Transforming Work with Sophie Wade

Phil Kirschner, Founder of PK Consulting, is an innovator at the intersection of employee experience, corporate real estate, organizational effectiveness, and technology strategy. Drawing on his background at Credit Suisse, WeWork, and McKinsey, Phil shares insights about professional and personal responses to workplace changes. He discusses leaders’ and employees’ intuitions and the frictions affecting trust. Phil explains the cultural impact of co-working environments and how a hospitality mindset helps achieve strategic human-centric productized work experiences to meet employees’ modern work needs.   TAKEAWAYS   [01:57] Phil shares his experiences in corporate real estate, workplace strategy, and employee experience. [02:45] Cost management taught Phil the importance of understanding workplace dynamics. [04:20] Phil loves the dimensions of workplace change recognizing people’s emotional responses. [05:41] How work-life integration can mean the physical manifestation of a policy in the work world. [06:38] Place is personal, affecting choices, relationships and how people communicate. [07:44] How office changes impact managers’ perceived control over their teams. [08:45] Executives visiting WeWork’s offices were often surprised by the energy and vibrancy. [10:12] Employees embracing the WeWork hospitality, community culture, and work patterns typically had better experiences than those who resisted. [14:00] How smaller companies smaller office investments allows them to be more responsive than large organizations which often struggle with underutilized space. [15:15] COVID revealed more humanity at work—executives were seen differently and trusted. [16:22] The Edelman Trust Barometer shows the first ever dip in trust in corporate leadership. [16:50] Employees’ and executives’ different intuition about what was ‘better before’ and for whom. [18:22] Discrepancies in pre-COVID experiences change expectations for new work environments. [19:22] Phil shares how a real estate company failed to extend workplace flexibility to frontline staff. [22:00] A critical missing question: what needs to be true to allow greater flexibility and not have core metrics dip? [24:40] Remote work enables business continuity and offer an operational risk mitigation framework. [25:00] Digital-first companies have better organizational health by adapting for being distributed. [25:45] Experiencing inefficient processes to develop metrics and optimize operations. [29:02] HR, IT, and Facilities Management need to collaborate to enable modern workplaces. [29:54] Work experience needs productization and someone in charge. [31:07] Real estate reporting to HR help shift the focus from cost control to employee experience. [32:35] Hospitality oriented experiences are typically revenue lines not expense related. [34:31] Companies with “virtual-first, but not placeless” mindset rethink workplace strategy effectively. [35:53] Many executives assume office presence is essential without analyzing why. [39:10] Organizational health and connecting business objectives and work experience. [40:30] How corporate cultures can connect and align employees with purpose enabling change. [43:06] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: The first questions to ask at the start of any good change program: who thinks something is wrong? What do they think is wrong? And who else knows?     RESOURCES   Phil Kirschner on LinkedIn Phil Kirschner, Contributor – Leadership Strategy, Forbes     QUOTES "Many employees are feeling gaslit when they hear leaders say, ‘It was better before,’ because that doesn’t resonate with them." "Trust in organizations dipped for the first time in Edelman’s latest trust barometer report." “When I walk into the building, if the experience of getting in or registering a visitor or attending event is, is not a great one, at that point, I do not know or care whose problem it is. I want one place to go easily and I want a hospitality feeling in the response to that, which is really difficult for groups that are viewed as an expense.” “The companies that say place isn't the thing, then tend to come back around with much more interesting and studied uses and new designs of place, whether that's somebody's house, whether that's a coworking space, whether that's an “office” that they retain for gathering purposes, right? These are the same companies that tend to staff up on workplace experience. They staff up on customer success for tools, they staff up for gathering.”

