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A serious concussion four years ago made me more susceptible to future head injuries. Sure enough, a simple bump this winter left me in a months-long funk. My neurologist explained that my nervous system was stuck in an endless cycle of stimulus, unable to move out of fight-or-flight and into the mode of calm, strategic thinking required for recovery. Learning how to consciously switch between these two states, known as the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, was key to my recuperation and an unexpected masterclass in adaptive organizational leadership. In todays turbulence, many CEOs are experiencing a version of this neurological trap. Bombarded by geopolitical shocks, disruption from artificial intelligence, and demographic upheaval, many leaders and their teams are stuck in crisis mode. Because they are constantly addressing short-term emergencies, they dont always have time to access the rest-and-digest mode required for imperatives like long-term workforce development. This insight from my concussion is changing not only how I help manage my global consulting firms think tank, the Oliver Wyman Forum, but also how I help advise Oliver Wymans corporate clients on creating and implementing workforce strategies. Of course CEOs must address current emergenciesbut they can simultaneously build for the future. At the macro/strategic level, they can create cultures of connection and embrace the principles of emotional intelligence. At the micro/tactical level, they can commit to developing tomorrows leaders via initiatives like reverse mentoring and shadow boards. The key: making time for these efforts even when crises crop up. Prisoners of the moment If some CEOs innate leadership reflexes are failing, its because they arent designed for an era of permacrisis. Todays economic unknowns are near historic levels: Uncertainty right now is comparable to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Federal Reserve. As a result, 43% of CEOs say they are focusing on projects with a time horizon of less than a year, according to a recent survey of CEOs of New York Stock Exchange-listed companies by the Oliver Wyman Forum and the NYSE. Fixating on the short-term can erode confidence among employees. Globally, only 9% of nonmanagerial white-collar employees say they are extremely confident in the ability of their senior leaders to drive growth, and only 19% of employees say they can build a meaningful career at their current company, our surveys show. A deep pool of academic research shows that companies that retain young talent and prioritize development outperform others over the long term in terms of innovation, profitability, and productivity. Likewise, our surveys show that when employees understand the why and see consistent leadership behavior, theyre 163% more likely to envision themselves staying at their companies. So how can CEOs master their personal dimmer switch between crisis mode and company building? Create cultures of connectionand double down on EQ Sure, the troops can rally in the short term. But a constant state of permacrisis and dissatisfaction doesnt maximize human potential over the long haul. Our surveys show that only one in five employees are satisfied with their company’s leadership, and less than a quarter feel leadership understands the challenges lower-level employees face. If left to fester, such feelings can lead to attrition. Half of employees we surveyed said they have quit a job to get away from a manager, and only 47% say their current manager understands their skills, interests, and gaps. People don’t quit companies; they quit the experience of being undervalued and misunderstood. Ironically, personal connection is especially critical in the age of artificial intelligence. Companies might want to go all in on technology, but Generation Z, the cohort of people born between 1997 and 2012, demands emotional intelligence as well. Our surveys show that Gen Zers rank EQ as the second most important leadership trait (54%), after strong communication skills (60%). Microsoft is an example of a culture marked by emotional intelligence, connection, and sense of purpose. Chief Executive Satya Nadella models qualities essential in todays workforce, such as learning fast, collaborating, and doubling down with confidence. He has also pushed for greater empathy and more active listening, encouraging employees to work together, learn from one another as well as from customers, and embrace different perspectives. The result: better morale, increased innovation, and a growth mindsettraits that pay dividends over the long term. Build tomorrows leaders today One way to show workers they are valued is via targeted leadership development. Some companies have cracked this code by implementing effective mentoring programs for employees of all levels. Others include reverse mentoring, in which younger employees teach experienced leaders. One technology company, for example, has a suite of mentoring programs including one in which younger employees teach managers about digital technology and cultural trends. These programs shortened the time between promotions by 25% and lowered turnover to 0.7%, compared with 2.2% for non-mentored employees. Leaders also can build tomorrows leaders by creating shadow boards, in which young employees advise senior leaders, offering fresh perspectives and customer insights. Shadow boards serve as alerting mechanisms for cultural shifts and opportunities that traditional leadership hierarchies might missand make their contributors feel heard. Always be toggling Its human instinct to barrel ahead, especially during a crisis. But just as I have adjusted my screen time and learned other techniques to recover from my concussion, leaders today need to learn how to toggle between sympathetic urgency and parasympathetic strategy. The key isn’t to choose between crisis response and strategic thinkingit’s mastering the ability to consciously shift between them, to heal and grow, to go slow and fast, all at once.
