Today's Leadership Pulse
Ramp’s $40B fintech empire spawns a wave of AI‑focused founders
Ramp, the $40 billion fintech unicorn, has emerged as an unexpected founder factory, with at least 30 alumni launching their own ventures, many targeting AI and automation. The company’s AI‑driven corporate card and expense‑management platform have seeded a pipeline of spin‑outs, underscoring how high‑growth firms can catalyze new leadership pipelines.
Ohio State Quickly Finds a President
Ohio State University appointed Ravi Bellamkonda as president, bypassing a traditional national search after Ted Carter resigned amid scandal. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved the internal hire, citing Bellamkonda’s experience as executive vice president and provost. He will earn a $1.4 million base salary on a five‑year contract, higher than his predecessor’s pay. Bellamkonda now faces donor controversies, the fallout from a sexual‑abuse scandal, and compliance with Ohio Senate Bill 1.
Vectoflow Appoints New Co-CEO to Support Flow Measurement Technology Growth
Vectoflow, a specialist in UAV flow‑measurement and air‑data systems, has named Stefanie Hach as Co‑CEO alongside co‑founder Dr. Christian Haigermoser. Hach, who joined as chief commercial officer in 2025, previously overhauled the go‑to‑market strategy and doubled order intake year‑over‑year. In...
2 Million for 1: Olympian Bronte Campbell on Being a Team Player and Founder Mindset
Olympic triple‑gold medallist Bronte Campbell has transitioned from the pool to the boardroom as CEO of Earthletica, a sustainable active‑wear label. The brand, which avoids virgin plastics and PFAS chemicals, has already sold out its inaugural collection and generated over...
Transforming Learning and Development with Marty Baird
In this episode, Tim Van Meegham interviews Marty Baird, CEO of Robinson & Associates and creator of the RAD (Reveal, Ask, Do) method, which transforms traditional lecture‑style training into an engaging, Socratic‑based experience. Marty explains how low retention rates (3‑5%)...
The Advice Managers Give that Shapes Entire Careers
The article highlights how brief, informal managerial advice can become a career‑defining compass for professionals. It showcases three senior HR leaders—Praveen Purohit, Vinod Rai, and Rajeev Singh—who credit simple lessons such as staying in a role to learn deeply, showing...
Remote Employee Is Doing Child Care Instead of Working, Should I Buy a Cake for a Jerk Who’s Retiring, and...
The Ask a Manager column answered four distinct workplace dilemmas: a remote employee appearing to juggle childcare during work hours, whether to provide a retirement cake for a disliked senior colleague, sharing photos of an aerial‑silks hobby, and coping with...
Grail Names New CEO as Bob Ragusa Retires
Grail announced that long‑time CEO Bob Ragusa will retire, handing the role to current president Josh Ofman. The transition follows a multi‑year succession plan designed to ensure leadership continuity. Ofman, who has overseen product launches and regulatory milestones, will assume...
Your Reaction, Not the Event, Determines Success
We are trained to believe that outcomes are functions of inputs—that better data, more capital, or a stronger team leads predictably to success. But Swindoll's framing points to a variable we consistently undervalue: the response function. What happens to you is...
Tina Chen Joins WPP Media as CEO in China
WPP Media announced Tina Chen as its new Chief Executive Officer for China, beginning a co‑CEO transition with outgoing leader Rupert McPetrie on March 30 that will run through June 30, 2026. Chen arrives from Shiseido China, where she oversaw a comprehensive digital transformation as...
Hire for Speed; Culture Follows Automatically
You can't force a culture of speed. You can only hire for it. – Paid ads 90% automated – Onboarding 100% automated in two days – Influencer outreach went from 20 a month to 1k a day – PMs, designers, and...
Reframing Leadership Underpinned Employer's Hybrid Success
A four‑year study of mid‑size Italian firm LARI shows that reframing leadership as a trust‑based, outcome‑oriented practice boosted its hybrid work performance. Researchers found that treating technology as a social infrastructure, rather than merely an operational tool, deepened collaboration. Led...
AI Excuses Hide Leadership Failures, Not Talent Shortages
Your company isn’t losing jobs to AI. It’s losing jobs it never needed. AI is the excuse to do what bad leaders were too afraid to do: restructure orgs built on ego, not strategy. These companies don’t have a talent problem. They have a...
Invest in People: Small Fast Teams Outperform Giants
i invest in people for the long term. small teams that learn fast can now rival companies with hundreds of people. that’s what we’re building at @getjustpaid, daily iteration, daily launches, daily customer feedback. invest in your team. it always pays off.
COO Excellence: The Next Generation of Leadership
The chief operating officer role is rapidly evolving from a traditional operational manager to a strategic partner that translates corporate vision into execution. McKinsey’s COO Excellence initiative reveals that 40% of CEOs appointed in 2024 previously served as COOs or...
From the Outside In: How International Manager Rotations Narrow the Gender Pay Gap and Change Cultural Norms
The study by Minni et al. shows that exposure to foreign managers with progressive gender attitudes reduces the gender pay gap within teams by 4.9 percentage points, an 18% decline, without lowering men’s wages. Using rotation data from a large...
