Today's Leadership Pulse
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says CEO role is simple, AI will handle decisions
Sundar Pichai told The Verge that being a CEO is "not that complicated" and that AI agents will soon make many routine decisions, freeing leaders to focus on strategy. He noted that Google engineers are shifting from manual coding to directing AI‑driven product teams, reflecting a broader change in how leadership operates.
Marie Oh Huber: Governing Through Disruption
In this episode, Evan Epstein talks with Marie O. Huber, former chief legal officer of eBay and Agilent and current director at Portland General Electric, about the evolving landscape of corporate governance. They explore shareholder activism, lessons from eBay’s transformation, and the shifting dynamics between CEOs, board chairs, and directors, especially as artificial intelligence reshapes risk and opportunity. Huber emphasizes the need for rigorous board and chair succession planning, the importance of trust within the boardroom, and how directors can navigate technological and geopolitical disruption. She also shares insights from her teaching roles at Stanford and other law schools, highlighting how legal and governance expertise can guide companies through change.
The Light Touch of Leadership
The article argues that new managers should avoid over‑planning and instead listen, observe, and adapt to the unknown realities of a new team. It highlights the pitfalls of applying generic leadership advice without tailoring it to the specific context, and...
Why Leaders Should Let Minor Mistakes Slide
Harvard Business School research shows that managers often inflate performance reviews to avoid the hidden costs of employee retaliation. A theoretical model in Management Science finds that the expense of sabotage, quiet quitting or other push‑back can outweigh the benefits...
Oxin Growers Appoints Mark Schreuders as Managing Director
Oxin Growers, a Dutch agricultural cooperative, has appointed Mark Schreuders as managing director effective 19 May 2026. Schreuders, formerly chief commercial officer at Coroos Netherlands and vice‑president of sales at Arla Foods, brings extensive commercial and cooperative experience. The board says his...
Rename ‘Soft Skills’ as Structural Skills to Boost Budgets
Stop calling them 'soft skills.' Decision-making, role clarity, conflict mediation, and structural design are the hardest skills in any organization. They're 'soft' only because we've underinvested in teaching them. Rename them: structural skills. Watch the budget appear.
Andrés Fuenzalida Steps Down as Copefrut's General Manager After 11 Years of Leadership
Andrés Fuenzalida announced his resignation as General Manager of Copefrut after an 11‑year tenure, transitioning to the role of board chairman. The company promoted internal veteran Manuel Ibáñez, formerly Operations and Quality Manager, to succeed him as General Manager. Additional...
Family Firms' “Surname Ceiling” Blocks Top Executive Talent
If you’re an ambitious executive, would you join a family business or family office knowing there’s a "surname ceiling" above you from day one? At the weekend, the FT explored the reality that many family-controlled firms still struggle to attract top...
The Skill that Separates Strategists From Operators in the AI Era
The article argues that generative AI is turning cognitive processing into an abundant resource, making integral thinking the new scarce capability. It defines digital integral thinking as the ability to synthesize insights across biology, technology, sociology and culture into coherent...
We Are Social Boosts EMEA Team with Double Promotion
We Are Social, a global digital agency, has elevated two senior leaders to reinforce its EMEA leadership. Garrett Dearey, formerly global head of growth, is now the agency’s first EMEA chief growth officer, tasked with embedding a growth‑focused mindset and...
Makary’s Reported FDA Removal Could Be ‘Broad Positive’ for Biopharma
Industry sources report that President Donald Trump has approved a plan to remove FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, following the recent departure of CBER head Vinay Prasad. Makary’s tenure has been marked by calls for greater transparency but also criticism over...
AI Corporate Governance and Ben & Jerry’s Risk
Harvard Law scholars Jesse Fried and Idan Reiter argue that AI firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic embed a structural conflict by installing self‑appointed mission guardians who can override profit‑seeking investors. They label the failure of Unilever’s Ben & Jerry’s guardian experiment...
Professional Learning Should Directly Boost Student Outcomes
“Teachers aren’t scared of change. They are scared of wasting time on things that make no significant impact in their classrooms.” In an upcoming blog post, I reflected on this quote and shared a few thoughts. When developing professional learning, does it...
