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Rebecca Hinds is the Head of the Work AI Institute at Glean. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Rebecca joins Al Dea to unpack why meetings have become one of the biggest barriers to effective collaboration and how leaders can redesign them to actually get work done. Drawing from her research at Stanford, her experience leading innovation labs, and insights from her book Your Best Meeting Ever, Rebecca explains why meetings are often a symptom of broken collaboration systems. The conversation explores meeting overload, calendar “doomsdays,” asynchronous work, and the growing role of AI in meetings and leadership. Rebecca also shares lessons from the Work AI Institute on how organizations can navigate AI transformation with more intention and evidence-based leadership. Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-hinds/Website: https://www.rebeccahinds.com/Book: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Best-Meeting-Ever-Principles/dp/166806748X

Kit Krugman is the SVP of People and Culture at Foursquare, where she is leading a significant shift in how the company approaches culture, performance, and organizational speed. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Kit shares how Foursquare redesigned its people systems to increase product velocity, reduce layers, and strengthen cross-functional teamwork. She explains why performance management became the starting point for culture change, how team-based performance and organizational network analysis provide better signals of impact, and how AI is beginning to reshape coaching, feedback, and learning—and what that means for the future of people leadership. Links Kit’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kitkrugman/Kit's Blog Link: https://foursquare.com/resources/blog/culture/building-for-speed-why-culture-change-starts-with-performance/

Sandra Loughlin is the Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems and one of the leading voices on skills, talent data, and learning science. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Sandra unpacks why so many skills and AI initiatives fall short, what organizations misunderstand about learning and behavior change, and why HR is at an inflection point.  During the conversation, they explore the realities of building skills-based organizations, the role of tasks and context in workforce decisions, and how AI is reshaping talent, L&D, and strategic workforce planning. Sandra also shares why training alone rarely drives change, what real learning requires, and how organizations can make better people decisions by treating skills as a data problem rather than a buzzword. Links https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandraloughlin/

Note: This is a replay of a previous popular episode David Burkus is a Leadership and Teamwork expert, keynote speaker, and author of Best Team Ever. During this conversation, David shares key insights from his book Best Team Ever on what makes teams thrive in today’s workplace. We explore the science behind high-performing teams, the critical role of psychological safety, and why work is increasingly about collaboration. Plus, David breaks down practical strategies for leading cross-functional teams, building social capital, and fostering a culture where everyone contributes their best.  Links Website: https://davidburkus.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/

Note: This is a replay of a previous popular episode The Edge of Work has been exploring the role of the manager as well as the emphasis on manager development throughout its three seasons.  During this episode, Al breaks down the role of the people manager in today’s world of work. During this episode, Al will cover: Why the manager is back in the spotlightThe challenges that managers face in today’s workplaceHow to Reimagine The Role of the ManagerSome best practices for developing managers fit to lead in today’s workplaceLinks: https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/stop-wasting-your-most-precious-resource-middle-managersKameko Leung and Aspiring Managers: https://podcasts.apple.com/cz/podcast/the-changing-landscape-of-talent-development/id1378433981?i=1000626064591&l=cs HBR Article: https://hbr.org/2023/11/reimagine-your-managerial-pipeline

Note: This is a replay of a previous popular episode Conor 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. Links Website: https://www.ai-mindset.ai/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorgrennan/

Note: This episode is a recording of a live virtual webinar. As 2025 comes to a close, Al Dea is joined by Kyle Forrest (Principal, Deloitte Consulting), Ana Maria Sencovici (Chief Talent Officer, Royal Caribbean Group), and Brian Elliott (CEO, Work Forward) for a special end-of-year conversation on The Edge of Work. Together, they reflect on a year defined by uncertainty, AI-driven change, and growing tension in the workplace. Moving beyond hype, they explore what leaders got wrong, what’s beginning to shift, and why the future of work depends less on efficiency and more on redesigning work, rebuilding trust, and leading with clarity and hope in an AI-enabled world. Links Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleforrest/Ana Maria’s LInkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asencovici/Brian’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/belliott/Brian’s Newsletter: https://theworkforward.substack.com/Kyle’s Podcast: https://action.deloitte.com/topic/184/capital-h-podcast?rcrand=1 

In this solo episode, Al Dea reflects on the biggest themes he has been exploring throughout the fall as leaders continue navigating rapid workplace and technology change. He shares what he has learned from helping organizations adopt AI more effectively, the mindset shifts required to rethink how work gets done, and why thinking before doing matters when it comes to using artificial intelligence tools in our work. He also discusses lessons from moderating a panel on influence and impact and highlights the four human skills that will matter most in an AI-powered world.  Links Al Dea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/ The Edge of Work Live: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OdBSLzC-R4mLhVNnRK5dcw 

