Tag: CEO

  • Sustainability Reporting Isn’t the Same as Risk Preparedness

    Sustainability Reporting Isn’t the Same as Risk Preparedness

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    Henrik Sorensen/Getty Images

    Summary.   

    Sustainability reporting has become widespread among large firms, but strong disclosure does not necessarily translate into preparedness for climate-related risks. This research identifies a

    Sustainability reporting is now common among large companies. According to the OECD, firms representing 91% of global listed market capitalization disclose sustainability-related information.

  • Who Owns the Customer in the Age of AI Agents?

    Who Owns the Customer in the Age of AI Agents?

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    Illustration by Eliot Wyatt

    AI agents are changing the nature of customer relationships by taking on more of the discovery, comparison, negotiation, and purchasing decisions that companies once controlled through their own

    On September 8, 2026, Meta launched Muse, a personal AI agent designed to act on a user’s behalf: filling out forms, negotiating, booking travel, and making purchases. Twelve days later, Amazon blocked Muse from shopping on its site, arguing that third-party agents should identify themselves and obtain a retailer’s permission before transacting on behalf of its customers.

  • How to Lead When Everyone Is Watching

    How to Lead When Everyone Is Watching

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  • What Top Performers Do Differently with AI—and Why They See the Biggest Benefits

    What Top Performers Do Differently with AI—and Why They See the Biggest Benefits

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    Illustration by Jason Ford

    AI isn’t simply replacing sales work or automatically equalizing sales performance; it’s providing disproportionate lift to individuals and organizations that can build systems around

    Generative AI has produced two competing views about which workers will benefit most. One view is that AI will narrow performance gaps by giving lower performers templates, answers, and coaching directly in their workflow. The other is that AI will widen those gaps by eliminating routine but necessary work, which will allow top performers to spend more time on higher-value activities where they already have an advantage. At the individual task level, high and low performers may both benefit, but the more important question is which effect dominates on net in real jobs, where workers perform bundles of activities. The answer matters for how firms hire, train, organize teams, and adjust practices built for their current talent mix.

  • The Politics of Sustainability Have Changed. The Business Case Hasn’t.

    The Politics of Sustainability Have Changed. The Business Case Hasn’t.

    Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images

    Summary.   

    Corporate sustainability may have fallen out of favor in some executive and political circles, but the business case remains strong: Companies continue to invest because sustainability

    Corporate sustainability appears to be in a bit of a slump. ESG has become a political liability, sustainability teams are shrinking, and many executives have shifted their attention to AI, economic uncertainty, and regulatory fragmentation.

    Read more on Environmental sustainability or related topic Climate change

  • Your Executive Team Needs More Productive Conflict

    Your Executive Team Needs More Productive Conflict

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    Many leadership teams struggle not with too much conflict, but too little: Executives avoid challenging one another, leaving important ideas and decisions insufficiently

    During my 25 years as an advisor to senior teams, I’ve seen a lot of coaching and advice focused on how to manage leadership team conflict. But in my experience, the bigger challenge can be getting executives to raise dissenting ideas and to then critique those rigorously. Too often I see executive teams rush along in a state of passive peace because they value respect, trust peers to manage their own silos, and fear that stepping out of their “lane” will make them seem unhelpful or slow things down.