ERP Vendors Overlook True Change Management Essentials
Most ERP vendors barely touch organizational change management, focusing only on basic training and comms. True OCM requires internal alignment, stakeholder & executive buy-in, impact assessment, and detailed frontline communication. #ChangeManagement #ERP #BusinessTips https://t.co/JD42Mz9YVh
EXCLUSIVE: Emirates Cargo Chief Gets Major New Role After ‘Challenging’ Period
Emirates Group has appointed former SkyCargo chief Nabil Sultan as chief executive of dnata, effective 15 June 2026. The move follows the carrier’s 2025/26 results that showed cargo delivering $4.4 bn in revenue and handling 3.2 million tonnes of freight despite a disruptive...
You're Leading in Eight Directions at Once. Here's How to Do It Without Burning Out.
The new "Octopus Mindset" framework challenges traditional leadership models by recognizing that educational leaders must operate in multiple directions simultaneously. Author David Aderhold argues that success comes from extending influence without losing a central focus, rather than simplifying responsibilities. The...
Kuehne + Nagel Sorely Missing the ‘Otto Factor’
Kuehne + Nagel, once the gold standard in global forwarding, has struggled since Stefan Paul replaced Detlef Trefzger as CEO in August 2022. Overland margins have eroded, prompting the hire of DSV’s road chief Søren Schmidt to revive the under‑performing truck business. The...
The Leader’s Antidote for Worry
Leaders face constant anxiety from rapid change, missed deadlines, and team conflict. Research shows that suppressing worry worsens it, while gratitude and reframing help but the most effective remedy is action. By identifying a specific, controllable step and executing it,...
How Leaders Can Move Past Personal Obstacles
MIT Sloan experts introduce Internal Family Systems (IFS) as a leadership tool that treats inner conflicts as multiple, well‑intentioned parts guided by a central Self. The article explains how senior executives can access "self‑energy" to harmonize competing drives, using the...
Your Operating Model Is the Real Legacy System
Enterprises have long treated modernization as a technology issue, focusing on replacing legacy systems with cloud platforms and APIs. The article argues that the real constraint is the operating model—fragmented decision‑making, dispersed authority, and annual project‑based funding that create latency....
Virtue Bragging Erodes Leaders' Likability Among Subordinates
FWIW - Ironically, the more those at the very top extol their virtues the less likable they are likely to become to those at the bottom. Why? Because implicit in their virtues is a sense of extreme certainty and control those below...
GL Homes Accelerates Florida Expansion, Guided by Founder’s Vision
GL Homes announced an accelerated rollout of new residential communities across key Florida markets, citing steady demand and the continued guidance of founder‑chairman Itzhak Ezratti. The builder’s disciplined, community‑focused approach aims to align with evolving buyer preferences for lifestyle‑driven neighborhoods.
Burger King Revamps Whopper via Direct Consumer Calls, Boosts Sales 5.8%
Burger King president Tom Curtis published his personal phone number, took 1,800 inbound calls and routed more than 70,000 consumer messages into product decisions. The feedback drove the launch of the "Elevated Whopper," which helped the chain post a 5.8%...
HRDA Frankly Speaking: Stop Leading on Autopilot
Sarah Devereaux, former Google executive and HCI leadership coach, warned HR leaders that the “laser‑focus” mindset—illustrated with a blindfolded racehorse—can blind them to broader organizational signals. She argued that fragmented payroll, benefits, time‑tracking, and compliance tools create hidden complexity and...
Meta to Cut 8,000 Jobs, AI Worker Replaces Dozens
Meta disclosed plans to eliminate roughly 8,000 positions in May, arguing that a single AI‑powered system can now perform tasks that previously required dozens of engineers. The move ties the layoff to a $145 billion AI spending plan and signals a...
Burger King Pilots AI Assistant “Patty” To Monitor Inventory and Staff in Drive‑thrus
Burger King has begun testing an AI assistant called “Patty” that listens to drive‑thru conversations, flags inventory gaps and suggests managerial actions. Executives say the tool will free managers for customer‑facing work, while employees worry it adds a layer of...