Ashley Proctor, Founder of Creative Blueprint, Coworking Canada, and COHIP, is one of the founders of the coworking movement. She shares her experiences designing coworking environments as catalysts for creative and business synergy with economic sustainability and social impact. Ashley explains the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration and how intentional community-building leads to long-term success. She emphasizes how coworking represents a shift in how people connect, co-create, and thrive together shaping the future of work.      TAKEAWAYS   [01:45] Ashley Proctor chooses to study art and design for its creative problem solving.   [02:34] Ashley feels at home with people at college who are all ‘a little bit weird’!     [03:42] Space issues during a renovation lead Ashley to create a shared study and learning environment.   [04:55] XSpace is created to provide an external, student-run environment which has lasting impact.    [06:22] Coworking for artists looks different than for information workers with laptops.   [06:51] The Foundry building creates a maker space for artists, entrepreneurs, and tech startups.    [07:53] Cross-industry coworking results in artists being more entrepreneurial and entrepreneurs being more creative in problem-solving.   [09:49] 312 Main transforms a former police building into a coworking hub focused on social impact.   [12:18] A bold vision and complex situation requires extensive community consultation and is a slow build.    [13:34] Co-creation stimulates the necessary transformation supported by the local community.   [14:40] Thoughtful coworking design includes harm reduction, de-escalation strategies, and cultural inclusivity. [24:00] The coworking movement is rooted in accessibility, inclusion, and empowering independent workers. [26:30] COHIP (Coworking Health Insurance Plan) emerges to address gaps in coverage for freelancers. [29:00] Ashley’s personal health crisis highlights the need for sustainable, independent health coverage.  [31:30] COHIP expands to serve artists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses across Canada. [34:00] The IDEA Project challenges coworking spaces globally to enhance inclusivity and accessibility. [37:00] Coworking is about fostering connections and collaboration, not just providing office space. [39:30] Larger organizations can benefit from coworking’s agility and cross-pollination of ideas. [42:00] Companies are increasingly funding coworking memberships to support hybrid work needs. [45:00] Employees thrive with autonomy in choosing coworking spaces that suit different tasks. [47:30] Coworking hubs in rural areas provide professional environments without long commutes. [50:00] Ashley shifts focus to mentorship and ensuring long-term sustainability of coworking models. [53:00] Community land trusts and coworking hubs can serve multiple civic and emergency functions. [56:00] Larger organizations should see coworking as a strategic investment, not just a perk. [58:30] Flexible workspaces help companies reduce costs, improve retention, and boost productivity. [1:01:00] Coworking spaces offer expertise in workplace design, benefiting both employees and companies. [1:03:30] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Your company can benefit from coworking by realizing lease cost savings, the coworking provider’s informed use of assets, tools, and space, and improved employee wellbeing and retention.  This episode emphasizes how coworking drives innovation, inclusivity, and economic growth while providing practical benefits for individuals and organizations alike.  RESOURCES  QUOTES  Verbatim Quotes from Ashley Proctor Episode Title: Coworking as a Catalyst for Innovation and Community  "Working as a movement."  "I feel like I'm solving problems and sometimes founding an entity is the way to do it, to continue to solve it for other folks."  "When we build those spaces with intention, we can have a lot of layered impact."  "I've been saying from the beginning that what we're doing really is about what we're doing when we're working together."  "The magic that happens when we work together."  "It was a massive vision for a very complex space in a complex neighborhood."  "The key pillars, like I said, is that essential upfront communication, so the design and what we're working towards is fully community-led and then community-centered."  "Coworking is about what happens when we work together."  "The coworking movement and industry remains inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible."  "The diversity and the collaboration is what makes it work."  "To empower their employees to do their best work, they need to give them that flexibility of choice as well."  "I'm seeing a lot of growth in rural communities or outside of the urban core, where people don't want to commute all the way downtown to go to work."  "Happy and healthy employees are productive and loyal employees."  "We don’t need to maintain headquarters in these office spaces around the world that are mostly empty."  "We are really just starting to see this blossom around the world."   

Dan Bladen, CEO and co-founder of Kadence, and Dave Cairns, Future of Work Strategist at Kadence, each discuss aspects of the evolving dynamics of modern workplaces and spaces. Dan shares insights from Kadence’s journey developing workplace technology and breaking down and rebuilding work to facilitate workflow and rhythm for distributed workers. Dave highlights the benefits of data-driven understanding of people flow and space utilization as well as intentional gatherings. They recognize flexible hybrid models’ acceptance and leaders’ increasingly purposeful coordination.       TAKEAWAYS   Dan Bladen Interview   [01:22] Dan explains his background in theology, music, and technology.   [02:57] Growing up with engineers, hardware, and gaming encouraged Dan to build computers.   [05:04] Traveling around the world in 2012, connectivity and charging are basic needs.   [05:40] Dan co-founds Chargify to make wireless charging a game changer as WiFi did for connectivity.   [06:41] Dan notices offices were already half-empty as people start ‘agile working’ in the 2010s.   [07:25] The business of checking an employee into a hot desk while also charging their laptop.   [08:06] Strong growth stops with the pandemic, then a Fortune 50 company asks to use Chargify’s software to enable safe office-based work.   [09:36] The checking-in capability leads to a business pivot to workplace coordination software.   [11:02] Dan isn’t enthralled, but the market is large and 90% of companies are going hybrid.   [12:20] Dan sees the potential of hybrid work to benefit from more work-life balance.   [12:44] Finding rhythm with your family and your team and having a contract with your employer.   [13:35] In the past, people had to act predictably as spaces were static.   [14:36] Kadence philosophy breaks down the ‘work stack’—starting with the ‘why’ of work—vision and values   [15:13] Moving from performative inputs to quantitative outputs.   [16:10] Work defined by time not place—so what is the work ‘operating system’?   [18:08] Kadence starts as desk-booking software and becomes a hybrid work management platform.   [20:05] The hybrid shift is influenced by market conditions and economic pressures.   [21:00] Data shows the best-performing companies are hybrid.   [21:40] Servant leadership is rising and thinking about culture and the next generation.   [22:51] Over 50% of hybrid companies now organize regular in-person events.   [23:16] Time to trust is accelerated during face-to-face times of togetherness.   [23:29] Leaders must be intentional about when and where they gather their teams.   Dave Cairns Interview   [24:32] Dave discusses how deep friendships build up live and asynchronously.   [25:33] The mismatch between real estate supply and demand that Dave notices in 2019.   [26:10] Pandemic shifts remind Dan of his poker-playing time when he was working remotely.   [27:37] Merging two experiences, learning more about the nature of work, beyond office space.   [28:07] Learning from many sources for the first time that office spaces pre-COVID were half empty.   [29:30] Dave’s content resonates with people struggling with their working lives and rigid policies.   [30:36] Many workers feel forced into office attendance without a clear reason.   [32:23] Canada has a quieter acceptance of hybrid work compared to the U.S.   [33:19] New York seems to have the most polarized views on remote and in-office policies.   [36:17] The mismatch between work policies/mandates and actual employee behaviors.   [37:26] Employees often coordinate informally and inefficiently, giving organizations no insights.   [38:27] Most firms still lack clear data on how their offices are actually being used.   [40:30] Some leaders demand full office occupancy despite low attendance rates.   [41:06] Gathering granular data to understand people flow and office space utilization.   [42:06] High lease costs, renewals or financial pressure are key factors to drive real change.   [43:19] Proactive companies learn workflow and people coordination before downsizing space.   [46:04] Leaders are balancing executive mandates with employee flexibility to achieve results.   [49:31] Companies recognize hybrid’s importance but lack the knowledge to execute well.   [51:56] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Have an intentional gathering strategy. Accept that teams can make some of their own decisions. Figure out how your office spaces, your workspaces, if you have any, are being used.       RESOURCES   Dan Bladen on LinkedIn Dave Cairns on LinkedIn Kadence’s website       QUOTES   “Now there's this opportunity for people to be more unpredictable and spaces to be flexible.” – Dan Bladen.   “So the only way to measure if that work was getting done was by measuring and observing the quality of the outputs.” – Dan Bladen.   “We started rebuilding it [work]. And really it boils down to people, places and the projects that they're working on.” – Dan Bladen.   “Work doesn't happen in a place anymore. It actually happens in the working week. And where you choose to place yourself is part of your toolkit and your coordination layer.” – Dan Bladen.   “Work is going to be reimagined a bit like an OS.” – Dan Bladen.

Darcy Marie Mayfield is a specialist in culture architecture and experience design. Darcy shares her experiences in hospitality at Airbnb and designing systems to codify and scale company culture at early fully remote organizations. She discusses how initiatives like Tulsa Remote have revitalized cities by attracting remote workers and fostering local collaborations. From engineering serendipity to creating consistent rituals and empathetic leadership, Darcy offers actionable insights into creating inclusive, connected thriving communities and environments for remote and distributed workers and teams.     TAKEAWAYS   [01:27] Darcy’s early and enduring passion is hospitality and helping people feel they belong.   [02:34] At Airbnb, Darcy pilots early remote work initiatives to explore flexible work models.   [04:06] Darcy leaves Airbnb as they lack remote work flexibility and moves to a rural area.   [04:23] TaxJar’s leadership wants to take the company fully remote, so Darcy joins for the challenge.   [05:10] The vision is to build a strong company with a strong product and strong profits while people enjoy their lives.   [06:00] Darcy works with academic researchers to study and codify culture in a fully remote organization.   [06:56] How do you architect culture where there are no physical walls?   [07:40] Codifying culture for scale involves understanding the founders’ DNA and origins.   [08:56] Deep listening sessions to co-create with employees and reveal how values show up.   [09:20] Transitioning from an SMB to a mid-market culture means balancing collaboration with structure.   [11:16] During the pandemic, TaxJar’s remote model enables significant growth and low attrition.   [12:05] Darcy wants to help people and prove remote working works, but it gets exhausting.   [14:06] To normalize family-friendly environments, TaxJar’s CEO has to set the example.   [15:00] They are proud of having top talent who are really empathetic.   [16:29] At Stripe, Darcy observes strong identity tied to the office causing hybrid work challenges.   [18:26] Redesigning hybrid work, prompting leaders to model flexibility and track energy patterns.   [19:56] Understanding offsites, her team considers how to include remote participants equitably.   [20:34] Why to create experiences for remote workers that rival office-based interactions.   [22:18] Darcy describes Tulsa Remote and attracting remote workers to boost economic growth.   [23:34] The benefits of industry diversification and reverse the brain drain for Tulsa.   [24:33] Why people choose to move to Tulsa and partnering to solve local problems.   [25:09] “Engineering serendipity” to connect remote workers with local communities.   [26:28] Piloting a workation program that fosters deep connections between participants and locals.   [28:10] The pilot program results in nine out of twelve participants moving to Tulsa.   [29:28] Darcy personalizes participants’ experiences connecting them with relevant locals.   [32:59] How other cities have increasing willingness to benefit from digital nomads.   [34:17] The opportunity to create a blueprint for “sister cities” ready to create consistent, impactful remote work experiences.   [37:20] Madeira Friends aim to show the long-term economic benefits of attracting digital nomads.   [39:26] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To improve hybrid and remote outcomes, lean into cultural architecture. One, name channels to evoke desired behaviors. Two, cultivate consistent rituals. Three, give yourself permission to experiment.     RESOURCES   Darcy Marie Mayfield on LinkedIn Darcy on Instagram Tulsa Remote     QUOTES   "How do you architect culture when there’s no physical walls?"​ "Codifying culture allowed us to emotionally and intrinsically move our culture from an SMB culture to a mid-market culture because that’s where our customers were going."​ "Words make worlds. Use words that emote the behavior you want to see."​ "Remote workers bring not just economic benefits but also a diversification of skills and innovative ideas to communities."​   "Leaders must set the tone—if a leader is going to take a walk in the middle of the day, then everybody else will follow."​   "It’s about designing the connections and programming so people feel like they belong so much earlier and so much more often."​ ​

Show host Sophie Wade welcomes 2025 focusing on the natural dynamic of modern work to facilitate executives’ and employees’ abilities to adapt. She outlines three priority areas for the year ahead, recommending how to adjust for and integrate AI as a core component of our tech-driven business and work. Highlighting research and examples, Sophie focuses on: human-AI collaboration, designing work for agility, and upskilling employees rapidly in the flow of work. Sophie emphasizes the principles of modern work: learning, intention, flexibility, and empathy, as well as systems thinking to help us recognize the full ramifications of our inventions and actions.   TAKEAWAYS   [00:42] Sophie sets the stage for 2025, focusing on adapting to rapid change.   [01:29] Embracing change is essential. Rigid work structures conflict with human nature.   [02:40] Work norms evolved based on prevailing possibilities and were not healthy or sustainable.   [03:25] Flexibility and adaptability are natural and essential human traits.   [03:58] Customization in work and products recognizes our individuality and different needs.   [04:40] Human-centric approaches and tools foster creativity and problem-solving.   [05:18] Early rigid work environments suppressed autonomy and innovation.   [06:18] Modern work requires collaboration and proactive preparation for change.   [07:20] Adapting to change thoughtfully can reveal the best evolutionary pathways.   [08:44] Systems thinking helps anticipate and manage the ripple effects of innovation.   [09:43] Modern work requires intentional action to navigate interconnected global systems.   [11:10] AI integration is transforming the workforce into blended human-AI collaboration.   [12:21] Leaders must identify opportunities for AI to complement humans and our skills.   [14:05] Flattening hierarchies and skills-based work systems boost agility and engagement.   [15:18] Internal talent marketplaces promote cross-functional use of employees’ skills.   [16:37] Upskilling is critical for addressing skill gaps and maintaining competitiveness.   [18:04] Continuous learning must be integrated into workflows for successful transformation.   [18:35] Approaching change with intention, flexibility, and empathy reduces friction and boosts outcomes.   [19:27] Empathy-centered leadership enables multigenerational and distributed teams to thrive.   IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Incorporate learning, intention, flexibility, and empathy into workplace strategies.     RESOURCES   Sophie Wade on LinkedIn Sophie’s company Flexcel Network SophieWade.com   QUOTES “We can lean into our natural capacity to adapt if we reframe what we’ve been used to and why.”   “Work is in flux, nothing is set in stone, and adaptability is essential all along the way.”   “Human-centric approaches and tools foster creativity and problem-solving because we are not machines and aren’t good at pretending to be.”   “How you approach change, and specifically the significant ongoing changes occurring in and across our professional world, affects your ability to flex and adapt.”   “Adapting to modern work requires continuous learning as a core habit, integrated into workflows and supported as part of daily operations.”   “Empathy-centered leadership is critical, recognizing that each person has different skills, adapts at a different pace, and may encounter hiccups along the way.”   “Internal talent mobility isn’t easy or obvious to operationalize, but it is necessary to keep pace with the faster evolution of modern work.”   “Systems thinking recognizes that our actions are not independent or isolatable but always have ripple effects on others—and reciprocally on us.”   “AI integration is enabling the emergence of a collaborative, blended human-AI workforce that complements uniquely human skills.”

