Archives for July 14, 2025

Many leaders today are struggling to balance the aspiration of being supportive with the reality of feeling overwhelmed by their own to-do list. But when a well-meaning leader becomes the default problem-solver, the entire organization pays the price. This dynamic creates decision-making bottlenecks, diminishes team ownership, and accelerates managerial burnout. When an employee brings you a problem, asking one of the following five questions can help you remain accessible while coaching them to problem-solve independently. Asking “What have you tried?” shows that you expect some effort to have occurred before the problem lands on your desk. Asking “Who—or what—is getting in the way of tackling this?” helps you get to the root of what’s stopping them from solving the problem themself. Asking “What support do you need?” signals to the employee that there are other support avenues beyond you. Asking “What would you do if you were in my seat?” prompts them to carry some of the decision-making load. And asking “Is there anything else I should know?” leaves them to solve the problem while validating your support.

When considering AI assessment tools, most companies focus on the gains the tools bring in terms of efficiency and quality. But what they don’t factor in is how AI assessment may change candidates’ behavior during the process. A new study reveals that job candidates consistently emphasized analytical traits when they believed AI was evaluating them, while downplaying the very human qualities—empathy, creativity, intuition—that often distinguish outstanding employees from merely competent ones. This drove candidates to present a different and potentially more homogeneous version of themselves, in turn affecting who was likely to succeed in an AI-enabled hiring process, with implications for organizations using AI in hiring, promotions, or admission decisions.

“Hyper uncertainty and short attention spans make us more vulnerable than ever to pursuing quick fixes,” says HBS professor Amy Edmondson. Instead, in this HBR Executive Agenda, she advocates leaders take a systems thinking approach to understand the full downstream consequences of any action. The point isn’t to encourage procrastination, but to help ensure that your actions have a greater chance for long-term success. Plus leadership consultant Ann Hiatt looks at what happens when gen AI flattens knowledge hierarchies and empowers junior employees. She advocates the creation of a “shadow board” to enable high-potential employees bring a fresh perspective to strategic initiatives and, in return, get hands-on experience with senior-level decision-makers.