Lucrecia Borgonovo is the Chief Talent and Organizational Effectiveness Officer at Mastercard, where she leads a global team focused on building a future-ready workforce. In this episode, Lucrecia shares how Mastercard evolved its culture through The Mastercard Way, a framework designed to connect 35,000 employees across 80 countries through shared behaviors and values. She discusses how the company embeds culture into leadership, performance, and talent systems, ensuring that principles like agility, candor, and inclusion come to life every day. Lucrecia also explores how artificial intelligence, continuous learning, and systemic thinking are shaping the future of talent and leadership at Mastercard. Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucrecia-borgonovo-44225310/

Natalie Tincher is the General Manager of Talent, Skills and Performance Management at Delta Air Lines and has led Delta’s ambitious journey to build a companywide skills strategy from the ground up. In this episode, Natalie shares how Delta developed its “Talent Hub” to empower employees to own their growth, foster internal mobility, and create clearer career paths across the organization.  She also discusses the challenges of change management, the importance of keeping things simple when transforming HR processes, and the role of AI in shaping the future of skills-based talent management.  Links Natalie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-d-katz/Skills Strategy Discussion Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12994338/ 

Andy Storch is an Author, Podcast Host, and Keynote Speaker who joins Al Dea to explore the power of personal branding in today’s fast-changing world of work. Drawing from his new book, Own Your Brand, Own Your Career, Andy shares why building an authentic personal brand is essential for career growth, how leaders can use it to attract and retain top talent, and how authenticity and visibility can work hand in hand. He also explains why human connection and storytelling matter more than ever in the age of AI, offering practical advice for professionals who want to take ownership of their careers and stand out in a noisy world. Links LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andystorch/?originalSubdomain=esWebsite: www.andystorch.com Book: ​​https://www.amazon.com/Own-Your-Brand-Career-Accelerates/dp/1736020986 

In this episode of The Edge of Work, host Al Dea joins leaders live from the Guild Opportunity Summit in San Diego to explore the future of talent, career mobility, and skills transformation. The episode features conversations with Matthew J. Daniel, Senior Principal of Talent Strategy and Mobility at Guild; and Marquita Williams, Executive Director of Organizational Learning and Development at AdventHealth. Together, they discuss how leading organizations are aligning career growth with business outcomes, and key insights from Guild and Lightcast’s Talent Resilience Index, a benchmark for understanding career mobility and critical workforce skills shaping today’s workplace. Links Matthew Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjdaniel/Marquita Williams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marquita-williams-764b244b/Talent Resilience Index: https://guild.com/report/talent-resilience-index?utm_source=press&utm_medium=refe[

Anna Tavis is the Department Chair of Human Capital Management at NYU and co-author of The Digital Coaching Revolution. In this episode, Anna explores how technology is transforming coaching from exclusive executive perks into scalable, everyday growth tools for all employees. Anna shares insights from her research and her work with advising digital coaching companies, offering a glimpse into AI-powered, embedded coaching that personalizes learning, feedback, and performance in real-time. Together, they discuss what hybrid human and AI coaching means for organizations, managers, and the future of leadership and employee development. Links NYU Coaching and Technology Summit: https://www.sps.nyu.edu/about/events/human-capital-management-department-events/coaching-and-technology-summit.html Dr. Tavis' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annatavis/Book: https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Coaching-Revolution-Employee-Development/dp/1398612510 Tenor: https://tenorhq.com/

Dr. Serena Gonsalves-Fersch is the Global Head of Talent at SoftwareOne. Drawing from her doctoral research on workforce development in technology-driven environments, Serena explains how traditional learning models no longer fit the pace of change in modern organizations. She outlines how SoftwareOne reimagines learning through contextual business partnerships, a T-shaped team model, and a focus on human skills like empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking. Finally, they explore how AI will reshape, not replace, the learning function and why the future of talent lies in blending data, human insight, and deep organizational context. Links Serena’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-serena-gonsalves-fersch-flpi-a23589/Research: https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/download/36ed76c7176aaafc4f36877bcb9f9ce69b891385e73b311500e597e67e249bcd/12681644/SGonsalvesFersch%20thesis.pdf 

Muriel Wilkins is the Author of Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential. In this episode, Muriel shares how even the most accomplished leaders can unknowingly hold onto beliefs that keep them stuck, and what to do to move beyond them.  Drawing from over 20 years of executive coaching, she unpacks common “hidden blockers” like perfectionism, urgency, and overinvolvement, and explains how leaders can shift from default thinking to conscious leadership. Muriel and Al also explore how intergenerational tension, constant change, and  uncertainty challenge leaders today, and why self-awareness and perspective are the keys to unblocking potential at every level of leadership. Links Muriel’s Website: https://www.murielwilkins.com/ Muriel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murielwilkins/ Muriel’s Book: https://www.murielwilkins.com/book/leadership-unblocked