Mehmet Baha is the author of “Creating Psychological Safety at Work” and a psychological safety trainer and speaker. Baha, as he is known, discusses the critical role of psychological safety in team performance in the modern workplace. He shares insights about how open dialogue about mistakes and a strengths-based approach enhance trust, collaboration, and results. Baha explains the importance of curiosity and empathy, and giving autonomy. He offers leaders actionable tips for cultivating vulnerability and fostering safe spaces that support innovation.     TAKEAWAYS   [01:59] Baha’s childhood in Cyprus—a divided island—prompts his interest in conflict resolution.   [03:28] Assisting his father, facilitating leadership training shapes Baha’s career path.   [04:30] Music influences Baha’s innovative approach and teamwork skills.   [06:22] At Facebook early on, Baha experiences a psychologically safe workplace.   [08:05] Google’s Project Aristotle shows psychological safety is key for high-performing teams.   [09:00] Psychological safety becomes central to his training and consulting work.   [10:40] Clarity, purpose, and high standards are other key elements driving team success.   [11:28] Collaboration and openness drive better  than hidden mistakes.   [12:20] Amy Edmundson’s 1990’s study connecting reported mistakes and successful outcomes.   [13:33] Research shows learning from mistakes boosts team performance.   [14:46] Sharing mistakes, building upon ideas, and appreciating employees’ strengths create psychological safety.   [16:25] Five points for leaders to model the vulnerability vital to foster psychological safety.   [17:40] Examples include creating "failure reports" to promote organizational learning.   [18:53] Openness helps leaders improve team trust and psychological safety.   [19:45] One leader fosters openness that enables company-wide sharing of team mistakes.   [20:50] Team performance is seen when participants are willing, open, and ambitious.   [21:33] Leaders must be role models for sharing and learning from mistakes.   [22:05] The ratio of positive to negative feedback plays a crucial role in creating psychological safety.   [23:38] A case study about an award-winning practice of quarterly “mistake breakfasts”.   [26:32] How innovation and a turnaround at a bank is stimulated by psychological safety.   [28:08] Traditional organizations benefit from psychological safety, also enhancing physical safety.   [29:15] Leaders' role in co-creating safe work environments.   [31:05] Why to encourage employees—closest to the work—to share and implement their ideas.   [32:12] Psychological safety supports creativity and sharing of innovative ideas.   [32:43] How employees’ silence in meetings indicates an environment lacking psychological safety.   [33:19] The seven points demonstrating Fearless Organizations.   [35:08] Baha connects empathy with conscious listening which is key for safe workspaces.   [35:56] Curiosity is crucial, starting with curiosity about ourselves.   [38:06] Leaders can support safe work environments despite more pressure and workload.   [36:55] Leaders need to encourage open dialogue about challenges and mistakes.   [39:21] How AI can help us work with more humanity, compassion, and authenticity.   [39:27] Empowering employees through autonomy enhances psychological safety.   [40:22] Autonomy is important as micro-management greatly hinders psychological safety.   [40:35] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To improve psychological safety, show curiosity, share mistakes and give employees autonomy.       RESOURCES   Mehmet Baha on LinkedIn Baha’s book “Creating Psychological Safety at the Essential Guide to Boosting Team Performance” Baha’s book “Playbook for Engaged Employees: Practical Insights to Master Leadership, Agility, Teamwork, Learning, and Psychological Safety”     QUOTES   “Sharing mistakes, learning from them, and improving is one key element of creating psychological safety.”   “In a psychologically safe team, mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn, not as reasons to blame.”   “If we cannot listen well to others, we cannot really talk about psychological safety.”   “One of the biggest barriers to creating psychological safety is micro-management behavior.”   “As leaders, managers, we can share a mistake we made, what we learned from this, and what we did later to improve it.”   “In high-performing teams, there is a ratio of three to five positive feedback for every negative feedback.”

