Future Ready Leadership With Jacob Morgan

What makes vulnerability in leadership powerful, but also dangerous? Leaders often confuse vulnerability with simply admitting mistakes or showing emotions. But without the right foundation, being “open” can backfire, leaving you looking weak or incompetent instead of inspiring trust. In today’s Leadership Spark, the spotlight is on the eight attributes of vulnerable leaders, distilled from my conversations with over 100 global CEOs. The discussion reveals that vulnerability on its own isn’t enough. It has to be paired with strong leadership qualities. We’ll unpack the three crucial attributes leaders need, such as competence, self-confidence, and motivation. You’ll hear real-world stories from failed $150M bets to CEOs battling panic attacks that show how uncomfortable but necessary vulnerability is. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

What does it really take to reach the top of an organization? Beyond the glossy titles and corner offices lies a culture of sacrifice, long hours, and relentless client demands that shape modern leadership. In this episode, we sit down with Pat Tomlinson, CEO of Mercer, to explore the realities of work culture, the growing “996” trend of long hours, and the sacrifices it takes to rise to senior leadership. Pat shares candid reflections on his own work ethic and why hard work, visibility, and flexibility remain cornerstones for career growth, particularly in professional services. From there, the conversation expands into major workplace shifts—declining birth rates, longevity risk, and the mounting pressures on healthcare and retirement systems. We also discuss the war for talent, the evolving role of employee experience and wellness programs, and the balance between organizational support and individual accountability. Finally, we explore AI’s impact on work, why productivity gains require redesigning jobs rather than bolting on technology, and the cultural challenges leaders face in adopting these tools. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

We often talk about employee engagement, but before that comes something deeper: experience itself. Just like we invest our own time and money into personal experiences that create lasting memories, employees evaluate their organizations through the experiences they have at work. The problem? For over a century, companies have designed work as if humans were robots—linear, rigid, process-driven, and void of humanity. From definitions of “manager” as “slave driver” to “employee” as “cog,” the very language of work reveals how broken the system has been. But times have changed. In today's Leadership Spark, we'll unpack the true meaning of experience at work and why it’s become the defining factor of the future workplace. If organizations want to attract, retain, and inspire talent, they must redesign around humanity, not utility. This episode explores why experience is the missing link between engagement and performance, and how leaders can bring humanity back to work. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

AI is shaping the future of work, no doubt, but are organizations truly ready to harness its full potential? Beyond the hype, leaders are grappling with challenges around AI adoption, cultural resistance, and the fear of losing human judgment in the process. What do leaders need to know about balancing AI’s promise with its pitfalls? In this episode, Peter Mahoney, Chief Commercial Officer at GoTo (formerly LogMeIn), reflects on decades of technology transformation and what it reveals about today’s AI moment. We explore why AI feels both overhyped and underutilized, the gap between IT leaders and employees, and how workplace culture influences adoption. Peter highlights where AI already delivers real productivity gains—from virtual assistants enhancing customer experience to tools that accelerate workflow integration and employee training. At the same time, he warns about the risks of over-reliance, AI limitations, and the need for leaders to protect critical thinking in their organizations. You’ll gain a clear view of how leaders can use AI responsibly to innovate, protect culture, and guide the future of work. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

What if your leadership skills were truly borderless? Could you step into any culture, any team, anywhere in the world—and still thrive? That’s the challenge and opportunity of developing a Global Citizen mindset, one of the most crucial traits for leaders today. In today’s Leadership Spark, I share why the Global Citizen mindset is a non-negotiable skill for modern leaders. I tell the story of a remarkable CEO who defied cultural limitations in Morocco, built her career across multiple countries, and earned the nickname “Water Lady” for brokering a major deal between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. We explore how leading in different cultures teaches unique lessons—like patience in Japan or entrepreneurship in the U.S.—and why cultural blind spots, such as Disney’s failed “Euro Disney” launch, can sink even the strongest brands. You can’t lead a world-sized organization without a world-sized mindset. Check out what it means to build this mindset in this episode. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