TELUS CIO Hesham Fahmy: Building a Culture of Innovation to Drive Tech Leadership and Business Value
TELUS Chief Information Officer Hesham Fahmy outlined a multi‑year plan to embed a culture of innovation across the company’s technology organization. The strategy emphasizes rapid prototyping, cross‑functional squads, and a new internal venture fund to accelerate digital products. Fahmy highlighted...
AMCN New Prez
Kim Kelleher has been elevated to President while retaining her Chief Commercial Officer role at AMC Networks. The board has been enlarged from eleven to twelve members, reinstating CEO Kristin Dolan as a Class B director. Recent senior‑leadership moves also...
Can Engineering Management Scale to 50 Direct Reports?
Meta’s Reality Labs is piloting an ultra‑flat engineering org where a single manager oversees up to 50 engineers, relying on AI agents for status updates, meeting attendance, and one‑on‑one check‑ins. The experiment aligns with Zuckerberg’s “Year of Efficiency,” aiming to...
Organizational System
The article advocates a human‑centric organizational model that treats employees as whole people rather than interchangeable resources. It outlines core principles—dignity, autonomy, purpose, psychological safety, equity, wellbeing, clarity, learning, and empathy—and maps them to concrete design levers such as role...
How Top CEOs Really Spend Their Time — And What They Should Change
Top CEOs spend about 72% of their workweek in meetings, leaving little time for strategic thinking. Research shows they allocate roughly 61% of their hours to face‑to‑face interactions and only 15% to advancing personal priorities. The article argues that this...
AI Pilots Aren't Strategy; Leaders Must Scale Now
Most companies do not have an 𝗔𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆. They have AI activity. 📉 A few pilots. A few tools. A few excited teams. A few nervous executives. 😟 That 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆. Join us for a @WomenInGenAI executive conversation: 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲: What Leaders...
Foxborough’s World Cup Standoff Is Over. The Leadership Lesson Isn’t.
Foxborough, Massachusetts resolved a standoff over roughly $8 million in security costs for the 2026 World Cup, exposing a deeper governance failure rather than a simple budgeting issue. The town demanded upfront funding while organizers promised later payment, but no concrete...
Billionaire Jack Cowin’s Plan to Turn Around Domino’s
Since assuming the chairmanship in July, billionaire Jack Cowin has steered Domino's Pizza Enterprises away from a growth‑at‑any‑cost playbook toward tighter cost control, menu innovation and digital upgrades. Early financial reports show improving margins, yet the stock remains under pressure...
Take Back the Conversation: Stop Being Talked Over
You are in a crucial cross-functional sync. A colleague constantly interrupts and talks over you. HOW TO RECLAIM CONTROL:
The Most Powerful Communication Skill Leaders Overlook: Talking Less
The article argues that the most powerful communication skill leaders overlook is listening, not speaking. It explains that rushing to give answers often triggers defensiveness because people feel unheard. By pausing, extending listening, reflecting back, and asking an extra question,...
Supply Chain Leadership Has Become Essential to the CIO Role
Manufacturers facing supply‑chain volatility and rising costs are redefining the CIO role to combine traditional IT oversight with direct responsibility for supply‑chain transformation. Modern supply‑chain CIOs must master emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, digital twins, and analytics while aligning...
The Hidden Cure for CEO Burnout Is Vision
CEO burnout often originates from decision ambiguity rather than long hours, as leaders carry the sole weight of interpreting a vague future. When a clear, written vision is established, it serves as a decision filter, aligning teams and reducing the...
After Firings, Funding Cuts and a Shooting, Can a Demoralized CDC Workforce Recover?
After a wave of firings that cut roughly 3,000 positions—about a quarter of its staff—and ongoing funding reductions, the CDC remains leaderless, with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya named interim director while also overseeing the NIH. The agency also grapples with the...
Microsoft Reshuffles Executives, Rajesh Jha To Retire
Microsoft announced a leadership reshuffle in its Experience + Devices division, with Executive Vice President Rajesh Jha set to retire mid‑year. Jeff Teper will be promoted to EVP, while Sumit Chauhan and Kirk Koenigsbauer are elevated to presidents. The reorganization...
Respect Over Likes: Leaders Must Embrace the Villain Role
You are a manager now. Being liked is secondary to being respected. Sometimes being a leader means being the villain. THE HARSH REALITY:
Kennedy Rallies Central Department to Keep Leading with Purpose
Two months after a parliamentary capability review, the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet released an action plan signed by Secretary Steven Kennedy. The plan outlines three core priorities: empowering the PM&C workforce, delivering results through collaboration, and strengthening operations...
FlightPath3D Expands Leadership and Operations
FlightPath3D announced a senior leadership expansion and a major operational upgrade in Irvine, California. The company now counts over 5,000 commercial and 1,500 business or government aircraft using its immersive inflight map platform. New hires include a Vice President for...
Google’s Former Europe Boss Close to Becoming Next Head of BBC, Sources Say
Matt Brittin, who headed Google’s Europe, Middle East and Africa for a decade, is reportedly the frontrunner to replace Tim Davie as the BBC’s next director general. His potential appointment would mark the latest example of a big‑tech executive moving...
