Trends
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Leadership Links #17
This week’s edition spotlights how companies are tuning leadership roles to match strategy in a fast moving market. Microsoft is creating a dedicated commercial CEO to tighten execution while Satya Nadella concentrates on AI and core architecture. Apple’s succession chatter centers on hardware leadership. H-E-B advances an experienced operator to a historic first. S&P Dow Jones Indices chooses a derivatives and data veteran to lead its next chapter, and Unilever strengthens people leadership across customer development, supply chain, and digital work.
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Accountability Without Authority: Holding Everyone to a Higher Standard
Accountability often brings to mind images of confrontation, discipline, or even public reprimand. In many workplaces, the word has been misused so frequently that it now carries a negative tone. Yet accountability, when practiced with intention and care, is one of the most valuable tools for personal and organizational growth. Rather than a mechanism for blame, it should serve as a structure for clarity, consistency, and shared purpose.
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GSK CEO Transition: Balancing Legacy, Expectation and Renewal
Leadership transitions in the pharmaceutical industry carry stakes that extend far beyond shareholder headlines. The recent announcement that Emma Walmsley, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), will step down at the end of 2025 represents one of those inflection points. Walmsley, who has guided the company since 2017, will remain through September 2026 to support continuity while Chief Commercial Officer Luke Miels takes over as CEO on January 1, 2026.
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Leadership Links #16
CEO shifts and org redesigns headline this week’s Leadership Links, from GSK’s planned handoff to Oracle’s co-CEOs and Mercedes’s tech and production refresh. Plus, healthtech M&A accelerates and MakeMyTrip adds new operating and finance leaders. Get board-ready takeaways on succession, structure, and execution.
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Reclaiming Joy at Work: The Case for Collaborative, Caring Workplaces
In many workplaces, joy has become an afterthought. The pressure to meet deadlines, hit performance targets, and keep up with nonstop change leaves little room for fulfillment or connection. Over time, this constant pressure erodes enthusiasm. What was once meaningful work begins to feel mechanical. Employees focus on surviving the week rather than thriving in their roles. While organizations may not intend to drain energy from their teams, a culture of stress can become normalized if no one steps back to challenge it.
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Gucci’s Leadership Reset under Kering: Francesca Bellettini’s Mandate and the Urgency of Heritage Forward Strategy
Gucci, one of the most recognized names in the luxury sector, is entering a defining chapter in its history. Sales have fallen by roughly twenty five percent and profits have been cut nearly in half, creating a sharp contrast to the brand’s legacy of strength and influence. These numbers reflect more than short-term turbulence. They signal a deeper vulnerability at a time when competition in the luxury market is more intense than ever.
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Leadership Links #15
IndusInd Bank of India has appointed Viral Damania as CFO effective September 22, 2025. This follows a $230 million loss tied to accounting irregularities of internal derivative trades. The accounting lapse also prompted earlier resignations by former CEO Sumant Kathpalia and deputy Arun Khurana. Damania, with 27 years of banking experience including senior finance roles at Bank of America India and Citibank North America, is expected to help stabilize financial reporting, reinforce internal controls, and rebuild credibility.
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From Stuck to Streamlined: How Process Thinking Transforms Daily Work
In many organizations, the pace of work is relentless. Meetings fill the calendar, emails stack up, and people rush from task to task with little time to think. On the surface, this level of activity may look like productivity. Teams appear busy, deadlines are met, and metrics are updated. But beneath the surface, important questions often go unasked. Are we solving the right problems? Is this work creating value? Could we be doing it in a better way?
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Microsoft’s Return‑to‑Office Policy: What Leaders Should Know About the Shift to Three Days In Office
Many large employers are tightening hybrid norms to regain speed, alignment, and apprenticeship. Microsoft’s plan to require most employees to work in office at least three days per week is the clearest signal so far. The policy reframes presence as a tool for work that benefits from proximity, not a blanket statement about trust. It also raises hard design questions for leaders. Which activities truly need in person time. How should schedules, spaces, and coaching evolve so that office days raise quality rather than just count attendance.
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Leadership Links #14
This week’s edition spotlights leadership choices made under pressure from cyber risk, succession planning, shifting client demand, and profit headwinds. You will see how M&S responds to a costly cyberattack […]
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Purpose Over Profit: Rethinking What Makes a Business Truly Productive
For years, productivity has been measured by traditional financial outcomes. Revenue growth, profit margins, and return on investment are the benchmarks that dominate boardroom conversations. These metrics are useful and necessary, but they do not tell the whole story. When organizations focus only on profitability, they often miss what makes their success sustainable. Efficiency and earnings can rise in the short term even as employee morale, customer trust, and long-term resilience begin to decline.
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Leadership Links #13
This week’s edition examines how leaders navigate political risk, culture scrutiny, unconventional talent bets, and the fast rise of AI inside decision making. France’s confidence vote is rattling boardrooms that […]
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Tech Won’t Save You: Why Human-Centered Workflows Still Matter Most
Modern organizations are flooded with tools designed to make work faster, smarter, and more efficient. Project management platforms, AI-driven analytics, workflow automation, and communication apps are now staples of daily operations. These technologies promise to streamline tasks, reduce human error, and unlock productivity gains across the board. While some of these promises are fulfilled, others fall short. The assumption that better tools automatically create better results often leads companies to overinvest in technology while underinvesting in the people who use it.
