Beyond AI: Wisdom at Work

It’s easy to make the case that there isn’t much that is constant in the workplace today. Change is no longer just a set of projects and initiatives; it is also an-ever roiling state of being. Today’s workforce, increasingly dominated by Millennials and Gen Z, is not the workforce of even a decade ago. Anyone with access and skill in creating prompts has immediate access to almost unlimited artificial intelligence. All of this and more is placing unprecedented pressure on leaders at all levels of organizational life. Effective leadership today is, by its very nature, different than the leadership of the past. In fact, in many ways, the art of leadership must change in profound ways. In this episode, Jim Carlough, author of The Six Pillars of Effective Leadership, joins host Brian Gorman to explore those foundations of leadership that are unchanging and are, in fact, more important than ever. 

In this episode, Tim Beattie, Founder and CEO of Stellafai, and host Brian Gorman dig into one of today’s more significant leadership challenges: what we measure isn’t always what matters. Productivity metrics like output and velocity don’t equate to impact. Together they explore how leaders can shift focus toward meaningful outcomes, foster psychological safety, and use storytelling to connect with people’s head, heart, and gut. They also discuss AI’s role in coaching and leadership, and how aligning personal purpose with organizational intent can create truly passionate, purpose-driven workforces. (25 minutes) 

We are facing an existential choice. Follow the path of allowing artificial intelligence to become more and more dominant in the workplace and our lives. Or bring the wisdom of people to the application of AI. On this episode, Social entrepreneur, author, and activist Shmuly Yanklowitz joins host Brian Gorman to discuss the path forward based on Brian’s upcoming book Leading into the Age of Wisdom: Reimagining the Future of Work. The conversation focuses on the choices leaders have to make as they consider the integration of AI into the workplace, and the implications that those choices have on individuals, organizations, and society. 

Carl Gray III, founder of Raising Founders, shares how he’s building an “AAU for entrepreneurship” to empower young people, ages 12–20, to start businesses. He tells the story of Taylor, who turned a Raising Founders project into a thriving baking venture, trained at the American Culinary Institute, and is now interning in France. In this conversation with host Brian Gorman, Carl highlights the vital role of mentorship, the value of industry projects connecting youth with corporations, and his vision for a school dedicated to entrepreneurship and independent thinking. Raising Founders is shaping tomorrow’s innovators today.

Nate Green isn’t shy about sharing his stories. His successes, his failures, his opportunities, and his challenges all serve to inform Nate’s path forward. The author of Suck Less, Do Better: The End of Excuses and the Rise of the Unstoppable You, Nate joins host Brian Gorman to share some of the key lessons he has learned on his journey including the importance of self-discovery and understanding one's true identity and purpose. He highlights how upbringing and societal narratives can create cognitive biases, shaping individuals' perceptions of success and their potential. There are important lessons here for all of us. 

This episode begins with a few words from his website. “Mark loves leaders who love leaders.” Host Brian Gorman invitation to Mark L. Vincent, Executive Advisor at Teall Vincent Enterprises, to explain this statement leads into a deep exploration of transformational leadership and the importance of developing strong, ethical leadership benches while nurturing authentic relationships with leaders. The conversation concludes with an exploration of ROI, and ways in which to quantify the qualitative data that shows the true value of leadership development. 

135: The Wisdom of Ignorance: In this time of unprecedented change, we crave for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), human or AI, that can give us the answers. Alan Gregerman posits that this is the wrong path to the solution, and that ignorance is the wiser path forward. Alan, author of The Wisdom of Ignorance: Why Not Knowing Can Be the Key to Innovation in an Uncertain World (October 2025), joins host Brian Gorman to discuss the importance of embracing ignorance and the need for leaders to adapt and learn new skills. The ignorance he favors is not contentment in not knowing. Rather, Alan emphasizes the value of “enlightened ignorance,” being passionate and curious when approaching the unknown, which can lead to fresh perspectives and innovative solutions. 

Looking for differences somehow makes it easier. From this perspective, leading in white collar organizations must be different than leading blue collar workers. But it's not. In this episode of Qonversations, Traci Austin, Chief Talent Officer of Elevated Talent Consulting, joins host Brian Gorman to share the lessons that she has learned over decades of working with and supporting leaders in the trades. The bottom line: people are people. Whether in the factory, the warehouse, the construction site, the office, or the laboratory, they want the same things for themselves and from their leaders. 

Long ago, Albert Einstein said, “The thinking that got us to where we are is not the thinking that will get us to where we want to be.” Today, that is truer than ever. While his focus is on “scaling businesses and scaling leaders,” the lessons that Loic Potjes shares in this episode are true for any leader looking to take their organization to a different place in the future. Loic, the Managing Partner of Disruptive Leap, joins host Brian Gorman to challenge leaders who think that their current approach will successfully guide their organizations going forward. 

Leadership that wins is leadership that recognizes, builds relationships with, and values others. While You Win Again, Jack: The Story of a Man Who Stopped Needing to Win, and Finally Did is fiction, it is rich with lessons learned by author Scott DeLong. This is not a book to be read so much as a book to be reflected on. In this episode, Scott joins host Brian Gorman to discuss some of the many lessons he learned on his leadership journey, ranging from the reason that Scott likes meetings, to the sacredness of 1:1 meetings, to the importance of building connections that convey the energy and the soul of the other. This is a podcast that invites you to think about how you are showing up as a leader, and ways in which you might show up differently to offer others the experience of leadership that wins. You Win Again, Jack is scheduled for release November 1, 2025.