Helen Lee Kupp is Founder and CEO of Women Defining AI and co-author of best-selling book “How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to do the Best Work of Their Lives". She discusses her experiences as a strategy and operations leader benefiting from collaborative experimentation and elevating use cases when exploring AI and other technologies for business and workplace transformation. From her tenure at Slack, Helen emphasizes data fluency and intuitive decision-making, defining and applying metrics, and implementing flexible systems. Her insights offer guidance for navigating AI adoption, hybrid work, and creating flexible human-centric frameworks that empower people and processes.   TAKEAWAYS [02:21] Helen interest in chemistry and bioengineering prompts her to study chemical engineering. [03:43] Helen loves to pair biology’s organic messiness with engineering and systems thinking. [04:36] Reflecting on a non-linear career path guided by attraction to ambiguous problems. [06:17] Helen’s desire for real-world impact leads her from lab work to consulting then startups. [08:07] Joining Slack early, Helen drives innovation projects, expanding as a consumer product. [09:30] The challenge of using data effectively, needing shared definitions across teams. [11:01] How leaders must foster data fluency to enhance decision-making processes. [11:50] Building operational intuition to make decisions using data and metrics in context. [14:05] Flexibility is integral for organizational systems to adapt to changing market conditions. [15:52] A ‘bridge’ describes a balanced need for stable data infrastructures for specific metrics and flexible systems for evolving demands. [18:19] An innovative process to elevate metrics from team insights to company-wide KPIs. [20:28] Hybrid data approaches enable both innovation and operational consistency. [22:36] Slack’s approach to dynamic work systems shapes Helen’s understanding of agile leadership. [24:02] How workplace tech evolves impacting team collaboration and decision rhythms. [26:15] Helen is an early Slack user and comfortable and effective async worker as an introvert. [29:17] ‘How the Future Works’ enabled the authors to share personal experiences and codify the redesigning of work. [32:24] Helen’s consulting trained her about team protocols enabling effective teamwork. [34:36] How personal work preferences are supported by team agreements. [37:55] Helen is prompted to actively define AI inclusively not stumble into it. [38:58] Women Defining AI launches serendipitously to craft AI development and adoption. [43:18] A community of experimentation, Helen approaches the future with a flexible mindset. [45:01] The importance of building intuition for using AI—it’s just as messy as humans! [45:01] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Embrace discovery mindsets and start small by piloting AI in manageable areas of your work, ensuring hands-on practice and learning opportunities for your teams to explore its potential impact.     RESOURCES   Helen Lee Kupp on LinkedIn Women Defining AI Almost Technical Helen’s book “How the Future Works: Leading Flexible Teams to do the Best Work of Their Lives”     QUOTES   “We have a chance to redesign it all right. To redesign not just how we operate together, but to be thoughtful about how different everyone is and bring all that into the redesign.”   “People are looking for structured guidance. They’re not looking for all the answers. But they’re looking for at least that you are thinking through it and that they can try.”   “Experimenting and piloting use cases with individuals and teams to see what works for them and finding ways to elevate that across the broader organization and share practices. The more you can do that, the faster you’ll learn.”   "I appreciate the consulting training because we had to come together in teams so frequently with new teams and new managers. We needed a process around how do we understand how we operate, which may be different than your last team. How do we communicate best and how do we ensure we solicit the best of everyone in this group?"

Michael (Mike) Todasco, Visiting Fellow at the James Silberrad Brown Center for Artificial Intelligence at San Diego State University. He shares insights from driving innovation at PayPal and discusses AI-enabled opportunities for non-technical users and potential entrepreneurs, drawing parallels with earlier transformation generated by GPS access. Mike explains the need for participation, exploration, innovation, and updated education to foster creativity, adapt, and thrive in AI-integrated workplaces. He elevates humans' ingenuity and discerning of quality which complement advanced technical capabilities.     TAKEAWAYS   [01:55] Mike’s interest in finance starts with selling baseball cards as a child.   [03:03] Mike joins General Electric after a college professor talks so much about Jack Welch.   [04:06] Mike doesn’t get his first choice. He is sent to work on aircraft engines.   [04:20] The rotation program helps Mike find out all the jobs he doesn’t want to do!   [04:57] The lasting impression a new employer can make being nimble and scrappy.   [06:22] Cool tech lures Mike who starts his own venture, then joins PayPal.   [07:29] Working on innovation products being launched at PayPal.   [08:33] Mike has a game-changing meeting with a group of patent lawyers.     [09:35] Brainstorming innovative products across PayPal teams, Mike develops a new skill.   [10:21] Innovation is stimulated by asking good questions and building on each other’s ideas.   [11:08] Generating new ideas by imagining what if resources weren’t an issue.   [11:57] An innovation use case taking a completely different perspective.   [13:40] Mike is captivated by the potential of AI particularly because he cannot code.   [14:39] Mike recognizes the magical possibilities of AI and becomes obsessed!   [16:28] Using the GPS example to try and project what AI might generate in future.   [18:49] Mike shares his mother’s ER experience to illustrate how we might integrate AI support.   [22:06] The early predictions that AI would automate away radiologists were totally wrong!   [24:01] The history of illusion and the perception gap humans have.   [24:57] We find significant personal improvement hard to imagine (as necessary or possible!).   [25:52] We may not know, but we need to explore, the possibilities of AI tools.   [27:56] The AI apps Mike uses daily.   [29:22] Exploring new application versions and having AI running your life!   [30:32] How AI can augment your daily personal, professional, and family habits.   [32:56] Practical advice for how leaders can stimulate essential AI exploration.   [34:22] The challenge of (too much) choice—never mind, just get involved!   [35:36] Mike plans his daughter’s birthday party using ChatGPT.   [37:37] Where and how AI is beneficially used in work processes.   [38:18] What AI is good at, better at, and not so much!   [39:58] What happens if AI does interns’ work?   [40:30] Mike’s hopes for the possible fundamental impact of AI.   [43:56] How should schools be integrating AI?   [45:43] What some teachers are doing with AI in class.   [47:19] Ideas to change college curriculums to incorporate AI.   [48:47] The rising value of ‘taste’—‘what is ‘good?’ matters since AI offers average results.   [51:50] The Steph Curry effect–we care about what humans do (and how to make viral videos).   [54:13] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: Get in front of the AI change as much as you can in your workplaces with your teams. Set up a channel to share, post and cold call on team members to spur ideas and activity.     RESOURCES   Michael (Mike) Todasco on LinkedIn Mike’s AIdeas podcast     QUOTES   "Even just asking the right type of question is a way to just really force people to take a step back."   “By definition, AI is almost always going to be average right now. Ultimately, taste will matter more in the future, to know ‘what is good’?”   “We are becoming directors of this new future where being able to recognize quality, being able to understand what makes something good, what makes something bad, are going to matter much more than being able to put words on a blank white page.”   “People need to know how to use AI and embrace it and understand it. You could teach both the fundamentals without it and then teach them how to do even more with it.”

