CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel

In today's episode: Happy Hour used to be a staple of office culture, but fewer Americans are now drinking and more are working from home. But as Jessica explains, this marks the loss of an important opportunity for professionals to make connections and mentors in an informal environment. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-...

In today’s episode: Jessica and John discuss the Wall Street Journal article, The $160,000 Mechanic Job That Ford Can’t Fill The Ford jobs don't make $160k out of the gate--it takes a decade or more to reach that number, and the hourly skilled workforce is leaning toward jobs that have more immediate rewards. This isn't only a Ford story. Boeing is also having trouble filling their reliable machin...

In today’s episode: Jessica and John discuss how tipping culture is getting out of hand. It may be a problem of employers, but it may also be coming from the point-of-sale system makers. Tipping big can be a way to get better service--it creates an experience for people that changes employees' beliefs and gets you results. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect t...

In today’s episode: Minimum-wage hikes are taking effect across the country. People deserve a living wage--but we know the result of these hikes is that a lot of people will be getting fired. The question is: are we getting better products and services with fewer employees? Sometimes yes, sometimes no--and we still want more American jobs. The solution involves consumers voting with their wallets,...

In today's episode: Jessica and Culture Partners CEO Joe Terry discuss the origins of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Surrender to Lead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the book they co-authored that's coming out next year. The action trap comes from fear--the fear of failing to achieve the results you want. It's important to take a breath and ask why? What beliefs are needed to get the right actions? Moving into leadership positions changes...

In today's episode: Cisco's Jeetu Patel explains the futility of legacy as a motivator for action--eventually, we're all going to be forgotten. Instead, he emphasizes the immense value of doing good now. If we can make people's lives better today, that's worth doing for itself. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's biggest news, unpack hot-button work...

In today’s episode: AI is hollowing out the middle of HR. The professionals who will remain will be the ones who can work strategically and demonstrate value to the bottom line. The work that's being offloaded is the passive, compliance-based tasks. What's left is for HR professionals to step out of the office and drive results. The Container Store serves as an interesting case study--they decided...

In today’s episode: No matter the economic conditions, the best workers will always have a job. Even as unemployment rises, companies should never let their guard down. Nobody is firing top talent; companies are going out of business, and their top talent are getting snatched up quickly. When companies have trouble retaining top talent, the problem is rarely the talent--it's the company's culture....

In today’s episode: Jessica and John discuss the new Wall Street Journal article: The Year the Job Market Hit a Wall What can leaders do to help solve these problems? Fundamentally, it's important to stay positive and optimistic--and positive results will follow. CEOs have influence at a macro-scale; operating from a place of hope will make a difference. Being a leader means intentionally setting...

In today's episode: The affordability crisis is most pronounced in California--and it's a systemic policy issue. California's heavy regulations on zoning, energy, and other fields constrain supply while demand grows. The lesson here: well-intentioned policies without accountability leads to these painful results. This is what happens when systems optimize for signaling instead of outcomes. CEO Dai...

In today's episode: As the year wraps up, it feels like things suddenly get much busier. People are trying to get things "off their plate" before the holidays--turning these weeks into a stressful rush. Email is an accountability killer. People love an empty inbox, but sending an email isn't the same as resolving a matter. Jessica's suggestion: don't worry about it. You can keep a few emails in yo...

In today's episode: Jessica and Culture Partners CEO Joe Terry discuss the origins of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Surrender to Lead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the book they co-authored that's coming out next year. To implement the idea of "Surrender to Lead," Jessica created the SHIFT model: Stop fighting reality, Have faith, Identify what's yours, Free yourself from fear, and finally Take the next right action. CEO Daily Brief is a...

In today’s episode: Across the American economy, people are disengaging and lacking purpose in their work. This isn't only an AI story--it's part of automation broadly, as well as bigger economic trends. People want to be useful. For a long time, they've found meaning in their work. What happens when that gets diminished? CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect th...

In today's episode: SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union CEO discusses how credit unions differ from banks--it's a cooperative business model that puts the customer first. In the standard corporate world, profit expectations can create a distorted view of success and failure. Employee engagement and member financial well-being end up being more important metrics for success. CEO Daily Brief is a dail...

In today’s episode: Amazon recently made headlines by laying off employees over text and email. Does this matter? In some instances, this treatment of white-collar workers is catching up to the way blue-collar workers have long been treated. On the other hand, in an era of evolving technology, layoffs via technology may be easier for both the employees and employers. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, fi...

In today’s episode: "Wait your turn" cultures - with strict class structures based around seniority - disincentivize strong performers. This is a frequent dynamic across generational lines. Ambitious attitudes from young, new employees is treated differently from ambition on higher rungs of the ladder. Ego and greed are getting in the way of unleashing the power of entire teams. That kind of minds...

In today's episode: Jessica and Culture Partners CEO Joe Terry discuss the origins of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Surrender to Lead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the book they co-authored that's coming out next year. In a position as an individual contributor--sales, athletics, early-stage career--control is key to your success. Moving into leadership positions changes the game. Trying to control others doesn't work. Enabling others to s...

In today’s episode: "Data-driven insights" is often a lie; data is used to justify decisions after-the-fact, rather than informing decision-making. Many companies want to do surveys, but cherrypick the data they want to act upon and share publicly. Leaders should know that they don't have a full picture of the company. It's crucial to pay attention to the reality that the data is reporting in orde...

In today’s episode: Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. This holds in business and in all aspects of life. Brand is also an outward manifestation of your culture, and vice versa. How you handle difficult situations, as leaders, impacts your culture and your brand as a whole. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we dissect the week's bigges...

In today’s episode: Jessica and John discuss the nature of power in the modern economy. Is there more power in the hand of corporations or governments in the modern era? And which is more dangerous? Wherever you stand ideologically, there's something wrong with the current K-shaped economy--and it could mean bad things for capitalism broadly. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEO...

In today’s episode: A recent article got a lot of attention for claiming that the new poverty line is $140,000 a year. Jessica and John discuss the article and the criticism -- that number feels pretty high, even for a family. However, everyone's in agreement that the current poverty line doesn't meet the moment. People are struggling right now across America. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minu...

In today's episode: Jessica and Culture Partners CEO Joe Terry discuss the origins of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Surrender to Lead⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, the book they co-authored that's coming out next year. Many leaders confuse "culture" with "making people happy;" they throw pizza parties and happy hours, then wonder why they're not getting the necessary results. Happiness is not in your control. A leader's job is to create an e...

In today’s episode: For 2026, John predicts unemployment above 6%, a lengthy recession, and a stock market correction. Jessica predicts that HR will be fully hollowed out. HR leaders are failing to meet the moment and are getting replaced by technology. She also predicts that college graduates will be forced into entrepreneurship as the road to success, not the traditional corporate path. CEO Dail...

In today's episode: SHRM's Chief Data and Analytics Officer recently made an AI clone of CEO Johnny C. Taylor, training it on emails and public appearances. The AI served as a pre-meeting reherasal for pitching and refining ideas before bringing them to the boss, and it seems to be working. A growing number of companies are experimenting with AI "digital doubles" designed to make leaders more acce...

In today’s episode: Jessica and John discuss the recent Business Insider piece on SHRM -- and all the problems with the reporting. The piece seems to take issue with the fact that SHRM is a business with rules and a culture that's driving results. SHRM is adapting to the new era of work more successfully than most of the HR world. CEO Daily Brief is a daily, five-minute podcast for CEOs where we d...