Business Leadership Archives - The Future of Work Exchange https://futureofworkexchange.com/category/business-leadership/ The Future of Work Starts Here! Wed, 12 Mar 2025 19:33:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://i0.wp.com/futureofworkexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/cropped-arctic-fox.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Business Leadership Archives - The Future of Work Exchange https://futureofworkexchange.com/category/business-leadership/ 32 32 194756958 Develop Your Soft Skills with AI-Powered Training https://futureofworkexchange.com/2025/02/13/develop-your-soft-skills-with-ai-powered-training/ Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:52 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=4622 The Future of Work encompasses many characteristics. However, attributes like communication, collaboration, and community contribute greatly to enterprise success. There is an elicited sense of interconnectedness between leaders and their workforce and among employees themselves. At the heart of those dynamics is soft skills that help drive workforce interactions and business outcomes. In today’s world […]

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The Future of Work encompasses many characteristics. However, attributes like communication, collaboration, and community contribute greatly to enterprise success. There is an elicited sense of interconnectedness between leaders and their workforce and among employees themselves. At the heart of those dynamics is soft skills that help drive workforce interactions and business outcomes. In today’s world where artificial intelligence permeates nearly every area of the workplace, AI is coming into its own as a tool to enhance soft skill development.

Think soft skills are only a recent workforce concentration? Not quite. In 1918, the Carnegie Foundation published Charles Riborg Mann’s A Study of Engineering Education, which cited that 85% of a person’s job success is a product of soft skills and that only 15% of success is based on technical knowledge. Even more than 100 years ago, the criticality of workplace soft skills was being emphasized. However, the pandemic helped bring soft skills into sharper focus as other Future of Work elements (e.g., flexibility, remote work, empathetic leadership) became mainstream concepts and areas of importance.

Now with artificial intelligence leading the way in technology utilization, enterprises have an opportunity to leverage AI for greater workforce enablement — particularly around soft skills.

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Business Lessons from Super Bowl LIX https://futureofworkexchange.com/2025/02/10/business-lessons-from-super-bowl-lix/ Mon, 10 Feb 2025 14:12:10 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=4616 Is it just me or does the NFL season go by too fast? Seems like just a few weeks ago that we were all huddled in our respective war rooms with cheat sheets preparing for fantasy football drafts. The 2024 NFL season is in the books after the Philadelphia Eagles thrashed the Kansas City Chief’s […]

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Is it just me or does the NFL season go by too fast? Seems like just a few weeks ago that we were all huddled in our respective war rooms with cheat sheets preparing for fantasy football drafts. The 2024 NFL season is in the books after the Philadelphia Eagles thrashed the Kansas City Chief’s bid for a three-peat Super Bowl win (and stopping them from becoming the first team to do so in the modern era) with a 40-22 dismantling of the reigning champs in New Orleans.

The big game offers a unique, Future of Work-oriented lens for business insights, transforming the world’s biggest sport evening into a masterclass of strategic planning, leadership dynamics, and operational innovation.

So, some business lessons from Super Bowl LIX:

  • Homegrown talent is still critical to enterprise objectives. The Super Bowl MVP, Jalen Hurts, was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens comprise 80% of the Eagles’ stout offensive line that was drafted…

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AI Redefines Talent Upskilling https://futureofworkexchange.com/2025/02/06/ai-redefines-talent-upskilling/ Thu, 06 Feb 2025 11:02:54 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=2648 The Future of Work paradigm is being redefined by technologies complementing talent acquisition and workforce strategies. Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence (AI) is the driving technology most enterprises are trying to harness. While AI and its subsets, such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP), are utilized across industry sectors, what does this mean for […]

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The Future of Work paradigm is being redefined by technologies complementing talent acquisition and workforce strategies. Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence (AI) is the driving technology most enterprises are trying to harness. While AI and its subsets, such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP), are utilized across industry sectors, what does this mean for the current and future workforce? Undoubtedly, the automation derived from AI has created employee apprehension, when, in fact, there lies an opportunity to leverage the technology for strengthening workforce skillsets through upskilling. Most experts agree that automation will transform some jobs, leading to a greater focus on upskilling as workers strive to remain relevant and competitive in their career fields.

