In this episode of The Edge of Work, host Al Dea joins leaders live from the Guild Opportunity Summit in San Diego to explore the future of talent, career mobility, and skills transformation.

The episode features conversations with Matthew J. Daniel, Senior Principal of Talent Strategy and Mobility at Guild; and Marquita Williams, Executive Director of Organizational Learning and Development at AdventHealth. Together, they discuss how leading organizations are aligning career growth with business outcomes, and key insights from Guild and Lightcast’s Talent Resilience Index, a benchmark for understanding career mobility and critical workforce skills shaping today’s workplace.

Links

• Matthew Daniel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewjdaniel/
• Marquita Williams: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marquita-williams-764b244b/
• Talent Resilience Index: https://guild.com/report/talent-resilience-index?utm_source=press&utm_medium=refe[

Anna Tavis is the Department Chair of Human Capital Management at NYU and co-author of The Digital Coaching Revolution. In this episode, Anna explores how technology is transforming coaching from exclusive executive perks into scalable, everyday growth tools for all employees. Anna shares insights from her research and her work with advising digital coaching companies, offering a glimpse into AI-powered, embedded coaching that personalizes learning, feedback, and performance in real-time. Together, they discuss what hybrid human and AI coaching means for organizations, managers, and the future of leadership and employee development.

Links

• NYU Coaching and Technology Summit: https://www.sps.nyu.edu/about/events/human-capital-management-department-events/coaching-and-technology-summit.html 
• Dr. Tavis' LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annatavis/
• Book: https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Coaching-Revolution-Employee-Development/dp/1398612510 
• Tenor: https://tenorhq.com/

Dr. Serena Gonsalves-Fersch is the Global Head of Talent at SoftwareOne. Drawing from her doctoral research on workforce development in technology-driven environments, Serena explains how traditional learning models no longer fit the pace of change in modern organizations. She outlines how SoftwareOne reimagines learning through contextual business partnerships, a T-shaped team model, and a focus on human skills like empathy, curiosity, and critical thinking. Finally, they explore how AI will reshape, not replace, the learning function and why the future of talent lies in blending data, human insight, and deep organizational context.

Links

• Serena’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-serena-gonsalves-fersch-flpi-a23589/
• Research: https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/download/36ed76c7176aaafc4f36877bcb9f9ce69b891385e73b311500e597e67e249bcd/12681644/SGonsalvesFersch%20thesis.pdf 

Muriel Wilkins is the Author of Leadership Unblocked: Break Through the Beliefs That Limit Your Potential. In this episode, Muriel shares how even the most accomplished leaders can unknowingly hold onto beliefs that keep them stuck, and what to do to move beyond them. 

Drawing from over 20 years of executive coaching, she unpacks common “hidden blockers” like perfectionism, urgency, and overinvolvement, and explains how leaders can shift from default thinking to conscious leadership. Muriel and Al also explore how intergenerational tension, constant change, and  uncertainty challenge leaders today, and why self-awareness and perspective are the keys to unblocking potential at every level of leadership.

Links

• Muriel’s Website: https://www.murielwilkins.com/ 
• Muriel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murielwilkins/ 
• Muriel’s Book: https://www.murielwilkins.com/book/leadership-unblocked

In this solo episode of The Edge of Work, Al Dea unpacks what’s top of mind for talent and learning leaders this fall. Drawing from more than 40 interviews across Fortune 1000 organizations, Al explores the biggest themes shaping the profession, from navigating constant change to managing “two timelines” of near-term needs and future AI-driven transformation. He highlights how leaders are adapting their mindsets, practices, and roles to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving world of work.

Links

• Report: https://theedgeofwork.com/report/
• Al’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/

Stephanie Kramer is the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at L’Oréal North America. In this episode, Stephanie shares how L’Oréal is shaping a “people-first leadership culture” across its global organization. During our conversation, she spoke about the “magic triangle” between HR, managers, and employees, and how this model empowers people leaders to drive engagement, development, and performance at scale. Stephanie also talks about the importance of consistent feedback through quarterly “connect” conversations, the role of data in creating insights (not dashboards), and how HR can sustain impact through empowerment. 

