Leadership

How can businesses go beyond using AI for incremental efficiency gains to create transformative impact? I write from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where I’ve been speaking with many CEOs about how to use AI for growth. A recurring theme is that running many experimental, bottom-up AI projects — letting a thousand flowers bloom — has failed to lead to significant payoffs. Instead, bigger gains require workflow redesign: taking a broader, perhaps top-down view of the multiple steps in a process and changing how they work together from end to end. Consider a bank issuing loans. The workflow consists of several discrete stages: Marketing -> Application -> Preliminary Approval -> Final Review -> Execution Suppose each step used to be manual. Preliminary Approval used to require an hour-long human review, but a new agentic system can do this automatically in 10 minutes. Swapping human review for AI review — but keeping everything else the same — gives a minor efficiency gain but isn’t transformative. Here’s what would be transformative: Instead of applicants waiting a week for a human to review their application, they can get a decision in 10 minutes. When that happens, the loan becomes a more compelling product, and that better customer experience allows lenders to attract more applications and ultimately issue more loans. However, making this change requires taking a broader business or product perspective, not just a technology perspective. Further, it changes the workflow of loan processing. Switching to offering a “10-minute loan” product would require changing how it is marketed. Applications would need to be digitized and routed more efficiently, and final review and execution would need to be redesigned to handle a larger volume. Even though AI is applied only to one step, Preliminary Approval, we end up implementing not just a point solution but a broader workflow redesign that transforms the product offering. At AI Aspire (an advisory firm I co-lead), here’s what we see: Bottom-up innovation matters because the people closest to problems often see solutions first. But scaling such ideas to create transformative impact often requires seeing how AI can transform entire workflows end to end, not just individual steps, and this is where top-down strategic direction and innovation can help. This year's WEF meeting, as in previous years, has been an energizing event. Among technologists, frequent topics of discussion include Agentic AI (when I coined this term, I was not expecting to see it plastered on billboards and buildings!), Sovereign AI (how nations can control their own access to AI), Talent (the challenging job market for recent graduates, and how to upskill nations), and data-center infrastructure (how to address bottlenecks in energy, talent, GPU chips, and memory). I will address some of these topics in future posts. [Original text: https://lnkd.in/gbiRs2mi ]

I was shadowing a coaching client in her leadership meeting when I watched this brilliant woman apologize six times in 30 minutes. 1. “Sorry, this might be off-topic, but..." 2. “I'm could be wrong, but what if we..." 3. “Sorry again, I know we're running short on time..." 4. “I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but..." 5. “This is just my opinion, but..." 6. “Sorry if I'm being too pushy..." Her ideas? They were game-changing. Every single one. Here's what I've learned after decades of coaching women leaders: Women are masterful at reading the room and keeping everyone comfortable. It's a superpower. But when we consistently prioritize others' comfort over our own voice, we rob ourselves, and our teams, of our full contribution. The alternative isn't to become aggressive or dismissive. It's to practice “gracious assertion": • Replace "Sorry to interrupt" with "I'd like to add to that" • Replace "This might be stupid, but..." with "Here's another perspective" • Replace "I hope this makes sense" with "Let me know what questions you have" • Replace "I don't want to step on toes" with "I have a different approach" • Replace "This is just my opinion" with "Based on my experience" • Replace "Sorry if I'm being pushy" with "I feel strongly about this because" But how do you know if you're hitting the right note? Ask yourself these three questions: • Am I stating my needs clearly while respecting others' perspectives? (Assertive) • Am I dismissing others' input or bulldozing through objections? (Aggressive) • Am I hinting at what I want instead of directly asking for it? (Passive-aggressive) You can be considerate AND confident. You can make space for others AND take up space yourself. Your comfort matters too. Your voice matters too. Your ideas matter too. And most importantly, YOU matter. @she.shines.inc #Womenleaders #Confidence #selfadvocacy

Your success as a leader comes down to how well you set others up to succeed. And I’ve gotten this wrong more than once. When onboarding new leaders, I would give them a stack of docs, send them on a listening tour, and check in often. I assumed that was enough. It wasn’t. I gave them information—but not context. And context is what actually drives clarity, confidence, and results. I’ve since rethought my entire approach to onboarding leaders. This year, when two fantastic leaders joined our team, I did something different: spent a week on providing context. No shortcuts. We talked through: Our mission, strategy, and priorities What success looks like in their first 90 days, 6 months, and year What’s worked—and what hasn’t—in these roles before How we’ll share feedback and stay in sync The shift? Less “onboarding” as a task. More “transferring judgment.” We left with shared context. And here’s what’s interesting: the same thing applies when onboarding AI agents. You can’t just dump data into a system and hope it performs. AI needs context too—about your customers, your voice, your goals, and what “good” looks like. Whether you’re onboarding a new employee or a new AI teammate, the principle is the same: Context isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between getting started and getting results.

