Good Morning
intelligence briefing
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Workplace news you didn’t know you needed.
i
Inc. yesterday

I Spent 2 Uncomfortable Days With My Executive Team. It Changed How We Run the Company

A CEO's account of two uncomfortable days with his executive team that reshaped company operations.

i
Inc. 1h ago

52 Percent of Employees Are Thinking About a New Job. Leaders Still Have 4 Ways to Make Them Stay

More than half of employees are actively considering leaving, but leaders still have four concrete retention levers.

FC
Fast Company 11h ago

The surprising downside of high-performing employees

High performers carry hidden organizational costs leaders rarely see until damage is already done.

H
Harvard Business Review yesterday

What New CEOs Get Wrong About the Job

New CEOs consistently misread their role early on in ways that damage credibility and slow organizational momentum.

F
Fortune 2h ago

Gen Z’s iced coffee habit in interviews could be costing them jobs, recruiters warn: ‘It isn’t really about coffee’

Recruiters warn Gen Z candidates are losing job offers over small behavioral signals that read as disrespect.

H
Harvard Business Review 6h ago

Our Favorite Management Tips on Building Influence

HBR curates its best evidence-backed advice on how managers build influence across an organization.

FC
Fast Company 8h ago

Old ways of leadership won’t work in the age of AI. Change these 5 things

Five leadership behaviors that become liabilities in an AI-integrated workplace and what replaces them.

HR
theHRDIRECTOR 13h ago

The Office Has to Earn Its Place

Return-to-office mandates are failing when leaders cannot articulate what the office actually offers employees.

F
Fortune 9d ago

How employee anxiety masquerades as performance, then backfires

Employee anxiety mimics high performance until it collapses, posing a hidden retention and culture risk.

A
Ask a Manager 21d ago

how can I encourage my staff to bring me complaints?

Ask a Manager offers concrete tactics for creating the psychological safety employees need to surface complaints.

SR
MIT Sloan Mgmt Review 36d ago

What Gets Your Best Employees to Stay

MIT Sloan research identifies what actually keeps top employees from leaving, with direct retention implications.

FT
Financial Times 72d ago

Employers pushed staff to use AI more. That has backfired

Pushing employees to adopt AI without support is backfiring, damaging morale and productivity.

WSJ
The Wall Street Journal 23d ago

Ernst & Young Is Giving $100 Million in Bonuses to Staff for ‘Human’ Skills

EY commits $100 million in bonuses explicitly rewarding human skills as AI reshapes the workplace.

SR
MIT Sloan Mgmt Review 23d ago

A Compelling Story Can Disarm Even a Skeptical Negotiator

MIT Sloan research finds a well-constructed story can shift even resistant negotiators, a tool every executive communicator needs.

M
McKinsey 26d ago

The new management playbook for AI: How to move faster and create more value

McKinsey's new AI management playbook outlines how executives can accelerate value without losing control.

HR
theHRDIRECTOR 33d ago

5 Ways to Make Office Days More Meaningful for Employees

Research-backed strategies help executives make in-office days genuinely worthwhile rather than obligatory and resented.

PR
PRWeek 36d ago

How QVC kept its cool after a live TV mishap

QVC's live TV mishap response offers a replicable model for calm, credible crisis communications in real time.

A
Ask a Manager 49d ago

telling two employees they didn’t get a promotion but their coworker did

Handling promotion denials well requires specific messaging discipline that most managers underestimate.

M
McKinsey 54d ago

Is the AI productivity story at a turning point?

McKinsey examines whether AI productivity gains are finally materializing at organizational scale.

WSJ
The Wall Street Journal 77d ago

Air Canada Picks Outsider as Next CEO to Rebuild Trust After Video Fallout

Air Canada's choice of an outside CEO after a trust crisis signals how boards use leadership hires to signal accountability.