Upskilling is akin to learning new skills to better perform your job — not to be confused with reskilling, which is investing in skills for a different job. This leads to a key question: How critical is upskilling? According to the World Economic Forum, the U.S. could add $800 billion to its GDP by 2030 through upskilling efforts alone. Artificial intelligence can help execute upskilling initiatives and deliver on those economic estimates.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

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The Unheard Voice in the Workplace https://futureofworkexchange.com/2025/01/23/the-unheard-voice-in-the-workplace/ Thu, 23 Jan 2025 11:02:15 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=2902 “Introverts are more effective leaders of proactive employees. When you have a creative, energetic workforce, an introvert is going to draw out that energy better.” –Laurie Helgoe, American psychologist and author of Introvert Power When it comes to workforce personalities, most workers identify as an extrovert or introvert. And while many people assume extroverts are […]

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“Introverts are more effective leaders of proactive employees. When you have a creative, energetic workforce, an introvert is going to draw out that energy better.” –Laurie Helgoe, American psychologist and author of Introvert Power

When it comes to workforce personalities, most workers identify as an extrovert or introvert. And while many people assume extroverts are the majority, data from The Myers-Briggs Company indicates that introverts account for 57% of the global population. This is significant for a few reasons. First, more of our work colleagues are introverts than we probably realize. Second, it brings into question how enterprise communication and collaboration occur and whether those methods benefit or hinder introversion. Third, a remote or hybrid work model could encourage a healthier, more productive workforce.

Understand the Introvert Workplace Dynamic

The COVID-19 pandemic propelled introverts into a remote work environment that catered to their professional strengths and preferences. Overnight, introverts were working out of their own homes and communicating extensively through chat and video — no longer facing large, in-person group projects and meetings. Many introverts welcomed the independence and empowerment that also came with remote work. Like a Freaky Friday moment, suddenly extroverts lacked dominance within the new solitary, virtual environment.

Today, as some companies pivot away from remote work models, it’s critical to understand how introverts navigate the workplace dynamic. The term “introvert” is often associated with inaccurate characteristics and conditions. For example, an introvert is not someone who:

  • Cannot collaborate with colleagues.
  • Suffers from shyness or social anxiety.
  • Fears verbal communication.
  • Wants to be left alone.
  • Is unable to think strategically.

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To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

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The Future of Work Is Human https://futureofworkexchange.com/2025/01/22/the-future-of-work-is-human/ Wed, 22 Jan 2025 13:42:06 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=4573 Last summer, I stood in front of a packed room of talent acquisition, procurement, HR, and recruitment professionals (as well as many, many friends running contingent workforce programs!) and stated a phrase that I’d repeat ad-nauseum through 2024 and into 2025. The Future of Work is human. While it’s hard to believe that we are […]

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Last summer, I stood in front of a packed room of talent acquisition, procurement, HR, and recruitment professionals (as well as many, many friends running contingent workforce programs!) and stated a phrase that I’d repeat ad-nauseum through 2024 and into 2025.

The Future of Work is human.

While it’s hard to believe that we are nearly five years (five years!) removed from the beginnings of the biggest health crisis of our collective lifetimes, the fact remains that the ramifications, both personally and professionally, of the COVID-19 pandemic affected all of us as humans in a deeply profound way…a way that sticks with us even in these early weeks of 2025.

When life (and business) returned to “normal” in late 2021/early 2022 (depending on when you would define “normalcy,” right?), many business leaders and their teams kept that sheen of humanity in how they managed and how they worked, choosing to embrace broad-based hiring, fair treatment, emotional intelligence, and other human-led factors that wore woven into the very fabric and dynamics of “work.”

Somewhere between now and then, though, these amazing attributes began to fade for too many enterprises. Remote and hybrid work, perhaps the most famous of all non-technological Future of Work ideals and probably the centerpiece of the movement’s rapid acceleration during the pandemic, started a rift between workers and executives, who, respectively, yearned for continued flexibility and its rigid counterpart of return-to-office (RTO) mandates (which dismiss the proven benefits of remote and hybrid arrangements that supported and continue to support work-life integration).

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

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To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

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How Does Your Definition of “Team” Align With Today’s Future Of Work-Led World? https://futureofworkexchange.com/2025/01/09/there-is-no-i-in-team/ Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:30:29 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=2734 What does the concept of “team” mean for today’s remote and hybrid enterprises? Many workplaces now operate with dispersed teams. With the criticality of teamwork to execute company initiatives and projects, how teams function in the evolving Future of Work environment will likely have lasting implications on work culture and business success. Thus, it is […]

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What does the concept of “team” mean for today’s remote and hybrid enterprises? Many workplaces now operate with dispersed teams. With the criticality of teamwork to execute company initiatives and projects, how teams function in the evolving Future of Work environment will likely have lasting implications on work culture and business success. Thus, it is imperative that organizations consider how their teams are designed and how collaboration occurs. Coupling team systematics with technologies that facilitate and encourage collaboration helps unify remote and in-person team members. Let’s take a closer look at what that means.