KIC Ventures CFO Aditya Humad Steps Down to Lead Investment Strategy and Capital Formation
KIC announced that Aditya Humad will relinquish his President and CFO duties at KIC Ventures effective immediately, shifting his focus to investment strategy, capital formation and artificial‑intelligence projects at the parent firm. The move follows a 15‑year tenure during which...
Faraday Future Names YT Jia Sole CEO, Jerry Wang Executive Chairman to Accelerate Physical AI Push
Faraday Future announced that YT Jia will serve as the company’s sole global CEO and Jerry Wang will become executive chairman, effective May 5, 2026. The leadership overhaul is tied to a “Three‑in‑One” Physical AI strategy that blends robotics and...
BPL Medical Technologies Appoints Rupini Raman as Head–Human Capital
BPL Medical Technologies has named Rupini Raman as its new head of human capital, bolstering the firm’s leadership as it scales in the fast‑growing MedTech arena. Raman arrives with more than 18 years of experience in organisational transformation, talent strategy,...
Red Hook Studios Rejects AI Voice Clone of Late Darkest Dungeon Narrator
Red Hook Studios announced it will not use artificial intelligence to replicate the voice of deceased narrator Wayne June, even though June had emailed permission for such a use. Co‑founder Chris Bourassa said the decision protects June’s “incredible and timeless...
Former Iveco Bus Executive Stéphane Espinasse Joins BYD to Lead Bus Business in Europe
Stéphane Espinasse, a former Iveco Bus executive with nearly ten years at the group, has joined BYD to head its European bus division. The move follows BYD’s recent appointments of Domenico Gostoli for commercial vehicles and Andrea Codecasa for the...
Executive Search Veteran Nicole Kamaleson Honored for Global Social Impact
Nicole Kamaleson, managing director of social impact at DSG Global, has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who, highlighting her two‑decade career in executive search and her focus on placing leaders in mission‑driven firms across four continents. The honor underscores...
Family‑Owned Hollywood Service Firms Shut Down as Film Production Slumps
Legacy providers of set storage, transportation and costume rentals are closing as Los Angeles film shoot days have fallen nearly 50% since 2019. The wave of shutdowns, highlighted by Triscenic Production Services and Quixote, underscores a broader contraction in the...
Mercedes‑Benz CMO Melody Lee Deploys Social, Influencer and Data Tactics to Win Younger Buyers
Mercedes‑Benz U.S. chief marketing officer Melody Lee is steering a digital overhaul that blends social media, influencer outreach and data‑driven lead capture to attract younger consumers. The plan hinges on a 30 million‑visitor website, TikTok engagement and high‑visibility partnerships such as...
Leadership Lessons From London’s Sadiq Khan, Baltimore’s Brandon Scott, and Paris’s Anne Hidalgo
At Bloomberg CityLab 2026, mayors Sadiq Khan, Brandon Scott and Anne Hidalgo shared leadership insights that echo CEO challenges. They highlighted the need to juggle long‑term infrastructure projects with day‑to‑day resident concerns, while leveraging data and empathy. Scott’s coalition‑driven housing...
Adjusting Strategies Over a 25-Year-Long Career
Tris Pharmaceutical, founded by CEO Ketan Mehta 25 years ago, began as an oral‑technology platform company. Over time it broadened its focus to neurology and neuroscience, now offering a commercial ADHD portfolio and pursuing treatments for narcolepsy, spasticity, pain and...
Lead Better - The Leader’s Antidote for Worry
In this episode of Lead Better, hosts Scott Baker and Mikey explore how leaders can transform worry into productive action. They discuss the psychological distinction between threat monitoring and agency, illustrating the point with surfer Shane Dorian’s rapid return to...
The 360° CIO Is Here. Most Operating Models Have Not Caught Up
The article argues that the "360° CIO"—responsible for AI, data, risk, and enterprise transformation—is already a reality, but most companies still run operating models designed for a traditional, siloed IT function. CIOs are expected to deliver cross‑functional outcomes while lacking...
