CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel
In just five minutes a day, Dr. Jessica Kriegel, Chief Strategy Officer of Workforce and Labor for Culture Partners, unpacks the latest research, trends and strategies shaping workplace culture, and driving business results. CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
What Does Your Company Know That BLS Never Will?
In today's episode:
There's a reason recruiting is difficult even when macro data says the labor market is cooling, and it has nothing to do with the economy.
A staggering statistic reveals where most people actually get their beliefs about a company.
A strange new trend that shows how AI screening is reshaping when and how candidates apply for jobs.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica...
Supply & Demand
In today's episode:
There's a strange economic contradiction happening right now, interest rates rising while the economy cools, and one theory points to two very specific culprits.
A comparison between today's mortgage rates and the 18% rates of decades past reveals a much bigger story.
Massive government borrowing and data center spending may be locking small and medium businesses out of the capital they need to grow and hire.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global...
Resilience & The Last Man Off the Miracle on the Hudson
In today's episode:
A guest who was the final passenger off Flight 1549 – The Miracle on the Hudson – reveals the exact words that ran through his head as water rose around him.
There's a specific lesson about decision making that one parent taught their kids early in life, and it made all the difference in a life or death moment.
A survival story becomes a framework for improving the culture within organizations.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Dave...
50% Turnover Is Not “Normal.” It’s an Operational Defect.
In today's episode:
A private equity leader confronts CEOs who dismiss high turnover as just how the industry works, and challenges them to solve it like any operational problem.
One small change to how a company handles its engagement survey can rebuild trust with employees.
A word choice reveals why so many CEOs assume culture work is a distraction, when it’s anything but.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Pete Stavros, Co-Head of Global Private Equity at...
Leadership 'Training'
In today's episode:
Leadership training budgets are disappearing even as teams beg for it, and there's a specific reason the old three hour workshop model never actually stuck.
There's a free agenda for a leadership session that costs nothing and gets straight to the beliefs actually blocking a team's results.
A simple two question exercise reveals the elephant in the room.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins...
There Is No Such Thing as “The Labor Market”
In today's episode:
A company with over 100,000 hourly workers reveals why there's no such thing as a single national labor market for them.
There's a coming AI tool built for frontline managers working the night shift alone, and it could change how tier one HR support actually works.
Language turns out to be one of the biggest hidden barriers in a massive frontline workforce, and AI is stepping in to close that gap.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.<...
AI is Creating Capacity. Will Leaders Cut Costs or Build a Growth Engine?
In today's episode:
Almost everyone answers the same way when asked why they're using AI. But they’re answering the wrong question entirely.
A study of 7,000 knowledge workers found real time savings from AI, but something surprising happened when it came to organizational results.
What happens when your workers get work done… early?!
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica launches her new partnership with SHRM on The Work Signal newsletter, unpacking why individual AI productivity gains rare...
Announcing The Work Signal
In today's episode:
A call from one of the largest HR organizations in the world sets off a partnership that's about to change what shows up in your inbox every two weeks.
There's a specific gap between what research predicts, what companies attempt, and what actually happens, and that gap is exactly where the real signal lives.
Why Culture Partners' new partnership with SHRM makes a lot more sense than it first appears.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.<...
The Bad First Draft That Moves Billions
In today's episode:
A number that moves markets every single month turns out to be built on a shakier foundation than most people realize, and it's wrong by design.
There's a specific reason unemployment might actually be a full point higher than what's being reported.
A clever alternative to the official jobs report is tracking a much better signal, but even that comes with a catch.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of...
If AI Does the Junior Work, How Does Anyone Become Senior?
In today's episode:
The AI and talent pipeline panic sweeping the workplace world might be asking the wrong question entirely.
A 23 year-old associate reveals the surprising, deeply human way she actually landed her job in a tough market.
Learning to lead turns out to be a lifelong process that never really stops, no matter how senior someone becomes.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica to debate...
Trust, AI & Culture in Supply Chain
In today's episode:
A 25 year supply chain veteran reveals why the biggest risk to automation and AI rollouts has nothing to do with the technology itself.
There's a specific reason brilliant, well-funded projects fail, and it happens long before implementation ever begins.
A supply chain executive and a culture consultant discover they solve the exact same problem.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Todd Kolber, Partner at Reply Logistics North America, joins Jessica to discuss why trust...
AI Saved TIAA 90 Minutes. The Real Work Came Next
In today's episode:
A sales team facing shutdown turned things around not through a new dashboard or incentive plan, but through one weekly habit a leader started doing.
There's a mindset shift separating leaders who use AI to cut costs from those who use it to fuel growth, and it changes everything downstream.
A rule requiring zero existing role names in a new org design reveals a clever trick for breaking free of incremental thinking.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets...
Learning and Development
In today's episode:
New research shows companies are pulling back sharply on training budgets this year, and there are three specific reasons behind the drop.
Why a personal AI assistant is replacing the two day workshop that companies used to pay thousands for.