Henrik Jarleskog, Head of Future of Work at Sodexo, shares his multinational perspective transforming workplace strategies, services, and experiences to enhance employee and business performance. Henrik explains the shift from building-centric to human-centric approaches. He describes facilitating implementation of wide-ranging future workplace strategies and systems, adapting for changing business, workforce, and cultural needs, for Sodexo’s more than 400,000 employees worldwide. Henrik recognizes the critical flexible, social, and strategic imperatives of modern, distributed work, and models essential experimentation with AI promoting adoption and integration.       TAKEAWAYS   [02:12] Henrik studies mechanical engineering for its creativity, design, and business focus.   [03:29] The benefits of creativity in business for transformation and solving complex challenges.   [04:00] Henrik’s early career focuses on data-driven decisions and performance improvement.   [05:26] 20 years ago, workplace strategies were building-centric.   [06:11] The integrated facilities management trend resulted in more strategic higher-level deals.   [08:04] Workplace solutions and experiences are tailored for cultural and regulatory differences.   [09:44] Outsourced facilities management contracts taught leadership and management running significant P&Ls.   [11:58] Henrik gains great experience becoming a consultant to learn the skillset and tool box.   [12:50] Vested partnerships focus on buying outcomes instead of transactions from a supplier.   [13:42] The collaborative benefits of a relational contract which is transparent.   [14:45] A Nordic airline achieves a vested transformation throughout the supply chain.   [17:00] Transformation requires vision clarity and aligned incentives, communication, and actions.   [18:12] In transparent strategic partnerships, agree critical business metrics together.   [20:45] Henrik works with Sodexo, then his new family encourages him to take their job offer.   [22:17] How management consulting roles involve substantial solutions selling.   [23:20] Henrik works hybrid, while holding three roles, transforming the Nordic businesses.   [24:29] When the pandemic strikes, Henrik builds a fully digital region of 16 countries.   [26:00] Providing sustainable food solutions with broader services as workplace experiences to corporations.   [28:05] Sodexo recognizes the pandemic’s disruption, choosing to emerge as a thought leader.   [30:22] In employee surveys, preferences showed a huge shift in people’s expectations.   [31:10] How Activity Based Working changed workplace dynamics in Europe 20 years ago.   [33:56] New work norms and generational preferences such as flexibility and choice.   [35:45] Henrik supports companies spanning models ranging full-time in office to fully flexible.   [36:35] Providing knowledge and data for Future of Work and workplace systems and strategies.   [38:15] Clients need ‘magnetic offices’ supporting recruitment with great office-based experiences.   [39:31] Considering manufacturing site working experiences and the effect of monitoring.   [41:20] Building relationships and connection with social hubs to support collaboration.   [42:46] Two major structural changes: doing more with less and distributed work is here to stay.   [45:45] How do Fortune 500 companies’ hybrid/flexible models affect their performance?   [46:55] Nostalgia rather than data mostly drive five-days-a-week RTO mandates.   [47:35] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP:  To move your company forward effectively. One, your honor, people-centric, flexible journey. So ask your teams what's working for us and not. Two, ensure your work model aligns with the corporate mission. Three, design flexible, fantastic workplace experiences. Four, ensure everything is as sustainable as possible.   [50:13] How Henrik views AI, experimentation and AI Agents.   [54:10] Being a leading role model in using AI.   [52:10] The future of work requires empathy and human-centric focus.       RESOURCES   Henrik Jarleskog on LinkedIn Sodexo.com       QUOTES   “Distributed work is here to stay… it’s not being hybrid, it's distributed work. And that trend is so strong that everything else about two or three days a week, being flexible or not is just a big distraction compared to that.”   “Zero of these Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. are full time in office. If you look at the same in Europe for the top 10, they are 100% hybrid…Is there a correlation between how flexible you are as an operating model and your business performance? This is becoming more and more focused on now over the last quarter.”   “I haven't still met one company who has decided to bring their people back to the office five days a week that transparently can show me the data that is building that decision. Mostly, these type of decisions are based on nostalgia and not data.”   “Leaders of this world are in different degrees ready for leading hybrid, for leading remote, or in different versions of whatever it can be, because this is a difficult thing. But data indicates that we are on a flexible journey.”   “If you look at the performance of the best and largest companies of this world…they have a people centric approach. They are asking their teams, their organizations, “What is working for us? How do you think we should be formalizing our next generation operating model?”

