The Edge of Work

Hosted by Al Dea

Business ManagementInterviews guests

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Episodes

231

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

The Edge of Work provides new insights and ideas to help leaders navigate the changing world of work. In each episode, we’ll talk to leaders, practitioners, and innovators to explore new ideas for attracting and developing talent, leadership, and workplace culture, all to help you lead and succeed in a changing world of work.

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60 recent

October 13, 202631 min

Beyond AI Training: Building AI Adoption Through Behavior Change

Joe Leslie is Vice President of Global AI L&D at Golin Ketchum. In this episode, Joe shares how organizations can move beyond basic AI training to drive meaningful adoption and behavior change. He discusses how Golin Ketchum increased weekly AI usage among client-facing teams from 15% to 93% in 18 months, emphasizing the importance of leadership support, role-specific learning, and practical application. Joe also introduces his “Live AI” framework, which uses AI itself as a tool for learning and development. Finally, Joe also explores how Golin Ketchum uses role-specific AI workflows, peer mentoring, and an AI coaching companion to help employees improve their use of AI in everyday tasks. Links Joe’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephleslie/

October 6, 202631 min

The Business Case for Employee-Centric Leadership

Debbie Lovich is a Managing Director & Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group and Author of Make Work Work: The 5 Daily Practices of the Employee-Centric Leader . In this episode of The Edge of Work, Debbie discusses why she believes work is broken and how organizations can become more employee-centric without sacrificing performance. She explains why employee experience needs to focus on the work itself, not just HR programs, and why the perceived trade-off between employees, customers, and shareholders is a false one. Debbie also shares the five daily practices leaders can use to create better workplaces: celebrate them, go see and help, be interested, co-create, and do it first. She also discusses what these practices look like in action, including how leaders can model change and encourage AI adoption. Links Debbie’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-lovich-634b681/ Debbie’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GHP1B28Z?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

September 29, 202637 min

The Renaissance Worker: Rethinking Talent in the Age of AI

Lauren Tropeano is Chief People Officer of Docebo. In this episode, Lauren explores how organizations can navigate rapid change, develop talent, and create the conditions for successful AI adoption. She introduces the concept of the “renaissance worker,” someone who combines core expertise with adjacent skills and interests to create value beyond traditional roles. Lauren discusses how a skills-based talent philosophy can help organizations identify and deploy employees’ capabilities, why HR leaders need to understand the broader business, and how leaders can encourage AI experimentation through learning and invitation rather than mandates. Links Lauren’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenkrol/

September 22, 202630 min

Reimagining Early Career Talent Development at ServiceNow

Samantha Dray is Director of Early Career Finance & Strategy Development Programs at ServiceNow. In this episode, she shares how ServiceNow is rethinking early career development by putting emerging talent at the center of AI and automation initiatives. Samantha explains the company’s AI accelerator sprint, where early career professionals spend three focused months identifying business problems, building solutions, and driving adoption. She discusses why fresh perspectives can be powerful in transforming work, how organizations can create meaningful opportunities for early career talent to build both technical and human skills, and the importance of giving employees the time and space to develop new capabilities. Links Samantha’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-kozub-dray-ba4a606/

September 15, 202641 min

Aligning People, Culture and Performance: Leading Transformation at West Monroe with Tanya Moore (Chief People Officer)

Tanya Moore is the Chief People Officer at West Monroe. In this episode, she joins The Edge of Work to discuss how organizations can navigate transformation while keeping people and business performance at the center. Tanya shares how she's leading transformation at West Monroe and how she and her team are sensing and responding to shifts in the professional services industry, from investing in company culture to realigning performance management to meet the needs of the business environment. Tanya also explores how West Monroe is approaching AI adoption, including the role of AI literacy, hands-on learning, and employee "power users" in driving meaningful adoption. Links Tanya’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tanyaemoore/

September 8, 202635 min

Onboarding as a First-Time Chief People Officer with Emily Field

Emily Field is the Chief People Officer at LPL Financial. In this episode Emily she shares lessons from her transition from management consulting to becoming a Chief People Officer, including how to approach onboarding, operate as a strategic business leader, and serve as the connective tissue across an executive team. During the conversation, Emily also discusses how AI is changing work design, why organizations need to keep humans in the lead, and how leaders can turn workplace anxiety into agency. Finally, we close with a discussion about why why managers remain essential as teams increasingly work alongside AI agents. Links Emily’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilykfield/ Emily’s Book: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Middle-Managers-Hold-Future/dp/1647824850

September 1, 202621 min

Going Beyond “AI is a Change Management Challenge”

In this solo episode, The Edge of Work host Al Dea takes a closer look at the idea that AI transformation is a change management challenge and explores what that really means for organizations. Drawing on his own speaking and coaching work as well as dozens of conversations with leaders working on AI adoption and enablement, he outlines six themes that go beyond simply introducing new tools: understanding different stages of AI adoption, addressing human behavior and incentives, involving people across the organization, investing in foundational work, rethinking how work gets done, and taking a more personalized approach to enablement. The episode offers a practical framework for leaders looking to move beyond AI adoption and toward meaningful changes in how people work. Links Al Dea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/ Al Dea’s Website: https://www.al-dea.com/

August 25, 202640 min

Rethinking Work for the AI Age with Ketaki Sodhi

Ketaki Sodhi is Head of AI Enablement at Moody's Corporation. In this episode, Ketaki shares her perspective on what it really takes for organizations to move beyond individual AI productivity toward enterprise-wide transformation. They discuss why the biggest barriers to AI adoption are no longer technical, but organizational, spanning culture, workflows, leadership, data, and incentives. Finally, Ketaki shares how leading companies are building the systems, operating rhythms, and knowledge infrastructure needed to scale AI responsibly inside of organizations. Links Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ketakisodhi/

August 18, 202634 min

Rethinking Work and Value Creation in the Age of AI

Sangeet Paul Choudary is the Founder of Platform Thinking Labs. In this episode, Sangeet joins the podcast to explore how AI is reshaping knowledge work, organizational structures, and the way businesses create value. He explains why the biggest impact of AI may not be automation, but coordination, why most conventional explanations of Jevon’s paradox are off, and why leaders need to think beyond individual tasks to understand how entire systems and workflows are being redesigned. Finally, also discusses the changing relationship between humans and AI, the risks of knowledge work becoming commoditized, and why organizations need to focus on where value is moving rather than simply what AI can automate. Links Sangeet's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangeetpaul/ Sangeet's Substack: https://platforms.substack.com/

August 11, 202632 min

How PwC Is Building an AI-Ready Workforce with Yolanda Seals-Coffield

Yolanda Seals-Coffield is Chief People & Inclusion Officer at PwC US. In this episode, Yolanda discusses how one of the world's largest professional services firms is preparing its workforce for the age of AI. During this conversation, Yolanda shares PwC's approach to AI upskilling, why human skills are becoming an even greater competitive advantage, and how the firm is reimagining apprenticeship and early career development. They also explore the importance of culture, continuous learning, and equipping employees with the technical, AI, and human capabilities needed to thrive in a rapidly changing workplace. Links Yolanda’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolanda-seals-coffield/