In business and in life, the most dangerous risk you can take is avoiding risk altogether. Whether it’s leading a team, making strategic investments, or navigating unpredictable markets, risk is always present, yet most leaders misunderstand how to harness it. In this episode, Jim McCormick, best-selling author (The First Time Manager, The Power of Risk) and founder of the Research Institute of Risk Intelligence, shares lessons from 5,590 skydives, high-stakes political decision-making, and years of advising executives on building “risk intelligent” organizations. He breaks down why people are naturally risk-averse, the two-part “Risk Equation” leaders must master, and how to balance instigators and mitigators for optimal decision-making. You’ll learn how to assess opportunities using ideal, most likely, and worst-case scenarios, implement “Possibility of Success Enhancement Measures” (POSSUMS) to improve outcomes, and set guardrails that encourage innovation without micromanagement. Jim also explores how to measure personal and team Risk Quotients, create cultures that reward constructive risk-taking—even when initiatives fail—and avoid the trap of over-relying on AI for critical decisions. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

The way we manage people today is built on ideas from over 100 years ago—ideas designed for factory floors, not modern workplaces. Management was originally created to enforce control, standardize behavior, and ensure compliance. Engagement, empowerment, and innovation? None of those were part of the equation. And yet, many organizations still operate with that outdated playbook, whether they admit it or not. In today’s Leadership Spark, I break down how the roots of management are still shaping the way we lead today, and why that must change. From the rigid philosophies of Frederick Taylor and Henry Fayol to the mindless “yes sir” culture revealed in David Marquet’s story as a submarine captain, we explore the dangers of blind obedience, outdated control models, and transactional leadership. You’ll also hear how even the words we use, such as manager, employee, and work still reflect an antiquated, dehumanizing view of the workplace. Things are changing, and if you want to lead the future, better start rejecting the “slave driver and cog” model now and build cultures based on trust, empowerment, and shared responsibility. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

Why do we struggle with conflict even when we know it's important? In today’s polarized and high-stakes workplace, leaders are more afraid than ever to say the wrong thing or engage in tough conversations. But avoiding conflict doesn’t protect relationships, it slowly breaks them. In this episode, Bob Bordone, Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, shares why conflict isn’t something to fear, but something to practice and turn into a tool for connection. You’ll learn how to build conflict resilience by recognizing your default conflict style (fight, flight, freeze, fawn, or fester), why avoidance is the “slow kill” of meaningful relationships, and how to approach disagreement with assertiveness and empathy. We also tackle how to know when to engage in conflict and when to let it go, handling workplace tension and generational differences, why most workplaces misunderstand psychological safety, and why grace—not censorship—is the antidote to cancel culture. This episode will show you why discomfort isn't something to run from and give you the mindset and tools to handle conflict with more clarity, confidence, and care. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

If aliens landed on Earth and observed how we work, they’d probably be baffled. We spend most of our lives doing this thing called “work,” yet so many people feel unfulfilled, undervalued, and stuck in roles that don’t inspire them. It’s even baked into our language. Look up synonyms for “employee,” “manager,” or “work” and you’ll find words like cog, zookeeper, and drudgery. Something’s clearly broken. But the good news? It’s starting to change. In today’s Leadership Spark, I break down the five major trends reshaping how we define work: the rise of new behaviors driven by tech, generational shifts in values, globalization, increased mobility, and disruptive technologies like AI and automation. We also explore why traditional employee engagement just isn’t cutting it anymore, despite massive investment, engagement scores remain low. You’ll learn why employee experience is the real path forward. If you want to understand where the future of work is headed and what it takes to lead in it, this one’s for you. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

Why are so many employees entering the workforce unsure of themselves, lacking confidence, and not quite ready to thrive? And with AI automating more tasks by the day, what should leaders actually be focusing on to future-proof their people? The world is flooded with information at the speed of light, yet starved of real connection and human skills. So how do we bridge the growing gap between soft skills and hard results? In this episode, Joe Hart, President and CEO of Dale Carnegie, joins us to unpack how to future-proof your workforce by re-centering on timeless human principles like empathy, trust, and communication. We explore why emotional and social intelligence, not technical expertise, will define leadership success in an AI-powered world. You’ll learn how to better understand and lead across generations by shifting from judgment to curiosity, why building confidence and connection should be at the heart of your talent strategy, and why real growth starts with personal responsibility. Plus, we dive into how leaders can prepare Gen Z to be job-ready through more confidence-building and less criticism, and how to balance high-tech tools with high-touch leadership. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

