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What if the leadership skills we've spent decades rewarding are no longer the ones that matter most?In this conversation, mediator, peacemaker, and author Douglas Noll argues that AI is making critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and human connection more valuable—not less. As technology takes over more analytical work, leaders who can regulate trust, create psychological safety, and keep people engaged will have a growing advantage.Doug challenges some of the deepest assumptions in modern management, including the idea that people are primarily rational actors. From emotional contagion in the workplace to the three questions every nervous system is constantly asking, this discussion explores why leadership in the AI era may be less about technical expertise and more about understanding human behavior.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Douglas on LinkedInCheck out Douglas' websiteVisit Noll AssociatesSupport the show

In a marketing landscape shaped by lean teams, rising expectations, and an ever-expanding stack of AI tools, many leaders are asking the same question: do agencies still have a role to play? In this episode, Galen Low sits down with Tammy Valentine, President of LuckyTamm Marketing Group, to explore how boutique agencies are evolving in the age of AI—and why human expertise, trust, and collaboration still matter.Together, they unpack where AI genuinely adds value, where it falls short, and how marketing leaders can build stronger agency partnerships that help them achieve more with less. Along the way, they share practical lessons on experimentation, brand trust, onboarding, and the fundamentals that continue to drive marketing success regardless of technology shifts.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Tammy on LinkedInVisit LuckyTamm

AI promises efficiency, but the real question is what teams do with the time they get back. In this conversation from Transform in Las Vegas, Oyster's Erin Goodey joins David Rice to unpack how global HR teams are balancing automation with human connection—especially when managing distributed workforces across countries, compliance requirements, and sensitive employee situations.Erin shares how Oyster is using AI to eliminate repetitive administrative work, freeing HR teams to focus on the moments that actually require empathy, judgment, and strategic thinking. From global expansion challenges to the evolving role of HR business partners, this episode explores what “human-centric” HR really looks like in an AI-enabled workplace.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Erin on LinkedInVisit Oyster HRSupport the show

Most leaders think they're navigating another wave of disruption. Sara Loncka argues we're in something far more unsettling: discontinuity. The old assumptions don't just need tweaking—they've stopped working altogether. Past experience, the thing leaders have spent entire careers building confidence around, is suddenly less reliable as a guide for the future. And that's creating a strange kind of friction: teams keep pushing harder with familiar playbooks while the terrain underneath them quietly changes shape.In this conversation, David Rice and Sara unpack why experienced leaders are often the most vulnerable in moments like this, how organizations get trapped by expertise, and why the future of strategy looks less like certainty and more like continuous inquiry. They also explore collective intelligence, learning agility, and why redesigning work now requires leaders to think more like designers than operators.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Sara on LinkedInVisit Experience Institute and NYU SternSupport the show

What happens when AI stops being a tool you type into and starts becoming something you talk to? In this episode, Galen Low sits down with Oliver Shoulson, Agent Design and Engineering Lead at PolyAI, to unpack the surprisingly human problem at the heart of conversational AI: most AI conversations still feel weird.From clunky chatbot scripts to overly polite “LLM voice” personas that sound like they were trained by a committee of HR robots, Oliver explains why good conversational design is less about mimicking humans perfectly and more about removing friction. The conversation explores the psychology of trust, the mechanics of social presence, and why the future of AI interfaces may depend less on visual design and more on understanding how people naturally speak, interrupt, hesitate, clarify, and collaborate.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Oliver on LinkedInCheck out Oliver's websiteVisit PolyAI

Kyle Holm has spent 25 years advising companies on compensation, and right now he's watching the logic of corporate hierarchy break in real time. Not because executives suddenly discovered organizational theory, but because AI is collapsing the distance between capability and influence. The old model—slow progression through management layers, credential accumulation, carefully staged promotions—is running into a technology that rewards direct value creation instead. And executives are noticing.In this conversation from Transform Las Vegas, Kyle and David unpack what happens when AI-native companies stop hiring “mid-level” talent altogether, why compensation systems built on titles and tenure are struggling to keep up, and how the next generation of workers may leapfrog traditional career ladders entirely. It's a conversation about compensation on the surface, but underneath it's really about power: who gets heard, who creates leverage, and who gets left behind when organizations flatten faster than expected.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Kyle on LinkedInVisit Sequoia Consulting GroupSupport the show

