Leaders are making a bet right now: that AI will solve their workforce problems. Replace disengaged workers. Increase productivity. Close the talent gap. Some are even treating it like the ultimate management tool, a way to become puppet masters pulling strings from above, finally achieving perfect control over every workflow, every output, every decision. It's an appealing fantasy, technology as the cure for organizational dysfunction. But isn't this exactly the frustration

Almost every person who has appeared on the Throttle Up Leadership Podcast is chasing the same ghosts. They're worried that AI will replace their workforce. They're scrambling to address "quiet quitting." They're struggling to understand what looks like Gen Z job-hopping and a perceived lack of loyalty, perceptions that may say more about broken organizational systems than about the generation itself. They're rolling out another engagement survey, hoping this time the data wi

There comes a time when people decide that purpose, meaning, self-determination, and making a difference are where the energy of life resides. And when they reach that conclusion, something shifts. They stop negotiating with systems that strip those things away. They stop hoping the next reorganization will be different. They just leave. So what happens when you look over your shoulder and no one is there? Not the comfortable absence of a quiet afternoon, but the unsettling r

Here's a hiring riddle for you: Would you rather bring on a 10/3 or a 6/9.5? That's a candidate with elite skills but lousy value alignment versus someone with solid skills and an exceptional value fit. If you said 6/9.5, congratulations, you just failed the test most organizations are actually running. In 2025, about 85% of employers say they're using skills-based hiring, and they'll report better performance and stronger retention as a result. But here's what the research q

Most companies confuse vision with foresight, and it's costing them their future. In their landmark book Competing for the Future , Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad warned us: "Vision is what you declare in boardrooms; foresight is what you earn through disciplined scanning of how industries actually evolve.” Vision is an apparition, a desired future conjured from hope and aspiration. Foresight is constructed from observable trends, emerging technologies, and shifting customer be

After 152 episodes of The Throttle Up Leadership Podcast featuring guests from literally around the world, I've noticed a pattern. When my guests talk about leadership, they almost always speak to empathy, authenticity, trust, and integrity. These words come up constantly, and rightfully so. But here's what I've also noticed: they're almost always framed as the individual leader's traits. Personal attributes. Qualities someone either has or develops. And that's where organiza

There's a can of lubricant in your garage that's named after failure. WD-40 stands for "Water Displacement, 40th formula,” which means formulas 1 through 39 didn't work. The chemist at Rocket Chemical Company who mixed formula number 23 couldn't afford to get emotionally devastated when it failed. Neither could the person mixing formula 12, or 31, or 38. They had to show up the next day and try again. They understood something profound: success wasn't about nailing it on the

August 27, 2025 Let’s be honest—nobody brags about being great at doubt. You never see a LinkedIn headline that reads:  “Ambiguity...

August 13, 2025 There’s a moment in Raiders of the Lost Ark—a turning point that changes everything. Indiana Jones and his guide, Sallah,...

August 6, 2025 Leadership can no longer stay trapped in titles, traits, or heroic individuals. In an AI-augmented world, organizations...

We've heard of quiet quitting —but the new reality is even more unsettling: quiet cracking.Unlike burnout, which is visible and...

There’s a hidden cost in the way most organizations still approach leadership — and we rarely talk about it. It’s the cost of...

Somewhere along the way, we confused leadership with charisma. We began equating influence with personality… confidence with competence…...

Lately, I’ve been sensing something that’s hard to ignore—and maybe you have too. In this accelerating world of AI and automation,...