There's a hard question facing anyone with "Learning and Development" in their job title, and the answer determines whether that role survives or changes.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica breaks down new...
Before IKEA Scaled AI, It Educated Leaders
In today's episode:
One 17 year-old's one minute AI experiment left a top executive stunned enough to completely rethink his company's leadership strategy.
There's a growing question about truth and reliability that AI raises, and Jesper believes society isn't nearly skeptical enough yet.
A theory about multiplying critical thinking a hundredfold offers a surprising way to navigate a world with more information than ever.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica speaks with Jesper Brodin, CEO of IKEA...
Your $20 AI Budget Is Not An AI Strategy
In today's episode:
Handing every employee a small monthly AI budget and calling it innovation turns out to be hiding a much bigger problem underneath.
How companies adjust when employees secretly pay out of pocket for AI tools.
A manufacturing site visit shows exactly what real AI-driven time savings looks like when it's pointed at the right kind of work.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica...
Lack of Stability in Leadership
In today's episode:
There's a wave of instability spreading across teams right now, and the source is often closer to home than leaders realize.
A specific silence in the room reveals whether employees actually feel safe telling the truth, or just afraid of what happens if they do.
Building real psychological safety takes far longer than most executives expect, and there's a good reason it can't be rushed.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Heather Younger, leadership...
AI Saved Time but the Organization Didn't Change
In today's episode:
New research on thousands of knowledge workers found AI is saving them time, but that individual efficiency isn't translating into organizational gains.
A general counsel went from reviewing one contract a day to seven, and it reveals exactly where AI speed hits a wall that technology can't fix.
A cult classic manufacturing book from the 1990s turns out to be the perfect playbook for understanding where AI actually creates value.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.<...
The Most Important Lesson at the Table
In today's episode:
A leader finally earned a seat at an exclusive strategy group, only to be removed just two meetings later for a reason that caught her completely off guard.
A cultural instinct to listen and defer to experience turned out to be the exact opposite of what the room actually expected.
There's a lesson about having a point of view that shaped one executive's entire career, and it started with a moment of humiliation.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism...
If AI Changes the Work, Should It Change Who You Hire?
In today's episode:
There's a difference between telling someone they're not good enough and telling them the job simply doesn't exist anymore.
A leader's rule for organizational redesign forces every job title to be brand new, and it reveals just how much old thinking can hold a company back.
What real thought leadership should look like in a world where anyone can generate an opinion with AI.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head...
How Change Actually Becomes Culture
In today's episode:
A leader's role in modeling culture change turns out to matter more than any facility's size or security level.
There's a surprising connection between staff turnover and openness to change that flips the usual assumption about tenure and buy in.
A simple reminder to "go above the line" reveals what real accountability sounds like in the middle of a hard conversation.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Sabrina Henry, Success Coach Program Manager with...
Transforming Into a Change Agent
In today's episode:
A corrections agency went from working in silos to a graduation rate jump most training programs would envy, and it started with three simple cultural beliefs.
A support program built for cadets uncovered personal struggles staff never expected to encounter.
How transforming into a Change Agent powered incredible improvements at the GDC.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Sabrina Henry, Success Coach Program Manager with the Georgia Department of Corrections, joins Jessica to discuss...
Change Management vs Activation
In today's episode:
A powerful metaphor about sailing reveals exactly why so many change initiatives stall out even after every employee understands the plan.
The subtle difference between making someone responsible and getting them to actually take ownership.
A story about a legendary Antarctic explorer shows how a small group of committed people can spark change that spreads on its own.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica breaks down the difference between change management and change...
LLM Apocalypse
In today's episode:
A Linux maintainer made headlines by deleting a massive chunk of old code, and the reason behind it has everything to do with how AI is changing work everywhere.
AI can now generate so much information that it's created an entirely new kind of labor: deciding what's actually worth keeping.
There's a question every leader should be asking about their own organization's outdated decks, frameworks, and processes.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica...
Labor Protections
In today's episode:
Regulatory rollbacks around worker safety are stirring debate, but the more interesting question is who's actually asking for them and why.
A company saving money on wages might be losing far more somewhere else.
A story about a Chinese auto manufacturer's European rollout reveals why the people closest to a decision often make the best call.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica to...
Is Your CEO a Narcissist?
In today's episode:
Research reveals a surprising reason narcissistic CEOs are more likely to pursue acquisitions.
Why there is a gendered assumption baked into how most people picture a narcissist.
The word that gets thrown around so loosely in business circles that it's become a lazy substitute for actually understanding someone.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica to dig into research on narcissistic CEOs and push...
Burnout is a Cop-out
In today's episode:
A CEO gave a response to burnout that felt harsh at first but ended up changing everything.
How using an untouchable morning block releases the tension you might be feeling at work.
The hidden connection between burnout and resistance to the present.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica shares a personal story about burnout at Culture Partners and argues that taking accountability, setting boundaries, and accepting reality rather than resisting it are the...
The Job You Think You Have
In today's episode:
The gap between how employees define their job and how the leaders who hired them actually see it.