Most companies say they're building community. What they often mean is: they launched a Slack channel no one reads, hosted an event with a neon sign and a DJ, watched people post about it on Instagram, and called the whole thing a success. Meanwhile, the people in the room never actually connected.In this episode, David sits down with Jessie Jacob, Culture First Community Manager at Culture Amp, to unpack why relational atrophy is becoming one of the defining workplace problems of the AI era. Jessie manages a global community of more than 100,000 people, and her argument is simple: if people don't feel safe, welcomed, or genuinely connected, no amount of “community strategy” will save you. In a world increasingly optimized for efficiency, automation, and performative engagement, human connection is quickly becoming the real competitive advantage.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Jessie on LinkedInVisit Culture AmpSupport the show

Slide decks aren't going away. Despite years of corporate eye-rolls, overloaded bullet points, and “this could've been an email” energy, presentations still sit at the center of how organizations align people around ideas. And now AI is crashing directly into that workflow.In this episode, Galen sits down with Morgan Cornelius, Chief of Staff at Decky and founder of mrcantile, to unpack why presentations still matter, where most AI-generated decks fall apart, and how teams can use AI as a collaborative thought partner instead of a slop machine. They dig into the real purpose of slides—not transferring information, but creating resonance—and explore what happens when AI removes the production bottleneck but leaves humans responsible for the thinking.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Morgan on LinkedInCheck out Decky and use promo code DeckyDPM for one month free of Decky ProVisit mrcantile

In this episode, Steve is in conversation with Betsy Cooper, director of the Aspen Policy Academy at the Aspen Institute. As an expert in cyber and tech policy, Betsy shares her thoughts on how policymakers can keep pace with the rapid developments in AI and quantum technology, building a futureproof compliance strategy, and AI risks. Steve and Betsy also discuss policymaking in a volatile world, how businesses can protect their image after a breach, and what can be done to get governments to care about online scams. Key Takeaways: Legislative experiments at the local and regional levels will be key for crafting strong, sensible, tech policy on the national level. Tabletop exercises are one of the best tools for preparing the C-suite for breaches and attacks. People must start to speak up against the growing prevalence of having to trade privacy for access to the most basic online tools and sites. Tune in to hear more about: Creating a “future-proof” compliance strategy (7:11) Protecting your brand following a breach, data theft, or disinformation campaigns (13:35) Trading access for personal information (22:31) Standout Quotes: “I do think that it would be preferable to have one coherent framework. I think industry would benefit from that if we did have that sort of framework. But also, I'm not sure that we're at the level of sophistication today that we'd be able to write the best framework because we haven't experimented enough. So I actually think that having the state and local sort of sandboxes leading to future federal policy is not a bad approach.” - Betsy Cooper “It's a very difficult thing to try to prove a negative, and that's why disinformation can be so powerful. But it's also a very fast-moving space, so the faster you can get in there with your counter-narrative, the more likely you are to be successful.” - Betsy Cooper “I'm the mother of a five-year-old, and in order to get my five-year-old's baseball schedule, I have to download an app on my phone. There is no web access for the app that has the baseball schedule. So in order to get that baseball schedule, I have to sign away a whole bunch of privacy just to get my kid to a sports game. I think that shouldn't be allowed.” - Betsy Cooper Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

In this episode, Steve is in conversation with Betsy Cooper, director of the Aspen Policy Academy at the Aspen Institute. As an expert in cyber and tech policy, Betsy shares her thoughts on how policymakers can keep pace with the rapid developments in AI and quantum technology, building a futureproof compliance strategy, and AI risks. Steve and Betsy also discuss policymaking in a volatile world, how businesses can protect their image after a breach, and what can be done to get governments to care about online scams. Key Takeaways: Legislative experiments at the local and regional levels will be key for crafting strong, sensible, tech policy on the national level. Tabletop exercises are one of the best tools for preparing the C-suite for breaches and attacks. People must start to speak up against the growing prevalence of having to trade privacy for access to the most basic online tools and sites. Tune in to hear more about: Creating a “future-proof” compliance strategy (7:11) Protecting your brand following a breach, data theft, or disinformation campaigns (13:35) Trading access for personal information (22:31) Standout Quotes: “I do think that it would be preferable to have one coherent framework. I think industry would benefit from that if we did have that sort of framework. But also, I'm not sure that we're at the level of sophistication today that we'd be able to write the best framework because we haven't experimented enough. So I actually think that having the state and local sort of sandboxes leading to future federal policy is not a bad approach.” - Betsy Cooper “It's a very difficult thing to try to prove a negative, and that's why disinformation can be so powerful. But it's also a very fast-moving space, so the faster you can get in there with your counter-narrative, the more likely you are to be successful.” - Betsy Cooper “I'm the mother of a five-year-old, and in order to get my five-year-old's baseball schedule, I have to download an app on my phone. There is no web access for the app that has the baseball schedule. So in order to get that baseball schedule, I have to sign away a whole bunch of privacy just to get my kid to a sports game. I think that shouldn't be allowed.” - Betsy Cooper Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