Looking at this data from the World Economic Forum, my own take is that the skills defining leadership in 2030 fall into three macro domains: 🔹 Human-Centric Capabilities: Empathy, creativity, human talent management—skills machines can’t replicate, yet. 🔹 Cognitive & Strategic Intelligence: Analytical thinking, systems mindset, lifelong learning—the foundation for navigating uncertainty. 🔹 Digital & Technical Fluency: AI, cybersecurity, tech literacy—no longer optional for executives in a tech-driven world. As someone deeply embedded in executive search, I see this shift daily: what separates top candidates isn’t just what they know—it’s how they think, adapt, and connect. #Leadership #FutureOfWork #ExecutiveSearch #AI #Skills2030 #TechLeadership #TalentStrategy

Micromanagement is the fastest way to kill motivation. It's not leadership. It's fear in disguise. Great leaders trust. Poor ones hover. Micromanagers think they're helping. But they're not. The good news? You don’t have to stay stuck in this trap. Whether you’ve been micromanaged or fallen into the habit yourself, here’s what you need to know, as we head into 2025: What Micromanagement Really Does: 🚫 Stifles Creativity ↳ Teams can’t innovate when they’re constantly second-guessed. 🔗 Breeds Dependence ↳ If every decision requires approval, teams stop thinking for themselves. ⏱️ Wastes Time ↳ Endless hovering distracts everyone—including you. 😠 Creates Resentment ↳ Nobody thrives under a helicopter boss. If you’re ready to step into 2025 as a stronger leader, I've put together 3 frameworks and tools to help: 1️⃣ The GROW Coaching Model A goal-setting and problem-solving framework that helps leaders and their teams clarify priorities and focus on outcomes. Here’s what it stands for: • Goal: Define what success looks like for your team or project. • Reality: Assess the current situation—what’s working and what’s holding the team back? • Options: Brainstorm solutions together to inspire ownership and creativity. • Will: Commit to an action plan that the team drives forward. 2️⃣ Kanban Boards A visual system for managing tasks and workflows that reduces micromanagement while maintaining clarity and transparency. How to use it: • Visualize the Workflow: Map out every task and step in the process so everyone knows what’s happening. • Limit Work in Progress (WIP): Prevent overload by capping how many tasks can be actively worked on at a time. • Quickly Spot Bottlenecks: Debug issues that lead to bottlenecking at certain parts of process. 3️⃣ Feedback Loops Support autonomy by creating intentional, structured opportunities for communication and growth. Here’s how: • Establish a Cadence: Set consistent 1-on-1s or team meetings to discuss progress, challenges, and wins. • Focus on Growth: Use these sessions to encourage problem-solving and personal development, not micromanagement. • Empower Teams: Ask open-ended questions (“What do you need to succeed?”) and trust their answers. By empowering your team, you don’t lose control—you gain it. Great leaders hire great people. Then they help them thrive. Your job? Remove obstacles, not become one. How do you empower your team? Drop your thoughts in the comments ⬇️. ♻ Repost to help your network in 2025. And follow Eric Partaker for more.

To effectively help their clients, strategy and implementation consultants need to leverage four drivers at the same time: Content, Process, Mindset and Behavior. Master these skills and you will be amongst the best in the world. The classical strategy consultant focuses primarily on the content-aspect of consulting. They do extensive analysis and based on that analysis, they give advice. While this model has been a great source of revenues, it is not enough for real change and effective strategy implementation. To truly achieve organizational change, a strategy and implementation consultant needs to address key drivers. We can organize them along two dimensions: explicit vs. tacit and cognition vs. action. The explicit part of consulting is what we see. It concerns the mechanics of strategy and the steps it takes to develop and implement it. The tacit part is what is under the surface; what happens in people’s mind and what is needed to change their day-to-day behavior. The cognitive part of consulting concerns the mental aspect; what happens in our minds and how we think. The action part concerns what we do; the processes and behaviors required. Based on these two dimensions, these are the four drivers of strategy and implementation consulting: CONTENT The strategy itself, as well as the roadmap and action plans that follow from it. This driver focuses on what the organization should look like in the future (point B), where it stands now (point A) and how to bridge the gap between A and B. PROCESS The steps, actions and tools used to develop and implement strategy. To define points A and B and the actions to bridge the gap between them, you take certain steps and actions and use certain tools to execute them. MINDSET What happens in people’s minds; their values and beliefs; at the top and across the organization. Without the right mindset or shift therein, strategy and implementation will remain unsuccessful. BEHAVIOR In the end, it is people’s behaviors, habits and routines that need to change. Not addressing these will not bring the success you want. Therefore, also behavioral change requires dedicated attention. Unfortunately, there are not many places where you can develop all four skills. It is for this very reason that Timothy Tiryaki and I have developed the Certified Strategy & Implementation Consultant (CSIC) program. It is carefully designed around the four drivers so that you develop all the skills required to be an effective consultant. Our next cohort starts on February 7th and there are still a few spots left. If you have at least 10 years of experience, 5 of which in a facilitating, coaching or managing role, and aspire to enhance your strategy and implementation skills, this program may be for you. Visit our website strategy.inc for all information and registration. Are you ready to develop the skills to master all four drivers? #strategicleadership #changemanagement #growthmindset

