Graduation in the Era of a 60-Year Work Life
FROM MARK There’s nothing quite like graduation season. Caps and gowns are out again. Pomp and Circumstance is playing across campuses nationwide. Proud parents are booking hotels and restaurants. But behind the smiles and celebrations, this year’s college graduates are facing some seriously tough realities, one of which is the startling realization that many will […]
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Knowing when to pull the plug on work
FROM MARK As we close out Q1 and look ahead to the rest of the year, I’ve been thinking a lot about a simple but powerful four-letter word: STOP. In our always-on, hyper-productive work culture, we’re conditioned to view stopping as failure. We celebrate the starters, the doers, the multitaskers who juggle seventeen priorities while somehow […]
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AI’s reckoning: confronting job loss in the Age of Intelligence
For all the excitement surrounding artificial intelligence – be it the streamlining, the scaling, the automation of everything from expense reports to entire supply chains – there’s a harsher truth that too many companies are sidestepping. AI is eliminating jobs. Not theoretically. Not someday. Now. The euphemisms such as “reallocation,” “upskilling” and “workforce optimization” have served […]
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Sick of the word ‘pivot’ yet? Why constant change is HR’s new normal
Let’s be honest: If we hear the word “pivot” one more time, we might collectively scream into the nearest ergonomic pillow. What started as a heroic badge of adaptability in 2020 has become a permanent fixture in every strategy slide, all-hands meeting and press release. Welcome to 2025: the year of the endless pivot. The economy? […]
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Your Needs, Our Evolution
FROM MARK Following last month’s IA retreat in the California desert, we cleared the sand from our eyes (and elsewhere) to focus on our 20th year of large-scale transformation. Having guided organizations through some of their most complex initiatives, we have been very intentional about not overstaying our welcome, instead focusing intently on knowledge transfer and […]
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4 steps to achieving transformative change in turbulent times
If you’re a senior leader, we fully acknowledge how difficult it is to do your job right now. You are navigating through extreme and unprecedented volatility and disruption. Shifting consumer behaviors, rapid technology changes, intense competition, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions have sadly become the new normal. The pace of change has only accelerated, with new […]
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new year, new challenges
From Mark, Welcome back from what I hope was a rejuvenating holiday break. If you’re like many of us, you returned to your desk with renewed energy and ambitious plans for 2025—only to find that the landscape has shifted yet again during our brief absence. The pace of change continues to accelerate, and with it […]
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Reflections on 2024
From Mark As we approach the end of 2024, it’s a time for reflection, gratitude, and looking forward to new opportunities. This year has brought both challenges and triumphs, but one thing we can all agree on is how much our furry companions have brightened our workdays. Whether they’ve been a source of comfort during […]
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Gratitude and Giving
From Mark As we gather around our tables to celebrate this season of Thanksgiving here in the US, we’re reminded that our greatest privilege lies not just in what we receive, but in what we can give. While life throws us curve balls from time to time, we at IA understand how incredibly lucky we […]
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the haunting signs of year-end burnout
From Mark, The final months of 2024 are upon us, and with shorter days and longer to-do lists, many organizations are facing a familiar challenge: end-of-year burnout. Like the autumn fog that settles in during October evenings, workplace exhaustion can creep up gradually, affecting teams before leadership has a chance to intervene. The relentless pace towards […]
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