AI is speeding up people decisions at exactly the moment those decisions require more care, more context, and frankly, more humility. In this episode, Matt Poepsel from The Predictive Index joins David Rice at Transform to unpack the growing gap between what AI can do and what organizations actually understand about the people data they're feeding into it. Because while everyone is obsessed with automation, agents, and productivity gains, most managers still don't know how to ask the most important question: “Do we actually have the right context for this decision?”The conversation digs into the uncomfortable reality underneath modern workplace AI adoption. Companies are compressing timelines because AI can generate outputs faster, but they're still operating from old assumptions about productivity, management, and collaboration. The result? Burnout, shallow decision-making, and what Matt calls “work slop” — endless AI-generated summaries, presentations, and outputs that create distance between people while pretending to improve teamwork. The deeper challenge isn't technological. It's behavioral. And most organizations still aren't equipped to deal with that.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Matt on LinkedInVisit The Predictive IndexSupport the show

Only 10% of senior leaders admit to using AI. Which raises an awkward question: if leadership isn't really using the tools, who exactly is teaching everyone else how to work with them? Increasingly, the answer is peers. In this conversation from Transform, David Rice sits down with returning guest Kamaria Scott to unpack why AI adoption is becoming less of a top-down transformation initiative and more of a global peer-learning experiment happening in real time.They explore the growing tension between organizational pressure to adopt AI and the complete lack of capacity many employees have to actually experiment with it. Along the way, they dig into manager enablement, skill atrophy, learning agility, performance management, and the uncomfortable possibility that companies are automating away the very expertise employees need to judge whether AI output is any good in the first place. The result is a candid discussion about why managers may become the bottleneck in AI adoption—and why organizations that failed to build real learning cultures before this moment are now paying for it.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Kamaria on LinkedInSupport the show

AI-powered PM tools promise everything from predictive risk alerts to automated status reports—but what happens when the tool you picked doesn't actually deliver on the features that sold you in the first place?In this episode, Galen Low sits down with Emmanuels Magaya, Director of Technology at Tech Legends and Founder & CEO of Project Managers Africa, to unpack what organizations should do when their AI-powered project management platform falls short. Drawing from his experience testing hundreds of AI tools, Emmanuels shares a practical framework for evaluating AI software, explains why organizations shouldn't rely on one tool to do everything, and walks through how AI agents and automation workflows can augment existing PM ecosystems.The conversation also dives into AI literacy, predictive PMOs, and why emerging markets have a unique opportunity to leapfrog traditional delivery models—if they approach AI strategically instead of reactively.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Emmanuels on LinkedInVisit Project Managers Africa and Tech Legends

Today's guest is Dr. Keith Morneau, an experienced cybersecurity professional who currently serves as Dean of Computer and Information Science at ECPI University. Steve and Kieth discuss the future of the cyber workforce, cyber education, and if AI is taking our jobs. Steve also asks Keith to step into the shoes of a CEO…Key Takeaways: In today's cyber world, having an understanding of how systems interact is more important than ever. People with non-technical backgrounds are often quick learners when it comes to cyber, and bring in fresh perspectives.  In new hires, executives should look for people who understand how to work with AI.  Tune in to hear more about: How AI can help junior staff and those entering the cyber workforce (6:15) Dr. Morneau's ”prepare, practice, perform, assess” philosophy (13:23) One obsolete role chief executives should stop hiring for, and one emerging role they haven't even thought about yet (21:15)  Standout Quotes: “We're really still in the baby steps of AI, in the beginning stages of it. What I've noticed of a lot of folks, there's AI there, but they're not 100% understanding how it all works, how the AI actually has to be trained and all that. I think over time what we'll see is the increase in knowledge and skill set using AI for what they're doing in their jobs should help with the bottom line over time.” - Dr. Keith Morneau “The biggest issue in cybersecurity are the AI systems that are very vulnerable to attacks.” - Dr. Keith Morneau “The type of person you need to look at is the person who's able to use AI to do the job that you need them to be able to do better and faster, and be more efficient at it. What you have to be careful of is the people that are going to be obsolete are the ones that are basically fighting the AI and not using AI at all to help them, because that is pretty much they are going to be dinosaurs soon, if they're not already dinosaurs.” - Dr. Keith Morneau Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