What if your employee perks are actually backfiring… making people disengage faster, not stay longer? The way we attract and retain talent is overdue for a serious reset. In today's Leadership Spark, we dive into why the traditional employer-employee relationship is broken and what leaders must change to stay relevant. You’ll learn how outdated recruitment practices no longer work in a world where candidates interview you just as much as you interview them. We also unpack why engagement initiatives like free lunches or yoga classes, aren’t fixing anything long-term, and how companies end up trapped in a cycle of quick-fix perks that fail to build a lasting connection. You’ll discover the real reason behind declining engagement scores, the hidden trap of the “hedonic treadmill,” and why the next evolution of leadership is about building genuine experiences, not selling false promises. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

So much of what holds leaders back isn’t strategy or skill. It’s the invisible mindset traps we don’t even realize we’re stuck in. Most leadership challenges are created by unconscious patterns running the show beneath the surface. In this episode, we dig into what it really takes to break those patterns with Diana Chapman, executive coach and co-author of The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership. We explore how leaders unknowingly operate from fear instead of trust, how ego-driven patterns around control, approval, and security quietly sabotage progress, and why taking radical responsibility is a game-changer. Diana also breaks down the Drama Triangle—the victim, villain, and hero roles we slip into—and reveals how to break free from reactivity and drama to lead with more clarity and presence. We unpack why addiction to comfort and being right can quietly derail your leadership impact, and explore the dangers of greed in leadership, and what it really means to show up in a state of trust and curiosity. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

What if your office is making people miserable… and you don’t even see it? We now live in a world of hybrid work. The spaces we work in, the technology we use, and the culture we experience shape us more than we realize. If you’re still only focusing on tasks and performance while ignoring the environments that make or break engagement, you’re already falling behind. In today’s Leadership Spark, we uncover the three hidden forces driving employee experience: physical space, technology, and corporate culture. You’ll hear how these environments impact mental health, motivation, and performance, and what you can do to fix the silent culture killers draining your people. This episode will also show you why corporate culture is really the side effects of working at your company, and why modern leaders must see themselves as the front line of human connection, not just task management. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

AI is moving faster than any of us can keep up. Every week brings a new tool, every month a new disruption, and leaders everywhere are left scrambling to understand what this means for their people, their culture, and their future. In this episode, I sit down with Charlotte Eaton, Chief People Officer at Arm—the company powering almost every smartphone on the planet—to explore how AI is fundamentally transforming the workplace. We discuss the skyrocketing demand for AI talent, how companies like Arm are rolling out AI tools across their workforce, and the growing pressure on leaders to stay ahead of rapid technological shifts. Charlotte shares insights on building an AI-ready culture, the risks of outsourcing human thinking to machines, and how leadership mindsets must evolve to thrive in this new era. We also explore the future of work, from the rise of AI co-pilots and system-based thinking to changing views on education, hiring, and organizational design. If you’re struggling to make sense of AI’s rapid takeover, this episode is for you. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

The world of work is changing faster than ever! Globalization, mobility, millennials, technology, and new behaviors are transforming how we lead. In today's Leadership Spark episode, I break down these five trends reshaping work and reveal why they’re forcing every manager to become a better leader. I explore how these shifts are making traditional management obsolete, why people no longer need to work for your company, and what it takes to create an environment where they want to. Get ready to rethink your leadership approach to attract and inspire top talent in today’s competitive job market. This is an episode you can’t miss. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

Most leaders avoid tough conversations out of fear—of seeming harsh, being misunderstood, or facing backlash. But the conversations we dodge are often the key to growth, accountability, and psychological safety. In this episode, Paul Falcone, bestselling author & former CHRO of Nickelodeon Animation, breaks down how leaders can approach tough conversations with clarity, confidence, and compassion. Paul introduces powerful frameworks like the “Performance vs. Conduct” model and the “iron hand with a velvet glove” approach to help leaders hold people accountable without alienating them. He explains why career development and respect in the workplace go hand in hand—and how to deliver feedback that actually builds trust instead of breaking it. We also discuss the delicate balance between psychological safety and high standards, the risks of having too much sensitivity in today’s workplace, and how values-based leadership is quickly becoming a CEO-level priority. Paul shares real-world strategies like quarterly development check-ins, “safe word” communication systems, and team-led accountability sessions to help leaders build stronger relationships while reinforcing high performance and conduct. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

