HBR IdeaCast

→ WHAT IT COVERS Yale professor Jeff Sonnenfeld, founder of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, examines how U.S. CEOs are navigating the current political environment under the Trump administration, addressing fear of retaliation, the value of collective action, and why business leaders cannot afford silence when democratic institutions and economic stability are at stake.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Publicis Sapient CEO Nigel Vaz, speaking at HBR's Strategy Summit 2026, argues that AI functions as a business operating system rather than a technology tool, requiring organizations to redesign decision-making speed, business models, and cross-functional data flows before competitors do. → KEY INSIGHTS - **AI as Operating System:** Treat AI the way organizations treated the Internet in the 1990s — not as a technology upgrade but as a full redesign of how value is created and...

→ WHAT IT COVERS Stanford professor Jeff Hancock and BetterUp chief scientist Kate Niederhofer examine "AI workslop" — low-effort, AI-generated workplace content that appears to fulfill tasks but doesn't. Research across organizations reveals structural causes, measurable financial costs, and specific leadership strategies to build cultures where AI genuinely enhances productivity.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Harvard Business School professor Linda Hill, author of Genius at Scale, explains why innovation fails at most organizations and outlines three distinct leadership roles—architect, bridger, and catalyst—that companies must deliberately build to consistently generate, test, and scale new ideas across teams and ecosystems. → KEY INSIGHTS - **Three Innovation Muscles:** Organizations need three specific capabilities to innovate repeatedly: creative abrasion (collaborating across...

→ WHAT IT COVERS Trinity University professor Amar Qaisi presents research on the "positive intent mindset" — a leadership framework built on provisionally assuming good intentions in others. The approach combines realistic optimism with accountability, countering evolutionary negativity bias and the fundamental attribution error to improve trust, collaboration, and personal well-being at work.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Don Tapscott, CEO of the Tapscott Group and author of *You to the Power of Two*, defines "Identic AI" — personal AI agents trained on an individual's knowledge, values, and history — and explains how this technology will restructure corporate hierarchies, redefine management roles, and raise urgent questions about data sovereignty by 2030. → KEY INSIGHTS - **Identic AI vs.

→ WHAT IT COVERS B. Joseph Pine II explains how businesses can shift from selling products, services, and experiences to guiding customer transformations—helping people achieve aspirational goals like weight loss or career advancement. He outlines the progression of economic value, introduces outcome-based pricing models, and provides case studies demonstrating how companies profit by guaranteeing customer success.

→ WHAT IT COVERS Cognitive scientist Maya Shankar explains how to navigate unexpected career disruptions and identity loss through research-backed strategies. She shares frameworks for building resilience, reimagining possible futures after setbacks, and anchoring identity to purpose rather than roles. The discussion covers neuroplasticity, organizational change management, and concrete techniques for adapting when life derails planned trajectories.