Today's guest is Dr. Keith Morneau, an experienced cybersecurity professional who currently serves as Dean of Computer and Information Science at ECPI University. Steve and Kieth discuss the future of the cyber workforce, cyber education, and if AI is taking our jobs. Steve also asks Keith to step into the shoes of a CEO…Key Takeaways: In today's cyber world, having an understanding of how systems interact is more important than ever. People with non-technical backgrounds are often quick learners when it comes to cyber, and bring in fresh perspectives.  In new hires, executives should look for people who understand how to work with AI.  Tune in to hear more about: How AI can help junior staff and those entering the cyber workforce (6:15) Dr. Morneau's ”prepare, practice, perform, assess” philosophy (13:23) One obsolete role chief executives should stop hiring for, and one emerging role they haven't even thought about yet (21:15)  Standout Quotes: “We're really still in the baby steps of AI, in the beginning stages of it. What I've noticed of a lot of folks, there's AI there, but they're not 100% understanding how it all works, how the AI actually has to be trained and all that. I think over time what we'll see is the increase in knowledge and skill set using AI for what they're doing in their jobs should help with the bottom line over time.” - Dr. Keith Morneau “The biggest issue in cybersecurity are the AI systems that are very vulnerable to attacks.” - Dr. Keith Morneau “The type of person you need to look at is the person who's able to use AI to do the job that you need them to be able to do better and faster, and be more efficient at it. What you have to be careful of is the people that are going to be obsolete are the ones that are basically fighting the AI and not using AI at all to help them, because that is pretty much they are going to be dinosaurs soon, if they're not already dinosaurs.” - Dr. Keith Morneau Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

The pace of change in today's workforce isn't just fast—it's compounding. In this episode, Galen sits down with higher education leaders Sasha Thackaberry-Voinovich and Charlotte Bencaz to unpack what it actually takes to stay relevant when roles, tools, and expectations are shifting in real time. From the decline of entry-level roles to the rise of AI-augmented “power workers,” this conversation challenges the idea that learning is a one-time investment—and reframes it as a continuous, strategic habit.They also dig into what's broken (and fixable) in traditional education, how to build skills without taking on massive debt, and why the real risk isn't AI itself—but uneven access to it. If you're trying to pivot, level up, or just keep up, this episode offers a grounded look at what's actually working right now.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Sasha and Charlotte on LinkedInVisit Newstate University

In today's episode, Steve sits down with John “Jock" Brocas, a former military member who is now an executive mentor and strategic intuitive intelligence advisor to the C-suite. Jock is far from your typical cyber professional, but his experience working with executives gives him a compelling perspective on challenges faced in our industry. Steve and Jock discuss how we can train ourselves to block out the noise and become better at recognizing the real threats to our business, the value of mindfulness and managing stress, and why leaders must see the big picture. Jock also shares his thoughts on deepfakes, from the perspective of a medium. Key Takeaways: Adopting a warrior mindset means blending logic and intuition. Taking a break, even just for a few seconds, is crucial to managing stressful situations. Meditating can help you become better at discerning what matters and what doesn't.  Tune in to hear more about: Discerning the signal from the noise () How leaders can help their teams manage stress, both long-term and in acute situations () Jock's thoughts on deepfakes () Standout Quotes: “Logic and intuition are not separate. And this is the biggest mistake we make. We don't fail in making decisions, especially in the cyber world because of the amount of data we have. We fail at the discernment of maybe that data.” - Jock Brocas “I think it's important as well that looking at a more spiritual outlook to things, not religious in any way, a meditative or a contemplative side of things. And how many security professionals or cybersecurity professionals take time for themselves to actually even breathe in between doing something?” - Jock Brocas “Discernment, even as a cyber professional, is important. So discernment of the self, discernment of the mind, that's important.” - Jock Brocas Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

