The Edge of Work

Jayney Howson is the Senior Vice President and Head of Global Learning & Development at ServiceNow, where she leads ServiceNow University, an innovative, AI-powered learning platform designed to unlock skill development at scale. In this episode Jayney joins Al Dea to discuss how learning is evolving in the age of AI, why human transformation is essential to business transformation, and how ServiceNow is reimagining learning across its entire ecosystem of employees, customers, and partners.LinksJayney Howson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayney-howson-05677a23/Al Dea: https://www.al-dea.com/ ServiceNow University: https://learning.servicenow.com/now/lxp/home

In this solo episode of The Edge of Work, Al Dea shares early insights from his summer research interviews with 20+ senior talent and learning leaders at Fortune 1000 companies. He reveals four key themes shaping their top priorities today: leadership and manager development, AI-driven enablement, change and transformation, and systemic talent and learning. Al also shares insights into what leaders explores what leaders wish they could prioritize and what outdated practices they’re ready to sunset. LinksAl Dea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/Work With Al Dea: https://al-dea.com/speaking/

Note: This is a replay of one of our most popular episodes from this yearDani Johnson is the Co-Founder and Principal Analyst at RedThread Research. During this conversation, Dani shares some of her observations and insights from some of her recent conversations and research on the topic of L&D Strategy, the shifting role L&D has within organizations and the implications for learning and talent leaders. Dani also shares some of her thoughts on the potential implications of AI, the ever-present but evolving conversation about the importance of aligning learning to business needs, and the potential impact of AI on learning and the workplace. Finally, Dani also shares some of her thoughts on what’s new and next within the learning tech startup ecosystem.LinksRedthread Research: https://redthreadresearch.com/homeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dani-johnson/Dani’s LinkedIn Post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7249051389455138816/#

Note: This is a replay of one of the most popular episodes of 2025Conor Grennan is the Dean of Students at NYU Stern and the Co-Founder and CEO of AI Mindset, an AI consulting firm. In this episode, Conor shares his insights on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the workplace, leadership, and talent development. With a unique perspective from both academia and the corporate world, he discusses why AI adoption is more about mindset than technical skill, the role of HR and talent leaders in AI transformation, and how leaders can navigate this shift.Website: https://www.ai-mindset.ai/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorgrennan/

Note: This is a replay episode of one of our most popular episodes of 2025In this solo episode of The Edge of Work podcast, host Al Dea introduces a new approach to leadership: becoming developers of talent. Al explores how managers and leaders can embrace their roles in fostering employee growth and development in the day-to-day workflow, beyond formal training programs. By offering practical strategies, lightweight tools, and actionable insights, this episode provides listeners with a fresh perspective on embedding development into their management style, empowering their teams, and boosting organizational performance. Discover how small moments can create big impacts in talent development and retention.LinksAl’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/Article: https://alsnewsletter.substack.com/p/turning-leaders-into-developers-of

Note: This is a replay episode of one of the most popular episodes from the past yearCharlene Li is an Entrepreneur, Consultant, Best-Selling Author and Keynote Speaker. As a longtime expert in studying emerging technologies and their impacts on society, business and leadership, Charlene has a keen eye for what’s new and next and it’s implications for business.In this episode, Charlene shares her insights on AI, emphasizing its role in commoditizing knowledge and fostering innovation. They delve into the challenges of digital transformation, comparing it to past shifts driven by social media. Charlene also offers insight into where she is seeing organizations make progress in incorporating AI into their work, and highlights the importance of how leaders can think about leading during uncertain and evolving times. LinksLinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleneli/Website: https://charleneli.com/

In this solo episode of The Edge of Work, Al Dea unpacks a critical skill for today’s workplace: cultivating influence. Whether you're leading a bold change initiative or simply trying to align your team around a shared goal, your ability to influence others—without formal authority—is essential. Drawing from his experience as a facilitator and consultant, Al shares a practical framework of four principles: earning trust, demonstrating credibility, navigating organizational dynamics, and engaging with empathy. LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/Website: https://www.al-dea.com/

Maya Razon drives Learning & Leadership Development at the Google School for Leaders. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Maya shares how her team designs transformative learning experiences for Google’s global leaders. She explores how the “inner game” of leadership, physical space, and AI integration are reshaping how leaders learn and grow in a rapidly changing world. From leveraging neuroaesthetics in learning environments to adapting leadership programs for social impact innovators, Maya discusses Google’s human-centered, research-informed approach to developing leaders.Links:Maya’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-razon-a894343/ReWork Article: https://rework.withgoogle.com/en/guides/learning-development-using-science-to-enhance-learning-outcomes 

In this solo episode of The Edge of Work, host Al Dea explores how leadership development can evolve in the age of Artificial Intelligence. Drawing from his keynote presentations and conversations with talent and business leaders, Al shares now is the time to reimagine how we think about leadership development in a rapidly changing world of work. During this episode, Al offers 4 principles for how leadership development professionals can think and working differently to reshape and take advantage of opportunities in this new world of work. LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/Website: https://www.al-dea.com/

In this month’s “Work in Progress” segment, Al Dea is joined by Steve Hunt and Phil Kirschner to unpack three timely topics related to the intersection of talent and the workplace: Moderna’s decision to merge HR and IT, an experiment AI + teamwork experiment from P&G, and whether AI is wiping out the first rung of the career ladder. Together, they explore the implications of AI on job design, team dynamics, early career talent, and the future of work,and what leaders can do to prepare.Links:Steve’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steventhunt/Steve’s Book: https://talenttectonics.com/Phil’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philkirschner/Phil’s Newsletter: https://www.flexos.work/the-worklineArticles MentionedModerna: IT and HR: https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-moderna-merged-its-tech-and-hr-departments-95318c2a?st=YTw4p4&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalinkP&G and Teams: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5188231 Aneesh Raman NY Times Op Ed: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/opinion/linkedin-ai-entry-level-jobs.html