CEOs, what would happen if you could stop fighting fires and start focusing on building your business? On this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld sits down with Carol Schultz, CEO and Founder of Vertical Elevation, host of the Evolving Your Workplace podcast, and author of the best-selling book, Powered By People: How Talent-Centric Organizations Master Recruitment, Retention, and Revenue (and How to Build One). Carol shares how organizational scaffolding can help businesses build a framework that allows it to run independently, allowing the CEO to step back into higher-level work. Plus, she explains why competency-based hiring is so effective, how good communication can be taught, and how leaders can create a culture of honest feedback. If you feel like a hostage to your business, this episode is for you. 

Are you a leader other people want to work for? On this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld interviews Missy Forlani & Melisa Soydinc, authors of Thank God It’s Monday, to talk about what it takes for leaders to create an environment where people can’t wait to come to work. Missy and Melisa share what small behavioral shifts leaders can make to help people feel heard and valued, how to create opportunities for collaboration, and the key to finding balance (for both leaders and team members). If you’re a leader who wants to create a culture where people feel energized to do their best work, this episode offers practical tips.

In today’s world, the only constant is change – but most companies weren’t built for that. So how do you ensure your team thrives through instability? On this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld interviews Ashley Andersen, CEO and Founder of EzraSage. Ashley shares why companies often excel at managing the logistics of change while failing to meet people’s emotional needs, and how meeting those needs help teams move forward in strength during times of disruption. This episode is full of valuable insights for the inescapable task of leading through uncertainty. 

What does it take to scale a company without losing your edge? On this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld talks with Maximos Lih, CEO and Founder of Emboldened. From Google to Uber, Maximos shares fascinating stories of growth and unpacks the leadership principles that help organizations grow while keeping their culture intact. They cover the importance of North Star statements, why so many leaders fall into “firefighter mode” (and how to prevent this), and how to approach AI in a way that enhances human judgment. If you’re leading a startup or scaling a growing team, this episode is packed with practical insights and memorable stories. 

Four years ago, we launched The Future of Teamwork with a simple question:

What will leadership, teamwork, and work itself look like in the future?

Since then, we've had conversations with researchers, executives, entrepreneurs, and practitioners who are helping shape the way teams work. Along the way, we've explored everything from AI and hybrid work to trust, wellbeing, leadership, and human connection.

In this special fourth birthday episode, Dane looks back at some of the predictions and themes that emerged in the show's early years and asks a simple question: Which ones held up?

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why leadership is becoming more shared and less hierarchical

• How the conversation has shifted from where we work to how we work

• What we've learned about wellness, trust, and team performance

• How AI is changing the way people work—and where it may still be falling short as a true teammate

Whether you've been listening since the beginning or are joining us for the first time, this episode offers a reflection on what we've learned, what continues to evolve, and why the future of teamwork remains a human challenge as much as a technological one.

What does accountability look like in today’s workplace, and why do so many leaders struggle to implement it? In this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld interviews Jonathan Raymond, Founder and CEO of Ren, keynote speaker, and author of Good Authority: How to Become the Leader Your Team Is Waiting For. Together, Dane and Jonathan explore how leaders can move accountability from an aspiration to a lived value, and how leaders can foster employee engagement and growth through their daily work. They also dig into how leadership is changing with multiple AI agents to manage, and how Ren combines the power of AI and accountability. If you’re a leader looking to build a healthier culture of accountability, this episode offers practical tools and a compelling vision of the future.

What if AI wasn’t just a tool, but a valuable member of your team? In this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld sits down with Rebecca Hinds, PhD, Head of the Work AI Institute at Glean and author of the best-selling book Your Best Meeting Ever. Together, they explore how AI is reshaping collaboration, meetings, and organizational culture. In this eye-opening episode, Rebecca unpacks the possibilities of AI, from identifying overlapping roles to optimizing teams based on personality and strengths. If you’re trying to navigate the human side of AI at work, this conversation is a practical take on what comes next. 

What does fairness at work actually look like – beyond buzzwords, workshops, and performative initiatives? In this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld interviews Lily Zheng, a FAIR Strategist and Consultant at Zheng Consulting, and author of Fixing Fairness: 4 Tenets to Transform Diversity Backlash into Progress for All. Together, they explore why traditional DEI efforts don’t work anymore, how DEI-done-right can meet people where they’re at and help them do their best work, and what HR can do to effectively promote fairness. This episode is a thoughtful, practical take on what it takes to build a workplace that allows everyone to truly thrive. 

What if your team’s culture and effectiveness could be completely transformed by making each team member feel seen and valued? Today on The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld interviews Zach Mercurio, PH.D., a researcher, Leadership Development Facilitator, and author of The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance. Together, Zach and Dane explore why so many people today feel disconnected, overlooked, and invisible in their work, why perks and compensation aren’t enough to solve it, and practical ways to create mattering in everyday interactions. If you want to shape a workplace where people feel fulfilled and are fully engaged, tune into this one!

What does it actually look like to talk about mental health at work – without crossing boundaries, creating discomfort, or turning leaders into therapists? In this episode of The Future of Teamwork, Dane Groeneveld interviews Melissa Doman, M.A., Organizational Psychologist, founder of The Workplace Mental Health Method, and author of Cornered Office: Why We Need to Talk About Leadership Mental Health. Melissa shares how leaders can create healthier conversations around mental health, why “mental health matters” isn’t enough anymore, and how leaders can model healthy behavior without oversharing. If you’re a leader ready to build healthier teams in a complicated world, tune into this one.