In today's episode, Steve sits down with John “Jock" Brocas, a former military member who is now an executive mentor and strategic intuitive intelligence advisor to the C-suite. Jock is far from your typical cyber professional, but his experience working with executives gives him a compelling perspective on challenges faced in our industry. Steve and Jock discuss how we can train ourselves to block out the noise and become better at recognizing the real threats to our business, the value of mindfulness and managing stress, and why leaders must see the big picture. Jock also shares his thoughts on deepfakes, from the perspective of a medium. Key Takeaways: Adopting a warrior mindset means blending logic and intuition. Taking a break, even just for a few seconds, is crucial to managing stressful situations. Meditating can help you become better at discerning what matters and what doesn't.  Tune in to hear more about: Discerning the signal from the noise () How leaders can help their teams manage stress, both long-term and in acute situations () Jock's thoughts on deepfakes () Standout Quotes: “Logic and intuition are not separate. And this is the biggest mistake we make. We don't fail in making decisions, especially in the cyber world because of the amount of data we have. We fail at the discernment of maybe that data.” - Jock Brocas “I think it's important as well that looking at a more spiritual outlook to things, not religious in any way, a meditative or a contemplative side of things. And how many security professionals or cybersecurity professionals take time for themselves to actually even breathe in between doing something?” - Jock Brocas “Discernment, even as a cyber professional, is important. So discernment of the self, discernment of the mind, that's important.” - Jock Brocas Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

Everything is urgent—until it isn't. When every ticket is a fire, teams don't move faster; they burn out. In this episode, Barbara Nicholas (CEO at Polly) borrows a lesson from search and rescue: urgency only matters when it actually changes outcomes. Most white-collar work isn't life or death, but we've built cultures that pretend it is—and people are paying for it in cognitive overload and constant distraction.Barbara walks through how she operationalizes a triage system across her company—embedding shared language into tools like Slack, Notion, and Jira, and empowering teams to challenge urgency instead of blindly accepting it. From AI experimentation to customer demands and internal comms, this is a conversation about cutting through noise, making better calls under pressure, and remembering what actually matters.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Barbara on LinkedInVisit PollySupport the show

Project management certifications have become the industry's favorite shorthand for competence—but what are they actually signaling? In this candid panel, Galen Low sits down with Crystal Richards, Dave Prior, and Karthick Nivas Ramdoss to unpack what certifications do (and just as importantly, what they don't). From PMP to CSM to emerging AI-focused credentials like CPMAI, the conversation cuts through the alphabet soup and gets to the real question: are we hiring for capability, or just filtering for compliance?What emerges is a more uncomfortable truth. Certifications can open doors, create shared language, and signal commitment—but they're also being misused as blunt instruments in hiring systems that are already overwhelmed. The result? Talented people get filtered out, hiring managers get false confidence, and organizations end up chasing “unicorn” candidates that don't exist. This episode is a reality check—and a practical guide—for anyone trying to make smarter decisions about project talent.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Crystal, Dave, and Karthick on LinkedInVisit MindsparQ, The Agile Network, and PMICheck out these books:PMP Exam Prep For Dummies (2nd Edition) By Crystal RichardsNo One Is Coming to Save You: The Power-Ups to Help Surf the Chaos By Dave Prior

Today's episode might sound a little bit different, but it's a really important conversation. Steve sits down with Emily Holyoake, co-founder of Not A Standard and the brain behind the FRAME Network, to talk about the human harm of cyber attacks, gender-based violence, tech-facilitated abuse, and diversity in the cybersecurity industry. Steve also asks Emily to envision the future of the cyber workforce, one that creates safety for society and people, not just machines and data. Key Takeaways: Every attack begins and ends with a human and a breach can have an existential impact on people's lives. Attribution too often is aimed at individual humans, when we should look at the systems that enabled the person to cause the harm. Diversity within your teams enables a richer environment for problem-solving. Tune in to hear more about: The SAFE Framework (1:57) Why Emily pen-tests her personal life – and why you should, too (18:44) Building a cyber workforce for a safer society (20:56) Standout Quotes: “A person clicks on a phishing link that results in a breach. So we blame the individual instead of thinking what did the system, literally or figuratively, allow to happen that meant that person clicked on that link? But we think we've got to find the root cause. So we pick a human rather than thinking about what the system enabled.” - Emily Holyoake “Every attack begins and ends with a human, fundamentally. In security, we talk so often about people being the weakest link. Fair enough, right? You can have all the technical controls in the world and it just takes one person to break that. But we wouldn't have this business, we wouldn't have this culture, we wouldn't have anything without these people. And so people are, if anything, our greatest asset.” - Emily Holyoake “When you have a diverse group of people thinking about the same problem in different ways from different backgrounds, different experiences, you're going to get an infinitely richer understanding or solution to a problem.” - Emily Holyoake Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