What can a world chess champion teach us about the future of work? More than you think. Just like Magnus Carlsen challenged convention to become the greatest player in history, leaders today need to rethink everything about how we work, lead, and build organizations. This episode explores why challenging convention is no longer optional. We unpack the five trends reshaping work—new employee behaviors, exponential technology growth, a millennial-majority workforce, mobility, and globalization—and why clinging to outdated assumptions is a losing strategy. From redefining what it means to be a manager or employee to understanding the Josh’s of the world who thrive without traditional paths, we learn that the future belongs to leaders who aren’t afraid to question norms, rethink structure, and design organizations people actually want to be part of. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

Great ideas often die, not because they’re wrong, but because no one knows how to influence others to act on them. In leading today’s complex organizations, it’s not enough to be right. The real challenge for leaders is getting people to change behavior, and stay changed. In this episode, we sit down with Joseph Grenny, co-author of Crucial Conversations and one of the world’s leading experts on influence and behavior change, to unpack the science and strategy behind lasting behavior change using his powerful Six Sources of Influence framework. We explore the difference between persuasion and true influence, why most change efforts fail, and how even well-intentioned leaders often rely on the wrong tools—like incentives or policies—when they should be focusing on motivation, social systems, and structural design. Joseph shares real-world stories, including how The Other Side Academy transformed the lives of former felons without a single failed drug test in over a decade. We also look at corporate examples, such as how to pitch ideas internally, how to harness peer pressure the right way, diagnose resistance to change, and why influence always begins with empathy, not authority. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

Most leaders manage culture with dashboards that measure what's easy, not what's true. In this episode of Leadership Spark, KeyAnna Schmiedl, Chief Human Experience Officer at Workhuman, challenges leaders to stop relying on outdated engagement scores and start looking at what really drives culture: recognition. She explains why traditional HR data misses the lived employee experience and how recognition moments reveal the hidden influencers, team dynamics, and unspoken values shaping your organization every day. KeyAnna unpacks how recognition isn’t just a feel-good perk, but a source of human intelligence that shows who’s thriving, who’s struggling, and where your culture is strongest or weakest. Learn how to stop leading with rear-view metrics and start using recognition data to shape your culture in real time. ________________ This episode is sponsored by Workhuman: AI without purpose doesn’t serve people. It’s why many companies have tried, and few have succeeded. Workhuman is one of them. With the groundbreaking release of Human Intelligence, Workhuman combines AI with real recognition data to help leaders do right by their people, and their organization. It’s how you spot burnout before it leads to turnover. Or discover hidden strengths before they’re overlooked. It’s how you build a culture that’s not only productive—but sustainable. That’s what future-ready leadership looks like. Learn more at Workhuman.com and see how Human Intelligence is helping the most forward-thinking companies lead with insight, empathy, and impact. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/

The future of work is changing, and we can't afford to have our leaders evolve backward by sticking to outdated leadership styles. It's high time for a major upgrade because this new era of work won't wait for you to catch up. In this three-part episode, we explore what it takes to thrive at the highest levels of leadership across three urgent dimensions: executive readiness, AI fluency, and hybrid work strategy. We begin with Mark Thompson, world’s #1 CEO coach and author of CEO Ready, who shares what it really takes to step into the top seat: mastering leadership languages, building trust with your boss, and aligning ambition with the real demands of executive life. Then we dive into the age of AI with Dr. Michael Chui, Senior Fellow at McKinsey and QuantumBlack AI, who explains how agentic AI is reshaping leadership itself—from decision-making and team structure to the rising need for leaders who can manage machines as skillfully as people. Finally, we turn to the workplace of the future with Stanford Professor Dr. Nicholas Bloom, the world’s top expert on remote work, who debunks common myths, lays out why hybrid work is the sweet spot, and reveals how AI might accelerate the decline of fully remote roles. ________________ This episode is sponsored by Workhuman: AI without purpose doesn’t serve people. It’s why many companies have tried, and few have succeeded. Workhuman is one of them. With the groundbreaking release of Human Intelligence, Workhuman combines AI with real recognition data to help leaders do right by their people, and their organization. It’s how you spot burnout before it leads to turnover. Or discover hidden strengths before they’re overlooked. It’s how you build a culture that’s not only productive—but sustainable. That’s what future-ready leadership looks like. Learn more at Workhuman.com and see how Human Intelligence is helping the most forward-thinking companies lead with insight, empathy, and impact. ________________ Start your day with the world’s top leaders by joining thousands of others at Great Leadership on Substack. Just enter your email: ⁠⁠https://greatleadership.substack.com/