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Flattening Corporate Layers Is Changing How Work Gets Led
Many large companies are removing layers to move faster and spend less. Across Corporate America, the average manager to employee ratio has stretched from roughly 1 to 5 in 2017 to about 1 to 15 by 2023. Google, Amazon, Intel, and Estée Lauder are among the firms that cut middle management in pursuit of speed, clearer accountability, and lower cost structures. The intent is simple. Fewer layers should mean quicker decisions and less bureaucracy. The reality is more nuanced.
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Leadership Links #12
This week’s edition looks at how leadership teams are reshaping strategy and structure under pressure from markets, politics, and talent dynamics. You will see why Renault tapped an experienced operator to steer Dacia through a competitive cycle, how BlackRock is pressing state officials to keep pension investing focused on fiduciary duty, and why Milan is pulling finance leaders with tax incentives even as global fundraising cools. We also cover a surge in asset management dealmaking that points to a scale and capability race, plus a rapid flattening of corporate org charts that is changing how managers lead.
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Ditch the Carrots and Sticks: Building Cultures That Actually Motivate
In many organizations, motivation is still treated as something external. Employees are pushed to perform through performance bonuses, public recognition, and the threat of poor evaluations or job loss. These methods are rooted in the idea that people will only do their best when they are given a strong enough reason to care. For decades, companies have leaned heavily on reward systems and disciplinary policies to drive results. This model may yield short-term gains, but it often fails to create lasting engagement. Once the reward is earned or the threat removed, motivation tends to fade.
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Citi’s Leadership Dilemma: How to Balance Performance, Culture, and Governance
Citigroup finds itself in a classic leadership bind. The bank recruited Andy Sieg in 2023 to accelerate its wealth strategy and simplify a sprawling organization. Since then, Citi has pointed […]
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Leadership Links #11
This week’s roundup tracks how leaders handle scrutiny, culture, retention, and risk in a volatile environment. You will see why Citi is backing a top executive during an ongoing investigation, how psychological safety drives innovation, and what happens when a firm tightens non-compete rules during a rough market patch. We also highlight new research on crisis readiness and a governance probe into alleged diversity data manipulation.
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Frontline Intelligence: The Untapped Engine of Innovation
In many organizations, leadership is expected to have all the answers. Managers create strategies, set expectations, and issue instructions that employees are tasked with executing. This top-down approach has long been the standard model, especially in traditional corporate settings. It reinforces the idea that leadership is about control and decision-making, while frontline workers are there to follow direction. While this structure can create a clear chain of command, it also produces blind spots. The people making decisions are often several steps removed from the work itself and may not have the context needed to solve problems effectively.
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Paramount Skydance bets on UFC to anchor streaming growth
Paramount Skydance is moving fast to translate a complex merger into a simple operating thesis. The company will lean on a reliable drumbeat of live events, a clearer release cadence for films and series, and a heavier use of artificial intelligence to improve development and personalization. The centerpiece is a seven year, multibillion dollar agreement that shifts UFC from a pay per view habit toward a streaming habit inside Paramount+.
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Leadership Links #10
This week’s edition tracks how leaders are reshaping strategy through media rights, governance reforms, board appointments, workplace policy, and geopolitics. Paramount’s UFC deal signals a bolder streaming play tied to film output and live sports. McKinsey’s new leadership model aims to cool succession drama. BP’s chair pick links governance directly to execution. Starbucks tightens in-office expectations to reinforce culture. Intel faces Washington scrutiny that blends national security with executive accountability.
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Beyond the Numbers: Why Chasing Metrics Can Derail Performance
In today’s data-rich workplaces, performance metrics are everywhere. Managers track revenue per employee, cost per unit, customer satisfaction scores, and dozens of other indicators meant to guide decisions. These numbers provide clarity and structure in environments that are often fast-paced and uncertain. They offer a snapshot of how things are going and make it easier to set goals and evaluate outcomes. But when numbers begin to dominate the conversation, they can create a false sense of control. Organizations may start optimizing for what is easiest to measure rather than what actually drives long-term success. As a result, what was meant to support performance begins to distort it.
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AT&T and the End of Workplace Loyalty: Rebuilding the Employment Contract
AT&T CEO John Stankey recently shook the corporate world by declaring the end of traditional workplace loyalty. In a memo responding to employee survey results, he suggested that long term job security, tenure based promotions, and expectations about remote work must change. He framed the employment relationship as increasingly transactional and guided by market realities. The message landed during a period when many companies are rethinking roles because of AI, automation, and shifting customer needs.
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Leadership Links #9
This week’s roundup looks at how leadership choices shape culture, capability, and confidence during a period of rapid change. You will see why a Bitcoin miner moved quickly to restore continuity, how a telecom’s blunt message about loyalty is stirring debate, and what one enterprise software chief says about the role of human judgment in an AI heavy future. We also highlight a senior leadership program focused on sustainability and strategy, and new research that finds most executives feel unprepared for overlapping crises.
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The Hidden Cost of Silos: Why High-Performing Teams Work Across Boundaries
In many organizations, productivity is measured by how well each department performs within its own scope. Sales pushes to meet quotas, operations focuses on throughput, and finance keeps a close eye on spending. This seems like an efficient way to run a business. Each unit has defined responsibilities and is held accountable for specific results. The structure creates clarity, and the metrics provide guidance. However, when you take a step back and examine how the business operates as a whole, it becomes clear that success within departments does not always add up to organizational progress. Often, the parts function well individually but poorly in combination.