Former Amazon France Executive Joins Tom&Co
Frédéric Duval, who spent more than two decades at Amazon and led its France and Belgium operations for over ten years, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Tom&Co’s holding company, Petserco Holding SRL, effective June 1, 2026. Duval brings...
Futures School: Leadership Journey: Call for Applications Now Open
Philea’s Futures School: Leadership Journey launches its second edition after a successful pilot, targeting senior philanthropy leaders. The nine‑month program runs until April 2027 and includes immersive residencies in Tunisia and Denmark, plus online and peer‑led sessions. Applications close on...
5 Minutes with… Haydon Mort
Haydon Mort, the founder of AI‑focused mining startups Geologize and SureOre, discussed his vision for data‑driven mineral exploration in a quickfire interview. He highlighted how Geologize leverages machine‑learning on decades of geological data, while SureOre delivers ore‑grade predictions with high...
Why the New York Fed Created a ‘Department of Doubt’
The New York Federal Reserve created an internal Applied Critical Thinking (ACT) unit, dubbed the “Department of Doubt,” to inject systematic skepticism into its policy‑making process. Led by Meg McConnell, the team runs black‑swans simulations, documents forecasts, and forces staff to consider...
FDA Cliffhanger: Will Marty Makary Stay or Go?
The FDA’s leadership is in flux as reports suggest President Trump may fire Commissioner Marty Makary, though the president has so far remained noncommittal. Makary, a Johns Hopkins physician, has overseen controversial moves on abortion pills, flavored vapes, and accelerated...
8 Guiding Principles for Reskilling the SOC for Agentic AI
Top security leaders at DXC Technology, Accenture and former Virgin Atlantic CISO are pioneering the reskilling of SOC teams for agentic AI. They combine hands‑on sandbox environments, vendor‑led expertise and formal training tracks to embed AI agents into tier‑1 and...
The Reality of Being an Engineering Manager
Engineering managers act as human routers, shaping conditions for teams to deliver value. Their daily work is defined by the team’s needs, shifting from hands‑on coding to orchestrating outcomes, culture, and growth. Depending on company size, they may serve as...
The Ghost in the Machine: Why AI ROI Dies at the Human Finish Line
The article argues that AI projects often fail to deliver promised ROI because human users resist or override the technology. It introduces the "aversion tax" – the financial loss caused by low adoption – and quantifies it with examples like...
10 Things Emotionally Intelligent People Don’t Say According to Charlie Munger’s Teachings
Charlie Munger taught that emotional intelligence is less about feeling and more about preventing emotions from clouding judgment. He identified ten common phrases that reveal flawed thinking, such as entitlement, over‑confidence, and blame‑shifting, and urged people to replace them with...
Why DoorDash CEO Tony Xu Is in a Hurry to See More Grocery E-Commerce, but Pragmatic About AI's Speed to...
DoorDash CEO Tony Xu says grocery e‑commerce should soon eclipse restaurant delivery, arguing the current online experience still lags the offline one. The company is expanding its DashMart Fulfillment Services with a handful of grocers to tighten inventory control and...
‘Boys’ Club’: Former Woolworths Executive Sues over Alleged Bullying
Former Woolworths senior facilities executive Jane Frewen has filed a Federal Court lawsuit alleging severe bullying, gender‑based pay disparity and forced overtime. She claims she worked 60‑90 hours weekly, was required to work through holidays, and was paid roughly one‑third...
After 23 Months of Changes, Southwest Airlines Just Got Some Very Good News
Southwest Airlines topped the J.D. Power 2026 North America Airline Satisfaction Study for the fifth straight year in the economy and basic‑economy segments, even as the carrier rolled out a suite of sweeping changes. Customer satisfaction rose eight points on...
Travel Incentives Vs. Cash Rewards: Which Motivates Teams More?
Travel incentive programs and cash bonuses are the two most common ways companies motivate employees. Cash rewards offer immediate, flexible financial benefit and are ideal for short‑term goals, while travel incentives provide experiential, memorable rewards that foster long‑term engagement and...