CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel

In today's episode: If the China tariffs continue, loads of everyday products--like makeup--will become twice as expensive. These small-scale impacts will happen everywhere. Meanwhile, on the large scale, China has cancelled its planned purchases of Boeing airplanes. That macro-level decisions also have huge consequences across the economy. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs...

In today's episode: The hype over last week's Blue Origin space mission got a slew of criticism for being spectacle over substance. We see a similar focus on spectacle in attempts at culture change, too. But people recognize inauthenticity in their bones. Culture change is about slow, consistent progress. It requires leaders to focus on what they can change within themselves to shift the beliefs o...

In today's episode: People are still in the habit of "please" and "thank you" to ChatGPT; they're obeying the rules of politeness without actually meaning it. ChatGPT and other large-language models are echo chambers with a population of just ourselves. There's an erosion of authenticity in society generally, which AI is accelerating. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where...

In today's episode: In the face of hardship, convicted leadership means taking a risk; compliant leadership absorbs difficult circumstances without rocking the boat. Both are valid paths. Neither choice should come from impulse or anger; it should be a calculated decision based on the stakes and values of a particular company. It's worth asking, as a leader: how often do I rely on one tool or anot...

In today's episode: Monique Robertson Gunter explains how she helped Wellby Financial build a culture where employees felt their feedback would be heard and implemented. She took regular feedback meetings, wrote lots of notes, and framed the conversation to create the belief that her follow-up questions came from curiosity, not defensiveness. By surrendering to collective knowledge and experiences...

In today's episode: In working with Culture Partners, Wellby Financial set key results and aligned a culture around achieving them. They escaped the action trap and built a culture of feedback and continuous improvement--as a result, they've been hitting ambitious goals that weren't possible just a few years ago. In a culture of feedback, leaders hear from team members; in a culture of improvement...

In today's episode: Your top talent knows they're top talent; they have leverage, even if leadership doesn't acknowledge it directly. In volatile, inflationary times, everyone is feeling the pressure; now is a good time to revisit compensation strategies. Try opening a direct conversation with top talent about compensation, rather than waiting for them to leave. It might save you a headache. CEO D...

In today's episode: Jessica talks about Greg Satell's new article - We Need to Break the Disruption Mindset Workers are tired of the Silicon Valley-esque obsession with disruption. They have change fatigue. Lasting change can't be mandated or enforced. It comes from common ground and steady buy-in. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, u...

In today's episode: Worker confidence is lower than leadership confidence, and it's declining faster. There are three root causes: ambiguity around AI and the economy, erosion of workplace culture, and stagnation leading to a lack of innovation. To avoid companies becoming rigid and inflexible--which hampers creativity and results--leaders should address these tensions and fears head-on. CEO Daily...

In today's episode: Companies are more than just profits and losses on a spreadsheet; they're made of people with drive, knowledge, and morale. To ConstantContact's Frank Vella, first-line managers are the key to keeping the company running smoothly. By communicating with managers and responding to feedback, Frank creates sincere, consistent story of the company that he can share with employees an...

In today's episode: President Trump's long-term strategy with tariffs is to bring back American manufacturingg. In the short term, manufacturing will shut down across America as companies put a hold on shipping goods. As a leader of the UAW told Jessica: even if the tariffs are good on paper for auto workers, a nationwide recession is still bad for everyone. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute...

In today's episode: We're living in a time of constant changes; the best way to survive is to be flexible. This pairs with the research Culture Partners did with Stanford: an adaptable culture proved to outperform any specific culture type. When conditions shift, strategies shift. When strategies shift, culture needs to shift to meet the new needs. When culture fails to change, a company stagnates...

In today's episode: Jessica and John react to the sweeping tariffs President Trump announced last week, and the market nosedive that we've seen since. The tariffs have set the world into an "us versus them" situation; the rest of the world is going to start making deals and alliances without the input of the US. It's not clear what the plan is; and as citizens, it's important to keep asking for de...

In today's episode from Schwab Network: The March jobs report was pretty promising--but it's being overshadowed by the uncertainty around the tariff story. The jobs report is looking backward, while everyone is looking forward to the uncertain future. Agility is the new stability. Leaders need to focus on how to pivot as the situation changes in the coming years. Culture Leaders Daily is a daily,...

In today's clip from one of Jessica's keynotes: If it seems like somebody isn't bought into the company's mission, there's an easy fix: ask. If they're not bought in, then learn what experiences they would need to acquire the beliefs you want. Subcultures are natural within a company. Internal diversity of thought can often be a strength. Company cultures can help people self-actualize. With that...

In today's episode from Merit TV: Last week, RFK Jr. announced large cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services--amid big cuts across Washington. Lives are impacted by big job cuts, but a leader's job is to figure out their purpose, strategy, and how to create clarity, alignment, and accountability around those things. The key question: what is the plan, and how can we be accountable to t...

In today's episode with special guest, Andrew Collier: Deals aren't about dominance. There's a power in acknowledging the beliefs and positions of other people. A conciliatory attitude puts both parties of a negotiation on equal footing; from that place of parity, real business relationships can flourish. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest...

In today's episode with special guest, Andrew Collier: One of the biggest mistakes that leaders can make is to forget their humanity in pursuit of results. At a basic level, deals are still made between people who need to like and trust each other. When people interact authentically--no matter how different they are--that shared humanity is the foundation for collaboration that can create long-ter...

In today's episode from Merit TV: AI is coming in all fields: manufacturing, knowledge work, organization, and leadership. With an abundance mindset, we can use that change to benefit all people. But that takes a shift in leadership. It's a mistake to offload leadership tasks to AI; leaders should be creating belief systems that allow us to leverage AI while benefiting society. Culture Leaders Dai...

In today's clip from one of Jessica's keynotes: Experiences shape your company's culture. The most powerful real experiences: Storytelling, Recognition, and Feedback. Every week, if you share one story, give two people recognition, and give or receive three pieces of feedback, you can take concrete steps to reinforcing the culture that you want. Even better, start to incorporate the specific belie...

In today's episode: Employee ownership is a great way to get company-wide alignment, but it's not the only tool. Alignment can come from storytelling, reinforcing mission-aligned behaviors, and other experiences throughout an employee's tenure. Leaders control the experiences of their employees; those experiences create a culture where employees are aligned and drive results. In times of distress,...

In today's episode: The action trap destroys innovation and creativity. The key to avoiding the action trap is realizing that employees are people driven by their underlying beliefs--not just directives from leadership. Those beliefs are powerful drivers of action. Some experiences are unavoidably bad, and will end up associated with leadership no matter what happens. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, f...

In today's episode: In recessions, some companies panic and some try to take advantage of the situation. It turns out, the best approach was to do nothing at all. The panic of a crisis can lead to compliance, as employees try to retain their jobs by not rocking the boat. But compliance isn't the same thing as alignment. They key is to avoid the action trap--overloading on actions without being foc...

In today's episode: KKR's Pete Stavros explains some of the CEO pushback to employee shared ownership models--including the fact that it can seem like an overwhelming change. Shared ownership aligns the incentives for employees and leaders, breaking down silos and fostering collaboration. Empathy is a variable trait that can be trained, and more empathetic leaders make for stronger culture changes...

In today's episode: KKR's Pete Stavros explains why he believes employee shared ownership can help solve the inequality and unhappiness in our workforce. The ESOP movement has been around for decades, but the concept is still not well-known. While hourly wages disincentivize productivity, employee shared ownership aligns the incentives of employees with the business. When done right, people and pr...