Meet the Leader

What you might get wrong about progress - Lessons for leaders: Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker

Renowned Harvard cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker studies the big questions facing human nature: Why do we fight? What helps us get along? How do we understand the world around us? His research has uncovered an insight we might not expect – that humanity is doing better than we might think. Despite host of major challenges that still exist, from geopolitical unrest to climate change, data shows that humans today live longer, face fewer wars, and live more comfortable lives than in preceding generations. He explains why a better understanding of progress and its uneven nature can help us better appreciate the unique moment of time in which we live, avoid decision-making blindspots and strengthen leaders’ confidence to solve the big complex problems we still face.

Ballerina Misty Copeland: Unlocking potential and a leader’s most ‘vital’ role

How can we recognize potential and unlock it? Misty Copeland was the first Black woman to be promoted to principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. But as a child she almost quit after her first class – until an early teacher convinced her to return. Misty talks to Meet The Leader about the ways dance changed how she navigated life and how it taught her key skills such as resilience, empathy and curiosity. She shares how she uses her perspective and experience to found the Misty Copeland Foundation and develop a free afterschool program that reinvents how dance is taught to bridge diversity gaps while also teaching key leadership skills. She shares why these skills and approaches are vital to driving future change and what any leader can learn about elevating others.

Understanding spatial technology -- and how leaders can prep for the next tech shift

Spatial technology will extend computing beyond screens. In the process it will change how we communicate with each other and interact with technology as a whole. Future Dynamics founder and spatial computing expert Cathy Hackl will help us understand this emerging field, what could scale it further and what could hold it back. She also also share how it could transform how we work, how we learn, how we preserve memories, and even what can be owned (virtual air rights, for instance, could bring their own mixed bag of business opportunities and regulatory challenges). She explains how companies and leaders should be thinking about now, how they can get ready and share advice she gives CEOs to help them better prepare for Gen Alpha, the next generation of workers.

How ‘positive masculinity’ can bridge gender gaps - and improve both men's and women’s lives

Masculinity is having a moment. Leveraging it - in the right way - can help men and women succeed while bridging the gender gap both at work and at home. Gary Barker is the founder of Equimundo, a non-profit dedicated to research and solutions that help bring men into connected, equitable, caring versions of manhood. He shares the insights gleaned since this organization’s founding more than a decade ago – a group that has collected the largest dataset on men, masculinity and gender equality and that publishes the only global report on men’s involvement in parenting and care work. He breaks down the blindspots that can hold organizations back and the best practices that can drive the much needed norm changes. 

Wharton psychologist Adam Grant: How to rethink the work day - and the soft skill future leaders need

Big shifts must happen to ready teams for a work future that requires agile thinking and collaborating with emerging tech. Organizational psychologist, best-selling author and Wharton professor Adam Grant shares research-backed strategies that help develop leaders and work relationships across an organization as well as help teams practice critical soft skills like analysis and creativity that are often overlooked and undervalued. He explains why future workers will need to become “job crafters,” and the one trait leaders won’t be able to work without. He’ll also share what a college job as a magician taught him about engaging skeptics (and prompting critical thinking) and why he swears by keeping a “To-Don’t” list. .