Links

• Website: https://www.carrystrongproject.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniemaekramer/

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is the Author of Don't Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated (and What to Do Instead). In this episode, Tomas challenges the conventional wisdom that authenticity is always a virtue, especially in leadership. He explains why showing up as your “whole self” can backfire, and why striving to bring your best self is a more powerful approach. Along the way, Tomas connects these ideas to his broader research on technology, AI, and the future of work.

Links

• Website: https://www.drtomas.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtomaschamorro/
• Book: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Be-Yourself-Authenticity-Overrated/dp/1647829836
• HBR Article: https://hbr.org/2025/07/why-leaders-should-bring-their-best-self-not-their-whole-self-to-work 

Caleb Gatlin and Becca Anzalone work at The Google School for Leaders. During this conversation, they discuss how Google is reshaping leadership development by embedding research and user feedback directly into learning design. Caleb and Becca share insights from the Learning Advisors program, a global network of managers and employees who provide real-time input to shape programs and tools. They explore how feedback is often misunderstood, why trust is the foundation of effective career conversations, and what it takes to design learning experiences that reflect the diverse realities of work inside a global organization. 

Links

• Caleb’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/calebgatlin/
• Becca’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/becca-anzalone-493aaa/ 
• Article 1: https://www.hrgrapevine.com/us/content/article/2025-08-12-revealed-googles-research-program-for-developing-better-managers
• Article 2: https://rework.withgoogle.com/intl/en/guides/learning-development-managers

Alexis Fink is a Principal at Propeller Insight. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Alexis Fink (formerly VP People Analytics & Workforce Strategy, Meta),  joins Al Dea to explore some of the biggest headlines on talent, HR  AI, and the future of work. Together, they discuss how AI is exposing the “BS economy” of meaningless work, what the future of HR could look like as the function reimagines its role, and why so many corporate AI pilots are failing to deliver results.

From rethinking how we define substance at work, to exploring HR’s opportunity to become more strategic, to understanding the gap between AI hype and reality, Alexis brings insights grounded in her experience as an organizational psychologist, people analytics leader, and researcher helping organizations navigate change.

Links

• Alexis’ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisfink/
• Al’s Website: https://www.al-dea.com/ 

Articles

• Article 1: https://www.fastcompany.com/91391631/how-ai-is-exposing-the-bs-economy-ai-work-productivity
• Article 2: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-work-2025-why-hr-holds-pen-rewrite-playbook-john-golden-ph-d--jyobc/?trackingId=b4LDN4PbD9CiHuae%2B5l%2BtQ%3D%3D
• Article 3: https://fortune.com/2025/08/18/mit-report-95-percent-generative-ai-pilots-at-companies-failing-cfo/

In this Work in Progress segment of The Edge of Work, Al Dea is joined by Dr. Shonna Waters, CEO and Co-Founder of Fractional Insights, to explore the intersection of AI, leadership, and the future of work. Together, they assess the possibility of “BS Jobs," debate what a “decline in conscientiousness” really means, and examine why CEO narratives about AI adoption don’t always match reality.

Links

• Shonna’s Website: https://www.fractionalinsights.ai/ 
• Shonna’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shonna-waters/
• Al’s Website: https://www.al-dea.com/ 

Articles:

• Article 1: https://grimoiremanor.substack.com/p/no-conscientiousness-hasnt-collaped?r=un33&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&triedRedirect=true
• Article 2: https://fortune.com/2025/07/02/ai-work-salesforce-benioff-nadella-microsoft-pichai-google/
• Article 3: https://www.fastcompany.com/91391631/how-ai-is-exposing-the-bs-economy-ai-work-productivity
• Article 4: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/shonna-waters_the-ai-adoption-journey-doesnt-start-with-activity-7363567159911882752-yJpG/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAE3zicBfrtScfTifWDhDOVxFn_o6oUna5o