4 Keys to Overcoming Conflict and Giving Good Feedback
The article outlines four practical steps for leaders to stop avoiding conflict and give effective feedback. It urges managers to drop the “butt‑sandwich” approach, treat feedback as a professional matter, speak directly without soft‑shoeing, and lead by example with candor....
TAG Heuer Appoints Béatrice Goasglas as CEO
Swiss luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer announced that Béatrice Goasglas will assume the role of chief executive officer on May 1, 2026. Goasglas, who joined the brand in 2018 and has held senior positions across digital, Asia‑Pacific and the Americas, is...
Jeff Bezos' 7 Book Lessons Behind Amazon's Success
This is Jeff Bezos’s favorite book. He’s been rereading it for 25 years straight, and it inspired his most famous decision-making model. Here are the 7 lessons from "The Remains of the Day" that helped him build his $200B+ Amazon empire:
My Colleague Does Numerology at Work. How Do I Avoid a Jackie O-Style Blow-Up?
An employee’s casual practice of numerology is causing discomfort among team members who view it as pseudoscience. The article advises managers to handle the issue privately, focusing on the behavior’s impact rather than the belief itself. It recommends open‑ended dialogue,...
Balance Information Gathering Against Decision Delay
Some decisions are best made after acquiring more information; some are best made immediately. Just as you need to constantly sort the big from the small when you are synthesizing what’s going on, you need to constantly evaluate the marginal...
Stop Glorifying Overtime; Commitment Isn’t Measured by Hours
When management says: "We value people who burn the midnight oil." They are glorifying the hustle. Staying late is treated as the ultimate sign of commitment. THE REALITY AND HOW TO PUSH BACK:
‘Why Was My Raise only 3%?’ and Other Pay Questions Managers Must Be Able to Answer
HR leaders are urged to equip managers with concrete training and documentation for merit‑raise conversations, according to Salary.com’s Sean Luitjens. By providing office‑hour style sessions, one‑page compensation philosophies, and FAQ sheets, managers can answer why raises are modest, how budgets...
Rivian's Decade: AI-Driven Autonomy Redefines Humanity
Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe: "The next 10 years will be the most important period in human history." The full interview: 2:45 Rivian’s big 2026 moment 4:23 The origin of Rivian 6:25 The pivot that changed Rivian 7:21 Rivian’s core mission 9:06 Obsessing over details 9:57 Why R2...
Redesign Work with AI, Not Just Cut Jobs
Everyone’s asking the wrong question about AI and jobs. The issue isn’t what AI will replace. It’s how leaders will redesign work so humans and AI create outcomes neither could achieve alone. Companies that use AI to cut costs may...
BDG Names Avi Zimak Chief Commercial Officer in Dual Leadership Update
Bustle Digital Group announced Avi Zimak as chief commercial officer and promoted Amber Estabrook to chief business officer of prestige revenue and partnerships. Zimak arrives with more than 25 years in digital media, ad tech and premium publishing, most recently as chief...
Redesign Your CEO Role: Delegate, Focus on Standards
Underrated life skill: Redesigning your role. Want to remove yourself from your business? Redesign your CEO role. List everything you touch in a week. Circle what truly requires judgment. Systemize and delegate the rest. Your new job = upholding standards...
Trump Nominates Sarah Rogers to Replace Kari Lake at USAGM
NEWS: USAGM's @KariLake is to have a new boss. Trump nominated State Dept official Sarah Rogers as CEO of Voice of America's parent USAGM. If confirmed she'd hold both roles. Lake had been leading agency but US judge ruled she did...
Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen to Step Down After 18 Years
News: Shantanu Narayen, who has served as CEO of Adobe for eighteen years, has decided to step down and will transition from his position as CEO after a successor has been appointed. Board has appointed Frank Calderon as chair to...
Algorithmic Management Demands Fairness, Transparency, and Accountability
#CIOChat Q3: Algorithmic management raises real leadership questions: fairness, transparency, escalation paths, and accountability when the system makes a bad call. What guardrails or governance models are you putting in place so algorithms guide work without undermining trust? https://t.co/PL1IMUxQJf
Relatability Replaces Corporate Megaphone in Sales
The Relatability Pivot: The End of the Corporate Megaphone by @Timothy_Hughes https://t.co/15YdrlJIIo @DLAIgnite #SocialSelling #DigitalSelling #Sales #SalesTips #SalesLeader #Salesforce #Leadership #PublicRelations #PR #Marketing #MarketingSuccess #MarketingStrategy #MarketingTips
Invest in Team Development or Performance Remains Temporary
“As a manager/leader, you must consistently focus significant #leadership attention & capital on the organizational development of your team/org. Otherwise, performance capability & success will always be transient.” — https://t.co/NGK6CN9pNW #management #workplaceeffectiveness https://t.co/SMMdZpcAEj
9 Signs You're Undermining Team Culture as Leader
RT @JoeContrera As a leader, what are your people observing about you that's shaping your team culture in a negative way? Is it possible you might be leaning towards the back end of a horse? Here are 9 signs you might...