A Growth in Interdependence and Unity

The pandemic helped propel a shift in how employees work together and collaborate. With most people working from home for more than two years now, there was a need to almost over-communicate. Workers found themselves frequently video conferencing with team members whom they had only exchanged emails with in the past. Yet, despite the circumstances, teams accomplished their projects successfully and executed their goals.

A byproduct of this experience was greater team interdependence and cohesion. There was a feeling of “we’re all in this together” — a necessity for today’s dispersed teams post-pandemic. However, it is one thing when nearly everyone in the company is remote, compared to being one of a few working virtually. Without that sense of team interdependence and belonging, it can feel as if you’re working on an island. Companies and business leaders must recognize that the Future of Work means maintaining team unity regardless of where members are located.

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Five Things You Must Know About the Future of Work (Revisited) https://futureofworkexchange.com/2024/12/19/five-things-you-must-know-about-the-future-of-work/ Thu, 19 Dec 2024 11:02:13 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=4499 As we reach the end of 2024, now is a good time to look back at the Five Things You Must Know About the Future of Work.  The Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) and Ardent Partners hosted this complimentary webinar, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work, discussing the critical capabilities […]

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As we reach the end of 2024, now is a good time to look back at the Five Things You Must Know About the Future of Work.  The Future of Work Exchange (FOWX) and Ardent Partners hosted this complimentary webinar, The Five Things You MUST KNOW About the Future of Work, discussing the critical capabilities that enterprises can unlock to truly optimize the way they address talent acquisition, extended workforce management, and, most importantly, work optimization. What follows revisits the five critical FOW areas.

#1 The Evolution of Talent and the Future of Work

When it comes to the Future of Work, one of the first things to know is the evolution of talent and talent acquisition. And this idea of the “evolution of talent” can be ambiguous. Talent is always evolving and has been for a long time. The way that businesses perceive their talent is also evolving. And, the way that those businesses get connected to talent, and vice versa, continues to evolve. It’s also being innovated through technology and new strategies and new programs.

The fact is nearly half of our workforce today is comprised of extended workers or contingent workers. We have aspects like direct sourcing and digital staffing that are making it much easier for businesses to find the talent they need to get work done to address those mission-critical projects and fill the appropriate roles. FOWX and Ardent research has been focused historically on the extended workforce and contingent workforce, but we’re talking about all types of talent.

Thus, talent acquisition as a function and as a series of processes has also progressed. We need to consider aspects like the candidate experience, and the way that our culture and our brand attract new talent into our organization. Many business leaders think of the Future of Work as being centered around technology, revolving around the idea that technology drives the Future of Work. And we  wouldn’t necessarily disagree with that; technology is a critical piece. And for some aspects and attributes of the Future of Work, technology and innovation are the nexus of those areas.

Technology is a Future of Work Centerpiece

Talent and the growth of the extended workforce represent the first leg of the stool with such things as skills and candidate experience, but also digital staffing, direct sourcing, online talent marketplaces, and core workforce management solutions (such as MSPs and VMS platforms) These technologies are helping us to redefine the way we think about work. We’re living in a world where even though we don’t want to hear the word “pandemic” anymore, the pandemic really did shape what we think about the Future of Work.

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To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

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Future of Work 2025: Predictions for the Year Ahead (Part I) https://futureofworkexchange.com/2024/12/17/future-of-work-2025-predictions-for-the-year-ahead-part-i/ Tue, 17 Dec 2024 15:36:04 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=4483 2024 was another watershed year for the world of work and talent…and 2025 promises to be another transformational period in business history. Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange are excited to unveil a series of predictions over the next few weeks from industry thought leaders. “The workplace and talent landscape are rapidly evolving, […]

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2024 was another watershed year for the world of work and talent…and 2025 promises to be another transformational period in business history. Ardent Partners and the Future of Work Exchange are excited to unveil a series of predictions over the next few weeks from industry thought leaders.

“The workplace and talent landscape are rapidly evolving, driven by relentless innovation, particularly through advancements in artificial intelligence within the talent technology ecosystem. Enterprises are increasingly integrating AI-powered capabilities into their talent engagement and acquisition processes, enabling skills-based hiring, and transforming recruitment and workforce management. This evolution not only streamlines operations but also empowers individuals by creating more dynamic and engaging opportunities, aligning roles with skills, and enabling personalized career pathways. In 2025, AI is set to become the pervasive force propelling the Future of Work.”

Lori Hock, CEO, Opptly

“After a couple of years of uncertainty and, as a result, declines in contingent labor spend at many companies; 2025 will be a year of growth. This will be driven by new features and services, including AI that is practical, ethical, and compelling.”

Brian Hoffmeyer, SVP of Market Strategies, Beeline

“Companies that have upgraded their tech stack in the last 3-to-5 years will surge ahead in 2025, leaving behind those that haven’t.”

