Your org may feel aligned until pressure hits. This issue looks at coherence, megamanagers, mentorship, and the wisdom of water.

As 2026 begins, outdated operating models, rising risk, and AI speed are testing how prepared leaders really are.

2026 tests executive maturity. AI, climate pressure, stalled advancement, burnout, and hidden emotional labor are reshaping what leadership requires.

AI is no longer the constraint, leadership is. This week’s On Culture explores how perspective, design, and agency define the next advantage.

We brought back the Entrepreneurs’ Invitational and filled the room with founders, operators, investors, and friends—a mix of old Austin energy and new. Many congrats to our winners.

Fear isn’t the enemy—unexamined fear is. We all carry private worries: losing purpose, not being heard, missing our moment, being misunderstood. Organizations fear, too—loss of control, broken trust, stalled voice. The real work is slowing down our reactions, naming what’s underneath, and choosing clarity instead of defensiveness. Trust is built in those moments. When we acknowledge fear, we regain agency.

Driving a 38-foot camper down a dark highway became a metaphor for leadership—fear and focus coexisting on the road to growth. Myste Wylde reflects on change as a series of seasons—growth, transition, recovery, and reset—each demanding its own pace. Research from HBR, MIT Sloan, and Forbes shows that adaptable leaders who balance exploration and execution sustain engagement, innovation, and trust. The only way out, in work and life, is through.

Coherence is the organizing principle of intelligent work—aligning purpose, systems, and behavior so organizations can adapt without losing clarity or trust. The piece examines how AI, autonomy, and culture converge to sustain meaning and human connection in complex systems.

Leaders are learning to hold tension at speed—advancing AI, trust, and transformation without losing clarity, care, or the human core.

How do we scale flourishing at work? At the Harvard SHINE Summit, leaders explored how purpose, place, and people set the conditions.

Silence around mental health costs lives and leadership. This week’s On Culture calls for honesty, hope, and cultures that care.

A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention. This week’s issue explores how leaders can protect focus and spark renewal.

AI is speeding up low-value work. Here’s how to strip noise, rewire incentives, and make the work that matters unavoidable.

Stories shape people and organizations. This week’s On Culture shows how narrative drives strategy, collaboration, and care in an AI era.

AI isn’t a mind; use it as a tool. Build psychological closeness, curb clock botching, and rethink value →

Performance isn’t a mystery. It’s design. This week’s On Culture explores how leaders can create the conditions teams need to thrive.

Transformation starts on the edge. This week’s On Culture explores what blocks change—and what brave leaders do differently.

Leadership in grief means presence, not performance. This week’s On Culture explores tension, trust, & the courage to stay human.

Hope with a plan unites us. From second-chance hiring to 4-day weeks, shared ideals drive progress. Read this week’s On Culture →

Visibility isn’t vanity—it’s survival. As Pride Month fades from headlines, we ask: will your leadership stay visible when it matters most?