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By the end of this year, one in ten managers will be from Generation Z. Thats not a distant projection. Its happening right now. Its not just a statistic. Its a cultural turning point. Ive spent the last decade teaching leadership and strategy to Gen Z students. Ive watched them go from unsure first years to confident professionals. And what Ive learned is simple: Gen Z isnt waiting for the workplace to change. Theyre changing it themselves. Recently, Glassdoor released new data showing dramatic increases in the way workplace culture is being discussed. And the results are striking: Well-being mentions are up 222% Burnout is up 126% Boundaries are up 99% Empathy and inclusion are up 76% Clarity is up 52% Each of these tells a story. Each one signals the arrival of a new leadership style, one built on care, communication, and clarity. Lets break them down. 1. +222% in Well-being Mentions Well-being isnt just about yoga and flexible schedules. Its about creating environments where people can thrive. Gen Z leaders dont see this as a perk. They see it as a basic requirement. They talk openly about mental health. They normalize asking for help. And they understand that productivity is impossible without psychological safety. Older generations were often taught to leave it at the door. Gen Z is asking, Why does it need to be that way? They believe the human experience belongs in the workplacenot in spite of professionalism, but as part of it. 2. +126% in Burnout Mentions Gen Z is not afraid to talk about burnout. In fact, they insist on it. Not because they are weaker or less driven, but because theyve watched what happens when burnout is glamorized. Theyve seen family members and mentors pushed to the brink for companies that treated exhaustion as loyalty. Instead, they are redefining ambition. For them, ambition doesnt mean sacrificing your health or identity. It means building sustainable careers with room to breathe and grow. They are more likely to flag unrealistic expectations and call out toxic urgencynot to avoid hard work, but to preserve the long-term well-being of their teams. 3. +99% in Boundaries This is one of the most defining traits of Gen Z leadership. Boundaries are not barriers. They are frameworks for trust. And Gen Z leaders model them openly. They log off when they say they will. They tell their teams not to email at midnight. They expect mutual respect around time, space, and energy. Whats most striking is that they apply this to others, not just themselves. They respect their team members boundaries and hold space for flexibility in a way that older leadership models rarely emphasized. Its not a lack of commitmentits a different way of leading. 4. +76% in Empathy and Inclusion Gen Z isnt just hoping people feel seen. Theyre trying to figure out how to make that happen. They want teams where people speak honestly, feel respected, and know their ideas carry weight. Theyre not chasing perfection, but by all accounts desire connection. And they know that leading with empathy means more than saying the right thing. Its about learning how to listen, adjust, and earn trust over time. Sure, some of it might seem unfamiliar or even off-putting to older generations. But much of the skepticism comes down to communication style, not capability. Gen Z is more comfortable naming feelings. Theyre more likely to ask for clarity or set a boundary out loud. Whats different is that Gen Z managers are open about the learning curve. They want feedback. They want to get it right. And in that effort, theyre building something rare, a culture that values presence over polish. 5. +52% in Clarity Clarity is often underrated. But to Gen Z, its everything. They grew up in a world of information overload and constantly shifting expectations. As leaders, they dont want their teams guessing. They prioritize clear goals, transparent feedback, and honest conversations. They dont believe in vague corporate speak or ambiguous road maps. They believe in being upfronteven when the answer is “I dont know yet.” This is a powerful shift. It builds trust quickly and reduces anxiety across the board. Clarity is not control. Its confidence. And Gen Z leaders understand the difference. Clarity, Kindness, and Fairness All of this reinforces what Ive long believed. And frankly, Im not surprised. My own research over the past decade has pointed to the same themesespecially around clarity, kindness, and fairness. These arent just nice-to-have traits. Theyre the backbone of effective leadership today. Whats striking is that Gen Z isnt adopting these values because a consultant told them to. Its how they naturally operate. Its what they expect in a workplace, and its how theyre choosing to lead. The shift is already underway. It didnt come with a press release. It wasnt driven by a top-down directive. Its happening because Gen Z professionals are quietly stepping into leadership rolesand leading in a way that feels more human, more honest, and more sustainable. We dont have to agree on every approach. But we do have a choice: we can dismiss the shift, or we can engage with it. We can meet Gen Z leaders where they are and learn from the clarity, care, and courage theyre bringing to the table. Because the future of leadership isnt a battle. Its a bridge. And were all better off if were willing to cross it together.
