CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel

In today’s episode: How the low unemployment rate might be misleading due to declining labor force participation. Signs of an economic slowdown, including layoffs in tech and other industries. How current economic data might not fully reflect people’s real-life experiences. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplac...

In today's episode: Despite low unemployment and good economic numbers, people are still reporting a that it's hard to find a job. That's especially true for young people. July is going to be a time of big layoffs as companies are restructuring around AI and uncertain economic times. Online applications are being screened out by AI; other low-effort methods largely don't work. Networking, door-kno...

In today's episode: We're past "return-to-office." By and large, workers are back in the office or on hybrid schedules. Employer/employee leverage is a matter of supply and demand that changes over time. Right now, most sectors have a larger supply than demand, giving employers more leverage. The supply and demand are only flipped in a few sectors, including AI and manufacturing, but those trends...

In today's episode: Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora meets with 100 random employees every week, taking the pulse of the company. As a result, the people in the company know that he cares. Culture is about what you prioritize when faced with a choice; values are only tested when push comes to shove. In the short-term, standing up for values might seem at odds with profit. In the long-term, ther...

In today's episode: If a company's culture lacks accountability, a four-day work week won't fix things. If a company does have accountability, then a four-day work week won't destroy that. Mandating a four-day work week won't have a guaranteed effect across industries. It's one solution that works in certain places and breaks down in others. For leaders: don't manage activity. Manage to outcomes....

In today's episode: In the workplace, we usually see love appear in two kinds of situations: in the face of great success and great tragedy. Grief is the period of transition from what you are to what you're becoming; there are parallels with change management. There's a power in sitting with grief and being present for it, no matter the scale. Accountability is love; it's caring about someone eno...

In today's episode: There's a quiet rolling-back of DEI efforts in corporate America; the leadership pipeline is narrowing. DEI backlash is leading to quiet career edits; resumes being edited to remove pronouns and downplay their LGBTQ+ identities. The problem isn't just about fairness; it's about risk, strategy, and long-term performance. The data is clear that diverse leadership leads to better...

In today's episode: Post-pandemic, leaders are looking for cost-savings and strong results, not the feel-good culture stuff. But culture is what persists in a company through the long-term; it outlives individual leaders, teams, and circumstances. A good culture captures cost-savings and improves the employee experience. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the...

In today's episode: When making decisions, leaders are often balancing multiple factors. In deciding between options, we risk bouncing like a pendulum--romanticizing one side until we finally notice the negatives, then thinking the grass is greener elsewhere and racing to the other extreme. The best solution is often somewhere in the middle; finding the best of both worlds while being aware of the...

In today's episode: Given the huge fixed costs of benefits, the cost of overtime and straight-time for employees tends to be equal. As healthcare costs rise, overtime pay gets comparatively cheaper--and straight-time hours are becoming more expensive. Idle time is a huge expenditure for companies, and it comes in many forms--including staffing to the peak in an attempt to avoid overtime. CEO Daily...

In today's episode: Consumer and producer inflation appear soft, but this isn't the whole story. Low monthly numbers are being pulled down by declining fuel prices. Costs for machinery and vehicles are slowly rising; there's a quiet build of tariff-related cost pressure under the surface. Don't mistake calm for certainty; economic trends take a long time to appear. CEOs need to pay attention to th...

In today's episode, Jessica discusses the new Wall Street Journal article, ⁠The Biggest Companies Across America Are Cutting Their Workforces⁠: AI advances mean companies can cut broad swaths of middle management to become more efficient. When we asked CEOs if they'd be willing to cut 30-40% of their workforce if they knew the remainder would be dedicated--they said yes. Companies don't just need...

In today's episode: The data is clear: one of workers' biggest issues is scheduling inconsistency and a lack of power over their working hours. Volatility in scheduling is more than a logistics issue; it's a morale issue. When people have little control over their time, they're checking out emotionally and physically. Predictability can be flexibility; it allows people to plan their lives around w...

In today's episode: It's hard to find authentic relationships in the workplace beyond the transactional. Our online interactions with coworkers are increasingly automated and sanitized. Instead of clicking the button for an automated response on LinkedIn or Facebook, consider taking a minute to leave an authentic message. And if you aren't moved, then consider not saying anything. CEO Daily Brief...

In today's episode: Preliminary consumer sentiment data shows things are improving. CEOs should be glad for any good news in these difficult times, but it's still like driving through fog. Inflation numbers are still low, but economists expect it to still go up in the coming months. Culture Leaders Daily is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-...

In today's episode: To Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora, acquiring a company requires respect for the employees of the acquired company from day one. An acquired company was doing something right in the marketplace before being bought; now, they're part of the same larger team. Palo Alto Networks often gives a financial incentive for the original leaders of a team to stick around--retaining the...

In today's episode: AI is being implemented across the workplace--Culture Partners recently tested an AI analysis of a leadership call, to interesting results. With AI analyzing conversations, leaders are less able to control the narrative. That may be a good or bad thing. Some important ethical concerns are being glossed over as the AI race continues. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podca...

In today's episode: In the public, messy fight between the world's richest man and the world's most powerful one, it's the American people who lose. There's a strange authenticity to both men that we wouldn't see from other leaders who are better able to control themselves. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button workplac...

In today's episode: Traditionally, we tend toward risk management in life, which leads to less non-linear thinking. To Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora, it's non-linear thinking creates revolutionary concepts. Leadership requires a tremendous amount of self-confidence; asking "if someone can do it, why can't I?" CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week'...

In today's episode: The latest jobs report has promising numbers, but there's still widespread uncertainty at all levels of the workplace. Taking a metaphor from Dr. Nela Richardson at ADP: leaders feel like they're driving through fog. To take the metaphor further, Jessica suggests some ways for leaders to: slow down, turn on your low beams, turn down the noise, and watch for brake lights ahead....

In today's episode: Loving your team doesn't mean coddling and shielding them. It means caring enough to hold people accountable. Love means having the tough conversations, including tough feedback. If you're worried about how you'll being perceived, that's selfishness. Loving other people means showing up for them and giving them what they need to flourish. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute...

In today's episode: When looking to create alignment within your company, don't get caught in the action trap of doing "more." Step back and ask: what are the underlying beliefs that are blocking alignment? What systems within the organization are creating experiences that create those beliefs? An example roadblock to collaboration is the belief that fellow salespeople are competition. That's ofte...

In today's episode: Don't mistake compliance for alignment. Leaders might be receptive to all feedback, but that doesn't mean they'll get it. Employees know their careers are in their boss's hands, which incentivizes them to stay on your good side. As leaders, we need to acknowledge that power imbalance and strive to get people to open up more. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for C...

In today's episode: The illusion of total control is one of the biggest dangers to leaders. That need from control is based in fear. True leadership comes from surrender--understanding how much we can't control and trusting the people around us. The only thing we can control is the experiences we shape for employees; these experiences shape their beliefs, drive their actions, and produce results....

In today's episode: CEOs want the employees they hire to drive results for the company. But there are different perspective at different levels of the corporate chain. Feedback doesn't always flow in both directions. When people aren't clear about the intended results, they fall back on what they do know--the tasks they were hired for. But that may not achieve the results that leaders have in mind...