Brad Talwar, CEO, TalentBurst

As a parent to a college sophomore, I’m excited about how the workforce is evolving to offer GenZ a different lifestyle.  Gone are the days of staying with one company for PTO accruals (me and my love of travel), employers will continue to be challenged to find creative ways to retain talent and remember to focus on the new generation’s passion, not ours.”

Tracey Klein, Fractional Leader, Advisor, and Collaborator, Klein Consulting

“Individual contributors that are fatigued by all the artificial intelligence changes will resist the demands from company ownership to become more comfortable using these ever-growing set of tools. This will lead to a reduced overall corporate employee base and an increase in entrepreneurship.

Value in the physical world will take more center stage. Clinical and light industrial optimization will take more focus. These areas that have historically lagged the traditional commercial side in terms of data-driven decisions will enjoy a renaissance when it comes to data optimization.”

Chris Radvansky, Owner, Rad Consultants

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The Role of Blockchain in Candidates’ Digital Identities https://futureofworkexchange.com/2024/12/12/the-role-of-blockchain-in-candidates-digital-identities/ Thu, 12 Dec 2024 11:02:22 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=4470 A more digital Future of Work environment also means an increase in data volume. Information about potential job candidates collected through direct sourcing efforts, as well as more process digitization puts an abundance of sensitive data at HR’s and business leaders’ fingertips. Concurrently, cybersecurity risks continue to grow as threat actors attempt to thwart individuals’ […]

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A more digital Future of Work environment also means an increase in data volume. Information about potential job candidates collected through direct sourcing efforts, as well as more process digitization puts an abundance of sensitive data at HR’s and business leaders’ fingertips. Concurrently, cybersecurity risks continue to grow as threat actors attempt to thwart individuals’ and corporate efforts to defend against them. Enter blockchain, a technology that holds the potential for capturing and securing sensitive personal and workforce data.

What Is Blockchain?

At its core, Synopsis defines blockchain as “a decentralized, distributed, and public digital ledger that is used to record transactions across many computers so that the record cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks and the consensus of the network.” For each ordered record (i.e., transaction) a block with a timestamp and transaction data is created and linked to subsequent blocks forming a blockchain. Whether it’s financial records, supply chain transactions, or personal information, blockchain guarantees a record of integrity and trust for all parties — without requiring a third party for verification.

Blockchain is most associated with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to secure a record of transactions. However, it is gaining more attention in industries outside of banking, including pharmaceuticals, aerospace and defense, and food and beverage, with several companies piloting blockchain technology for track-and-trace initiatives. For example, in the food supply chain, a supplier is unable to alter transaction data such as batch numbers, ensuring the ability to appropriately track and trace specific food shipments in the event of a recall.

The technology is now making its way into the HR function. This week, we’ll look at blockchain from the individual level (digital identity), followed by part two, exploring areas where HR can leverage blockchain to benefit the enterprise.

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Enterprise Agility Through Tribal Teams https://futureofworkexchange.com/2024/12/05/enterprise-agility-through-tribal-teams/ Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:02:58 +0000 https://futureofworkexchange.com/?p=2950 Most of us worked remotely during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We adapted quickly to new ways of working and communicating. Often, we had to collaborate differently to gain transparency and complete projects. That usually meant pulling employees from other departments into team meetings or creating more diversified, cross-functional virtual teams —with enterprise […]

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Most of us worked remotely during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. We adapted quickly to new ways of working and communicating. Often, we had to collaborate differently to gain transparency and complete projects. That usually meant pulling employees from other departments into team meetings or creating more diversified, cross-functional virtual teams —with enterprise agility as the objective. The need for agility since the pandemic began is now embedded within leading enterprises. So, too, is the agile concept of workplace tribes to innovate and solve business challenges.

What Is a Tribe?

Workplace tribes are comprised of 100 or fewer employees who bring interdisciplinary backgrounds to their groups. Rather than focusing on one large business objective, tribes are assigned specific aspects of a project or initiative. For example, an enterprise may be looking for new customer markets. A tribe could have members from procurement, logistics, marketing, finance, and others who are assigned a precise country to explore its viability.

The rest of this article is available by subscription only.

Introducing a New Subscription Model

To continue providing valuable insights and resources on the future of work and extended workforce management, we’re transitioning our site to a paid subscription model. While some posts will remain free, subscribing will grant you exclusive access to in-depth analysis, market research, expert interviews, and actionable strategies that will help improve your business. Solution providers and practitioners are invited to join today and gain a competitive edge by tracking the industry’s important innovations, emerging trends, and best practices.

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