Over the past few months, I have noticed a subtle but meaningful shift in the emotional tone of conversations about work. Not only in leadership circles or discussions about artificial intelligence, but almost everywhere. I notice it after keynote talks, during networking events, and in the quieter conversations that happen once workshops officially end and people stop performing expertise for one another. Increasingly, people approach me less to discuss ideas and more to ask

Over the past weeks, I’ve been myself paying closer attention to the moment when disagreement begins. Partly because it feels like polarization is becoming more frequent, I've been trying to find a way back to enriching discussions. Photo by Maxime Gilbert on Unsplash Conversations seem to move too quickly lately—toward certainty, toward positions, and often toward quiet or open division. Whether in leadership settings, on teams, or in more public discourse, there is a growin

There is a moment in many conversations today that feels increasingly familiar. An answer arrives quickly—clear, structured, persuasive. On the surface, nothing is missing. And yet, if you pause for a second, something in it feels untouched. It informs, but it does not move. It resolves, but it does not open anything. You are left with a few questions: Who is speaking here—experience or surface? Did thinking actually take place? Or was something delivered that merely resemble

Around International Women’s Day, one word appears everywhere. Voice. Find your voice. Use your voice. Amplify your voice. It’s a powerful message. But after years of working with leaders in boardrooms, strategy meetings, and high-stakes conversations, I’ve noticed something slightly different. The leaders who influence decisions most are rarely the ones who speak the most. They are the ones whose message fits the moment. With AI, this distinction matters even more. Now almos

It is 18 degrees Celsius in early March as I write this. The light returns. Energy stirs. As I break out the hay fever medicine, I feel an urge to act. And yet, beneath that momentum, there is tension. We want clarity amongst the chaos. Certainty in an uncertain world. A plan navigate. Then we read the headlines and everything feels fragile again. Life gives us glimmers of clarity. And sometimes we fake clarity till we get there. Image by Fabrice Villard on Unsplash A while b

“I’m just tired.” I’ve heard this so many times lately. I wish I could magically give you energy. But what I can do is invite us to slow down, listen, and reframe. Because if we really want to understand exhaustion, we need to take a few steps back — to where it begins. Exhaustion usually shows up like a heavy weight. A body that won’t cooperate. A mind that feels dull or foggy. A quiet dread at the thought of “keeping up.” We’re taught to treat this as a problem to solve. Bu

There’s something tender about January. It carries this cultural hum of fresh starts and reinvention. New year, new you, the headlines say. As if clarity is something we should possess instantly - as if buying a new planner or committing to a morning routine will suddenly change everything. But real beginnings are often messier than that. It can be dark and cold. Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash Absolute clarity doesn’t always arrive on time. In the work I do, and in th

What if the most significant shift AI brings isn’t what we do, but how we think about what we do? We’ve been trained to think in lines. A task leads to a task. An email leads to a reply. A meeting leads to an action. For decades, work has followed a straight path: input → process → output. We digitized that path, optimized it, and automated steps. But we didn’t really question the system's shape itself. Now, AI is forcing that question. Not because it’s faster. But because it

Why humanity is becoming our most powerful leadership asset in the age of AI No matter how much I love a powerful new tool, I believe our most significant advantage isn’t technology - it’s our humanness. And in a world increasingly shaped by AI, that belief feels more urgent than ever. People aren’t necessarily craving faster answers or more intelligent systems. Impressed by it? Absolutely. But what they truly crave is much simpler: Human connections that still feel human. T

“When did AI begin - was it two or already three years ago?” That question came up in a recent conversation, and it stuck with me. As December invites reflection, my team and I find ourselves doing just that - thinking not just about what we do or why we do it, but how we operate. And what is the role of AI in all of this? One thing is clear, the “how” has changed, and so has the path. Photo by Christoph Engel Every leader feels it: How do we lead in the age of AI? What does

“I really don’t think AI is going to impact my work.” If I had a dollar (or franc) for every time a leader said that, I’d be running a foundation by now. But here’s the real question: who are they trying to convince? The Moment We’re In We’ve entered a new era for leadership. You can debate whether it’s unprecedented; either way, the rate of change certainly is. And the kind of leadership it demands? It’s already overdue. Here’s what I’m seeing: leaders are landing in one

Last week I was speaking to a room full of students. I was speaking in English, and most of them had French, Italian, or Swiss-German as their first language. Many had their laptops open. Were they watching Netflix, or were they translating and summarising me? I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume the latter is true. So I wondered: how would AI summarise a live talk? So I ran one of my recent talks through an AI tool. It nailed every fact - but missed the po

A senior leader recently told me: “I hate emails that sound like AI. I avoid using it. I don’t want to lose my authenticity.” That reaction is increasingly common - and increasingly justified. Especially now, when we are flooded with AI-generated content that’s not just clunky, but false. A recent Swiss newspaper article found that over half of all online articles may now be generated by AI, with many containing errors or outright fabrications. Entire websites are creating c

Last week, I shared a two-minute AI prompt to help you clarify what you actually want to say, before writing a single word. This week is step three: once your message is clear, how do you choose the best way to deliver it? How you share a message can make or break how it’s received. Photo by Erin Minuskin on Unsplash A few years ago, a leader I worked with wanted to announce a significant change in his organization. He wrote what was undoubtedly a carefully crafted email. The

“I spend more time fixing AI drafts than writing them myself.” I often hear this from thoughtful professionals who want to utilize AI but ultimately feel frustrated. They expect speed and get stuck in revision loops instead. Last week, I visited two gymnasiums with my son. One visit was terrific; the other, not so much. Photo by Alizea Sidorov on Unsplash At the one school, the speech began with us all being scolded for arriving too early, even though we’d taken the only trai

You know that one person who used to write awkward emails? The kind that made you cringe a little - but at least you knew it was them. Then suddenly, all their emails start with: “I want to thank you for your valuable input… your perspectives really helped us gain insight…” And you think: AI is writing me now. And maybe - just maybe - you start to miss those clumsy, slightly chaotic messages because those had a human personality. This new version? It could’ve come from anyone

I recently read a story in a hotel magazine about a mountain restaurant above Oeschinensee in Switzerland. It’s surrounded by peaks, reachable only by cable car or with a hike for the more adventurous — the last place you’d expect to find automation or AI. Yet, the owners installed modern kitchen technology that streamlines food preparation, reduces labour strain and food waste. They did it to stay viable. Even at 1,500 meters, they saw the shift coming. Tourism has surged,

Yesterday, I logged into a familiar tool and noticed three new AI features I hadn’t seen yesterday. No training. No announcement. Just...

A few months ago, at an event, a leader leaned in and lowered his voice as if admitting something he shouldn’t: “I feel like I should...