Stephan Meier is Professor of Business Strategy at Columbia Business School and author of The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive. Stephan describes how behavioral economics examine social dynamics and decision-making. He describes the importance of intrinsic motivation and fairness at work and the effect on behavior of monetary and non-monetary incentives. Stephan explains how fast-evolving business conditions require trusting leadership and empowered employees. He shares insights about flexibility and relatedness as key motivators which affect hybrid/remote working models.     TAKEAWAYS   [02:27] Stephan was fascinated by history but studied economics to understand the world better.   [03:19] Traditional economic models, though predictive, lack alignment with human behavior.   [04:09] Stephan explores behavioral economics to study non-rational behaviors and model deviations.   [06:03] For his PhD, Stephan researches intrinsic motivations and non-selfish human interactions.   [08:08] Early management models assumed people are lazy therefore control and incentives were essential.   [09:01] Lack of training to support employee-centric versus control, incentive mechanisms.   [11:06] Stephan’s thesis emphasizes intrinsic motivations and the joy achieved by helping others.   [12:01] Fairness and social norms are important to foster collaboration and group motivation.   [13:00] How monetary incentives can undermine social relationships.   [14:21] The dynamics of social and intrinsic motivation compared with financial motivation.   [17:13] Stephan’s Federal Reserve work focused on behavioral economics and improving financial decision-making.   [19:31] How people revert to status quo choices when tired and lacking nourishment.   [22:00] Money affects work-related decisions for people who are distracted by financial stressors.   [23:33] How behavioral science and economic rational competition determine our behaviors which need to be balanced.   [24:50] We overestimate our own decision-making abilities, not conscious of influential factors.   [25:35] How managers, as humans, are affected by layoffs and unemployment benefits.   [28:32] Thinking about employees like customers and improving their experiences.   [29:11] Competition and transparency are two key reasons for the new employee emphasis.   [30:27] A third reason is having more data and tools to personalize work experiences.   [32:35] Employee centricity: fixing pain points and finding moments that matter along the Employee Journey.   [33:21] The need for constant feedback and innovation to improve employees’ experiences.   [35:07] What really motivates people and using technology to enhance not destroy this.   [35:52] At the current pace of change, the importance of trusting relationships and autonomy.   [36:35] Especially in AI-integrated, flatter companies, we need to empower employees.   [37:20] Upskilling employees by matching them with opportunities just as Netflix matches viewers with their preferences.   [40:00] Flexibility and relatedness are important motivators to consider when optimizing hybrid and remote work models   [40:16] IMMEDIATE ACTION TIP: To achieve a more employee centric approach, tap into two motivators: flexibility, giving people autonomy about how, when, where to work; and relatedness having social interactions which include in person.   [41:45] Leaders need to embrace behavioral insights to adapt for new working environments.   [43:16] Being intentional about workplace culture and coordinating office-based working.   [45:30] Treating employees well is a win-win.   [46:30] We must understand what motivates employees and use technology to enhance these motivators.       RESOURCES   Stephan Meier on LinkedIn Stephan’s website Stephan’s book “The Employee Advantage: How Putting Workers First Helps Business Thrive”       QUOTES   “If we think people are lazy and we want to control, technology gives us the amazing tools to control to the level that we never could before. But that will be exactly destroying everything about the trusting relationship.”   "If you integrate more AI, normally the hierarchies become flatter. Now you actually need teams who work more autonomously. You empower them and it's a very different way of managing because you now have to trust them as well.”   “The same trends that led to customer centricity lead to employees centricity. We actually have a lot of tools about customers that we can now apply to employees. We can figure out what are the pain points, what are the moments that matter or whatever you want to call those for our employees to actually delight them.”   “We do have to empower employees more. Top down works really well when it's relatively stable and not changing in working when it's moving fast, you have to change.”    “Most leaders are not trained in understanding what motivates people beyond monetary control mechanisms.”