What does it take to lead — REALLY lead — in today's world? What makes an excellent leader, and how can you become one? And in the midst of social, geopolitical, and economic crisis, what does leadership look like?

Today's guest is Dr. Christie Smith, founder of The Humanity Studio and author of the new book, ESSENTIAL.

In this episode we talk about:

Building trust at work and beyond
Human Intelligence vs. Artificial Intelligence, and the future of A.I. at work
Understanding the current state of DEI and what it means to live your values
What is the difference between emotional intelligence and emotional maturity
Why it's actually IMPORTANT to practice small talk (even if you say you hate it!!)
How to be a leader in the middle of uncertainty and chaos
How to be more human in an increasingly digital, fast-paced world
and more!

ABOUT CHRISTIE:

Dr. Christie Smith is the founder of The Humanity Studio™, a multi-media leadership advisory company that works to improve the way we live by revolutionizing the way we work. She has over 35 years of experience advising the C-Suite of Fortune 500 companies, and has held global leadership positions at Deloitte, Apple, and Accenture as a highly respected expert in leadership, talent management, organizational design, workforce management, change management, and executive team performance. She is a highly sought-after speaker on business strategy, leadership and culture, DEI, people analytics, and the impact of workforce technologies and AI. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Forbes, and CNN; and she has been recognized as a Top 50 Diversity Leader and on Fast Company’s Queer 50 list. Christie received her doctorate in Clinical Social Work with a focus on leadership and culture from New York University. Her new book, ESSENTIAL: How Distributed Teams, Generative AI, and Global Shifts Are Creating a New Human-Powered Leadership (with Kelly Monahan; Wiley, 2025) is out now.

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SHOW NOTES:

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