future. He explains why leaders need to embrace change, invest in reskilling, and balance optimism about AI with honesty about the disruption it will bring.
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