How a simple question about your own role can expose whether you're focused on tasks or the outcome those tasks are supposed to produce.
One small exercise, done in a room with a team, can shift how people think about accountability.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica unpacks a common disconnect between employees and leaders...
Invisible Value
In today's episode:
A phrase like "soft skills" hides something leaders desperately need.
Why taking lunch with someone who seemingly can't ‘do anything for you’ might be one of the smartest business moves you’ll make all year.
What boardroom crisis decision looks brilliant on the surface while something invisible is really driving the outcome.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica to debate what invisible value really...
My Imaginary Board of Directors
In today's episode:
A startup CEO built a board out of people she's never met, and now she consults them before every major decision.
There's a specific way to ask AI for advice that turns it from a search engine into something closer to a conversation with a mentor.
A story about Bob Iger and Steve Jobs reveals why the most powerful business meetings sometimes have no PowerPoint at all.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Megan...
The Data's Right There!
In today's episode:
A company kept trying to cut overtime as a cost problem, but the data told a completely different story about why employees loved it.
How a pattern in the payroll revealed which supervisors stopped paying attention.
What leaders should REALLY be dialing in on to drive active change within their companies.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica to discuss how companies are sitting...
How to Break Down Departmental Silos
In today's episode:
A retreat in the Bahamas turned tense when someone in the audience named the conflict everyone in the room was avoiding.
One question that flips a team from blaming each other to actually solving the problem.
How a fintech company's sales and marketing teams built two tactical fixes once they finally understood what the other side actually needed.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica shares a story from a keynote in the Bahamas...
The Shift Model
In today's episode:
The five step framework that comes before any culture work can actually happen.
One simple question that reveals what you should have ‘faith’ in, and why that’s important.
A thought experiment about removing fear that can uncover options a leader never considered.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica breaks down the SHIFT model from her book Surrendered to Lead, a five step process for leaders to reset their mindset before driving real cultur...
You Are Capable of More
In today's episode:
A survey of over 200 people found the majority believe they're capable of more, and four specific things are holding them back.
The person you're overlooking for a promotion might not lack ambition at all.
A grief counselor's ocean metaphor offers a way to think about emotions that isn't about making them disappear.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Chris Sund, President and COO of Unity Med and GQR Healthcare, and author...
Culture Work or Gossip?
In today's episode:
Breaking a lifelong gossip habit came with an unexpected cost before it made relationships stronger.
The test that reveals whether a workplace conversation is genuine culture work or gossip wearing a disguise.
A CEO has a bold move for handling complaints about coworkers, and it's stopped people from bringing him problems in the first place.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica unpacks the blurry line between gossip and legitimate culture work, and shares...
Never Ignore the Younger Generation
In today's episode:
A senior leader admits some of the youngest people on his team are already outperforming him, and it's forcing him to rethink his own biases.
The surprising connection between emotional intelligence and what a generation has been through.
Why earning a theater degree might be one of the smartest career moves you can make.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica to challenge assumptions...
Experiences You Create as a Leader
In today's episode:
A stranger walked into a formal church service dressed nothing like anyone else in the room, and what happened next silenced everyone watching.
The most powerful thing a leader can do to shift culture often has nothing to do with what they say.
How one person’s actions said more about ‘welcome’ than any words ever could.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica shares a story from a church service that reveals how action...
Calendar Theology
In today's episode:
What someone values is actually sitting right in their calendar app.
How introverts and extroverts prepare for the spotlight in completely different ways.
The simple exercise that reveals what leaders claim matters to them and where their actual hours go.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
John Frehse, Global Head of Labor Strategies at Ankura, joins Jessica to explore the idea that a calendar reveals a person's true priorities, and how they each handle...
Flexible Work Hours
In today's episode:
How ‘missing’ a meeting without noticing reveals what flexibility actually looks like.
The research linking return-to-office mandates to a specific personality, and why it has nothing to do with collaboration or culture.
If your best performer finishes an eight hour job in three… who owns those other five hours?
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica explores the debate over flexible work hours, from return to office motivations to who really owns the time employ...
The 'Prove It' Phase of AI
In today's episode:
Two tech giants both bet big on AI this earnings season, but investors rewarded one and punished the other, and the reason has nothing to do with belief in the technology.
Every major transformation follows the same arc: vision, investment, then a moment when people stop asking what you're building and start asking what it's actually doing.
How a CEO found a clever way to prove progress before there were real numbers to point to.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where...
Generational Labels Are a Lie
In today's episode:
Years of research into what different generations want at work led to a surprising conclusion.
Why labeling employees by birth year does something to workplace culture that most leaders never intend.
What to measure and change about workplace culture that actually works.
CEO Daily Brief with Dr. Jessica Kriegel is a 5-minute daily podcast where business pragmatism meets inner wisdom.
Jessica shares findings from her doctoral research and first book, Unfairly Labeled, on why generational stereotypes at work say more about culture than they do about...