Today's episode might sound a little bit different, but it's a really important conversation. Steve sits down with Emily Holyoake, co-founder of Not A Standard and the brain behind the FRAME Network, to talk about the human harm of cyber attacks, gender-based violence, tech-facilitated abuse, and diversity in the cybersecurity industry. Steve also asks Emily to envision the future of the cyber workforce, one that creates safety for society and people, not just machines and data. Key Takeaways: Every attack begins and ends with a human and a breach can have an existential impact on people's lives. Attribution too often is aimed at individual humans, when we should look at the systems that enabled the person to cause the harm. Diversity within your teams enables a richer environment for problem-solving. Tune in to hear more about: The SAFE Framework (1:57) Why Emily pen-tests her personal life – and why you should, too (18:44) Building a cyber workforce for a safer society (20:56) Standout Quotes: “A person clicks on a phishing link that results in a breach. So we blame the individual instead of thinking what did the system, literally or figuratively, allow to happen that meant that person clicked on that link? But we think we've got to find the root cause. So we pick a human rather than thinking about what the system enabled.” - Emily Holyoake “Every attack begins and ends with a human, fundamentally. In security, we talk so often about people being the weakest link. Fair enough, right? You can have all the technical controls in the world and it just takes one person to break that. But we wouldn't have this business, we wouldn't have this culture, we wouldn't have anything without these people. And so people are, if anything, our greatest asset.” - Emily Holyoake “When you have a diverse group of people thinking about the same problem in different ways from different backgrounds, different experiences, you're going to get an infinitely richer understanding or solution to a problem.” - Emily Holyoake Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

AI in HR is finally moving out of the pitch deck and into the messy reality of day-to-day operations. In this conversation, Tim Fisher sits down with Josh Rod from HiBob to unpack what's actually changing—and what's still just noise. The headline? Most organizations aren't chasing some agentic, fully automated future. They're trying to make today's workflows less painful, faster, and marginally more effective.But underneath that pragmatic adoption sits a deeper shift: the structure of work itself is being quietly rewritten. When every employee becomes a “manager” of AI, the old hierarchies start to wobble. HR isn't just implementing tools anymore—it's being asked to design the operating system for how humans and machines collaborate. And that's where things get interesting.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Josh on LinkedInVisit HiBobSupport the show

Most AI tools weren't designed with kids in mind—but kids are using them anyway. That tension sits at the heart of this conversation with Aderonke Akinbola, where the question isn't if we should build AI for children, but how we do it responsibly. From digital playgrounds that shape behavior to the long-term implications of data exposure, this episode explores why the stakes are fundamentally different for younger users—and why product teams can't afford to treat child safety as an afterthought.Galen and Ade dig into what it really means to design AI experiences that protect, educate, and develop young users. They unpack practical ways teams can introduce ethical friction, rethink data handling, and advocate for safer systems—while also looking ahead to a future where AI itself may act as a guardian for children navigating an increasingly intelligent digital world.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Aderonke on LinkedIn