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While AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini can be helpful, they’re also potential privacy minefields. Most AI assistants save a complete record of your conversations, making them easily visible to anyone with access to your devices. Those conversations are also stored online, often indefinitely, so they could be exposed due to bugs or security breaches. In some cases, AI providers can even send your chats along to human reviewers. All of this should give you pause, especially if you plan to share your innermost thoughts with AI tools or use them to process personal information. To better protect your privacy, consider making some tweaks to your settings, using private conversation modes, or even turning to AI assistants that protect your privacy by default. [Screengrab: ChatGPT] To help make sense of the options, I looked through all the privacy settings and policies of every major AI assistant. Here’s what you need to know about what they do with your data, and what you can do about it: ChatGPT By default: ChatGPT uses your data to train AI, and warns that its training data may incidentally include personal information.”Can humans review your chats? OpenAI’s ChatGPT FAQ says it may “review conversations to improve its systems.Can you disable AI training? Yes. Go to Settings > Data controls > Improve the model for everyone.Is there a private chat mode? Yes. Click “Turn on temporary chat” in the top-right corner to keep a chat out of your history and avoid having it used to train AI.Can you share chats with others? Yes, by generating a shareable link. (OpenAI launched, then removed, a feature that let search engines index shared chats.)Are your chats used for targeted ads? OpenAI’s privacy policy says it does not sell or share personal data for contextual behavioral advertising, doesn’t process data for targeted ads, and doesn’t process sensitive personal data to infer characteristics about consumers.How long does it keep your data? Up to 30 days for temporary and deleted chats, though even some of those may be kept longer for “security and legal obligations.” All other data is stored indefinitely. Google Gemini By default: Gemini uses your data to train AI.Can humans review your chats? Yes. Google says not to enter “any data you wouldnt want a reviewer to see.” Once a reviewer sees your data, Google keeps it for up to three yearseven if you delete your chat history.Can you disable AI training? Yes. Go to myactivity.google.com/product/gemini, click the “Turn off” drop-down menu, then select either “Turn off” or “Turn off and delete activity.”Is there a private chat mode? No, but turning Gemini Apps Activity off will hide your chat history from the sidebar. (Note, however, that re-enabling it without deleting past data will bring your history back.)Can you share chats with others? Yes, by generating a shareable link.Are your chats used for targeted ads? Google says it doesn’t use Gemini chats to show you ads, but the company’s privacy policy allows for it. Google says it will communicate any changes it makes to this policy.How long does it keep your data? Indefinitely, unless you turn on auto-deletion in Gemini Apps Activity. Anthropic Claude By default: Anthropic doesn’t use conversations to train AI unless you report them manually or opt in to testing new features.Can humans review your chats? No, though Anthropic reviews conversations flagged as violating its usage policies.Can you disable AI training? Not applicable.Is there a private chat mode? No. You must delete past conversations manually to hide them from your history.Can you share chats with others? Yes, by generating a shareable link.Are your chats used for targeted ads? Anthropic doesn’t use conversations for targeted ads.How long does it keep your data? Up to two years, or seven years for prompts flagged for trust and safety violations. Microsoft Copilot By default: Microsoft uses your data to train AI.Can humans review your chats? Yes. Microsoft’s privacy policy says it uses “both automated and manual (human) methods of processing” personal data.Can you disable AI training? Yes, though the option is buried. Click your profile image > your name > Privacy and disable “Model training on text.”Is there a private chat mode? No. You must delete chats one by one or clear your history from Microsoft’s account page.Can you share chats with others? Yes, by generating a shareable link. Note that shared links can’t be unshared without deleting the chat.Are your chats used for targeted ads? Microsoft uses your data for targeted ads and has discussed integrating ads with AI. You can disable this by clicking your profile image > your name > Privacy and disabling “Personalization and memory.” A separate link disables all personalized ads for your Microsoft account.How long does it keep your data? Data is stored for 18 months, unless you delete it manually. xAI Grok By default: Uses your data to train AI.Can humans review your chats? Yes. Grok’s FAQ says a “limited number of authorized personnel” may review conversations for quality or safety.Can you disable AI training? Yes. Click your profile image and go to Settings > Data Controls, then disable “Improve the Model.”Is there a private chat mode? Click the “Private” button at the top right to keep a chat out of your history and avoid having it used to train AI.Can you share chats with others? Yes, by generating a shareable link. Note that shared links can’t be unshared without deleting the chat.Are your chats used for targeted ads? Grok’s privacy policy says it does not sell or share information for targeted ad purposes.How long does it keep your data? Private Chats and even deleted conversations are stored for 30 days. All other data is stored indefinitely. Meta AI By default: Uses your data to train AI.Can humans review your chats? Yes. Meta’s privacy policy says it uses manual review to “understand and enable creation” of AI content.Can you disable AI training? Not directly. U.S. users can fill out this form. Users in the EU and U.K. can exercise their right to object.Is there a private chat mode? No.Can you share chats with others? Yes. Shared links automatically appear in a public feed and can show up in other Meta apps as well.Are your chats used for targeted ads? Meta’s privacy policy says it targets ads based on the information it collects, including interactions with AI.How long does it keep your data? Indefinitely. Perplexity By default: Uses your data to train AI.Can humans review your chats? Perplexity’s privacy policy does not mention human review.Can you disable AI training? Yes. Go to Account > Preferences and disable “AI data retention.”Is there a private chat mode? Yes. Click your profile icon, then select “Incognito” under your account name.Can you share chats with others? Yes, by generating a shareable link.Are your chats used for targeted ads? Yes. Perplexity says it may share your information with third-party advertising partners and may collect from other sources (for instance, data brokers) to improve its ad targeting.How long does it keep your data? Until you delete your account. Duck.AI By default: Duck.AI doesn’t use your data to train AI, thanks to deals with major providers.Can humans review your chats? No.Can you disable AI training? Not applicable.Is there a private chat mode? No. You must delete previous chats individually or all at once through the sidebar.Can you share chats with others? No.Are your chats used for targeted ads? No.How long does it keep your data? Model providers keep anonymized data for up to 30 days, unless needed for legal or safety reasons. Proton Lumo By default: Proton Lumo doesn’t use your data to train AI.Can humans review your chats? No.Can you disable AI training? Not applicable.Is there a private chat mode? Yes. Click the glasses icon at the top right.Can you share chats with others? No.Are your chats used for targeted ads? No.How long does it keep your data? Proton does not store logs of your chats.
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