💣 Lessons from my viral podcast interview My #ThirtyDaysOfLunch interview has been watched by more than 400 thousand people, becoming the second most popular episode on YouTube. Not bad for an hour-long interview posted on a channel with nearly zero subs. The internet's algorithm clearly did a lot of work to get that result, as posts about the video also amassed millions of views on other social platforms. Since I'm new to this world, I took note of five lessons that might be helpful to you: 1. Don't be afraid to share your story and ideas — As an introvert, publicly sharing my ideas feels horrifying. But it gets better after some time. You have no reason to be afraid if you share positive stories to help others. 2. What may be obvious to you might be insightful to others — I have many ideas, and I thought people knew those already. But that's not true. For example, everyone knows about the linear equation (y=mx+c). But not many apply it in the context of privilege and progress. 3. Optimism compounds and is contagious — In the interview, I shared how optimism helps me overcome many challenges. And in the comments section, people said they were more motivated after watching the video. Your optimism may become fuel to motivate others. 4. Being authentic and vulnerable helps others relate — I have my ups and downs, and so does everyone. To communicate your message more effectively, be more relatable by being yourself and sharing personal stories. 5. You will always get negative comments — This is not surprising. It only validates that lazy people will always find an angle to give negative comments no matter what you do. Most of those are not even relevant to what I'm talking about. 😂 So, here's to more building, learning, and sharing! cc Fellexandro, Ario, Vicario #Ship30for30 #Day8 #PersonalGrowth #BelajarBerkaryaBerbagi

Same industry. Completely different economics. And that is exactly why this image matters. At first glance, it looks like a staffing comparison. It is not. It is a strategy comparison. Emirates is built around premium service, widebody operations, and a high-touch customer experience. Ryanair is built around simplicity, speed, standardization, and relentless cost discipline. Both win. That is the part I think many leaders still underestimate. Efficiency is not about having fewer people. It is about building a system where everything matches: → cost structure → customer promise → operating model → pricing power What I keep seeing across industries is this: companies rarely fail because they chose the “wrong” model. They fail because they copy someone else’s model without copying the logic that makes it work. That is where things break. Emirates and Ryanair are both operationally strong. They just optimize for different outcomes. To me, that is the real lesson here. You do not need the same model to win. You need a coherent one. Because the moment your pricing, service promise, and operating reality stop aligning, the whole business starts fighting itself. If you copied one of these models into your company tomorrow, would it create efficiency, or chaos? #BusinessStrategy #Leadership #Operations #Airlines #Efficiency #Innovation #Scaling #FutureOfWork #Management

Look after YOUR TEAM and they will look after YOUR CUSTOMERS 🔥 I've spent over a decade studying great leadership. Firstly because I was a terrible at it and didn’t know what I was doing. Secondly, because I understood that the trajectory of any team stems from the top. I’ve learnt that ultimate goal of any true leader is to create efficient systems and empower their team, so they become self-reliant. Think of it like a sports coach: their job is to prepare the team, but they don't play the game. A coach's influence is typically limited to before the game, at the half-time break or after the match. The team must execute on the field or court. If a coach has to join the game, they haven't done their job properly and there is something wrong with the system. So how do you inspire your team to bring their best selves: 🌟 Vision and Inspiration: Leaders typically have a clear vision and the ability to inspire employees towards a common goal. This inspires a sense of purpose, making employees feel important as they contribute to a greater mission 🔑 Empowerment: Leaders often empower employees to make decisions and take ownership of their work. This autonomy fosters a sense of significance and trust among employees 👂 Listening and Feedback: Leaders tend to actively listen to employees' ideas and concerns, providing constructive feedback. This shows employees that their input matters, reinforcing their importance within the organisation 📈 Development: Leaders prioritise employee growth and development, helping them acquire new skills and advance in their careers. This investment in personal and professional growth reinforces the sense of importance. 🏆 Recognition: Leaders are often more inclined to recognise and appreciate the contributions of their team members. Regular recognition boosts morale and makes employees feel valued and important. 🗣️ Transparency and Communication: Leaders tend to be transparent about the company's direction and challenges. Open communication fosters a sense of belonging and importance, as employees are kept informed and involved. 🤝 Trust and Accountability: Leaders trust their employees to perform their roles effectively and hold them accountable for their actions. This trust implies that employees are important and capable of delivering results.

Avoiding tough talks is a direct path to losing team trust. Here's how top leaders handle conflict: 1/ The Real Problem → Leaders stall, hoping conflict resolves itself → Feedback gets softened until it’s meaningless → The issue festers, and performance suffers 2/ Why It Matters → Projects halt because no one says what needs to be said → The wrong people stay in the room, the right ones leave → Culture declines and misalignment becomes the norm 3/ The CLEAR Framework → Cut the Fluff: Skip the warm-up and get to the point → Label the Behavior: Focus on actions, not identity → Explain the Impact: Make it real, why does it matter? → Ask for Alignment: Invite a response, not a lecture → Recommit or Redirect: Don’t end vague, end with clarity 4/ What Happens Next → Tension goes down, not up → People feel respected, not ambushed → Projects move forward, with trust, not silence 5/ Why You Need This → Leading isn’t about avoiding discomfort → It’s about creating clarity when others won’t → This framework gives you the words to do it right What's your biggest takeaway?