Today we bring back one of our favorite guests: former US most-wanted cybercriminal Brett Johnson. It's been seven years since he was last on the show, and much has happened in the world of cyber. Brett shares how his perspective has changed in the past few years, and gives his thoughts on how new technologies impact cyber crime. Steve and Brett discuss compliance and what Brett's path from prison to helping law enforcement means for other cyber criminals. Brett also answers some rapid-fire questions.Key Takeaways:  Increased ease of access to cybercrime tools and services, along with manpower problems in law enforcement, are key reasons for why cyber crime is one of the world's largest economies today. Enterprises must shift focus from trying to block every attack to protecting their crown jewels for when an attack inevitably gets through.   Bad things happen because good people remain silent.  Tune in to hear more about: Why cybersecurity awareness training often fail (13:32) If Brett's path to redemption is still viable for today's cyber criminals (16:57) Some rapid-fire questions to Brett (21:35) Standout Quotes: “Cybersecurity and security overall is not a romantic thing. It's not an exotic thing. It's simply doing the nuts and bolts of what you need to do. And the problem is that largely that's not happening in the environment. If you've got management that's more interested in butter than they are in guns, you've got those types of issues.” - Brett Johnson “Cybersecurity awareness training or fraud prevention training, scam awareness, anything like that, we tend to educate at a very rational level. For scams and a lot of fraud and stuff like that, it doesn't happen at a rational level. If I'm trying to attack a person and compromise that person, I'm not doing it at a rational level. I'm doing it at an emotional level. I'm trying to get you to set reason and logic aside and to react emotionally. So all that training takes place at that rational level. You can understand it there. That doesn't mean that you understand it at the emotional level whatsoever.” - Brett Johnson “Is it harder? In one respect it is because we now have people that are aware of how money is moved, what criminals seek to do with it. Banks have become more aware of a lot of the new ways to launder and funnel funds. In many ways, it's much harder, but at the same time, criminal networks have adapted to that difficulty.” - Brett Johnson Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

Soft skills are having a moment—but they're still widely misunderstood, undervalued, or dismissed as “nice to have.” In this episode, Galen sits down with Yadi Caro to unpack why that perception persists—and why it's costing teams more than they realize. Drawing from her experience working with elite technical teams in the defense sector, Yadi reframes soft skills as something far more rigorous: essential capabilities that enable collaboration, decision-making, and ultimately, results.Together, they explore what it actually looks like to apply these skills in high-pressure, highly technical environments—and why, in the age of AI, they're becoming even more critical. From onboarding new team members mid-project to navigating conflict and driving alignment, this conversation makes a strong case: soft skills aren't soft—they're the work.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Yadi on LinkedInCheck out SAICYadi's book: Hardcore Soft Skills and podcast

Today, Steve returns to Business Matters with Juliette Foster. The war continues to rage in Iran, and with it comes an increasing threat of cyber attacks. Steve shares his thoughts on what the conflict means for cyber investment in the private sector, British critical infrastructure, and the British government's approach to cyber resilience. Steve and Juliette also discuss the UK Financial Minister's Spring Statement, which didn't include any references to cybersecurity. What does this omission signal? How will multinational companies react? Is cyber a macro economic issue? This, and more, in Steve's latest appearance on Business Matters.Key Takeaways:  Cyber is a macroeconomic issue, not just a technical one.  AI has changed the way that the threat landscape is evolving, but it's also brought benefits for cyber defence.  Governments have limited abilities to support the cyber resilience of the private sector; cooperation between large enterprises supports the whole business landscape. Tune in to hear more about: If Steve thinks the UK Finance Minister's spring statement will impact cyber investments (8:57) The impact on UK businesses of slower economic growth in the UK (14:59) The state of government cyber resilience in the UK (22:39) Standout Quotes: “What you have to do is you have to look at your crown jewels and back to this minimum viable company notion that I mentioned right at the beginning of our chat. You have to understand what the most critical elements of your business are, and then you can track those through these complex supply chains. Those are the pieces you need to be protecting because that's what's gonna bring your business down or ensure that you can continue to operate.”  - Steve Durbin “The business climate in the UK at the moment is exceptionally tough, exceptionally demanding. I think if you look at some of the legislation that's recently come in particularly around hiring, retaining employees, the sheer cost of doing business has risen pretty much exponentially for most organizations, and that means that they have to make cuts somewhere. If they can't do it in terms of some of the core business, they will look to some of the fringe elements. So if you've got an organization that perhaps does not view cyber as being core to what they do, then that may well be somewhere where a cut is made.” - Steve Durbin “I think we'll certainly see a maturing of the industry. It's a very young industry still in terms of the way that it's evolving and changing, and I think that with the benefit of a couple of years under our belt, then most organizations will have moved to a stronger position from a maturity standpoint, and I would hope certainly that we're talking very much more about resilience rather than protection.” Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

AI is supposed to free people up for “higher-value work.” Fine. But what, exactly, is that work? In this episode, David Rice talks with cyberpsychology researcher and psychotherapist Dr. Rachel Wood about the part of AI adoption most organizations keep skimming past: the human cost of automating too much, too quickly, without a real philosophy for what should remain deeply, stubbornly human.Their conversation cuts through the usual AI optimism and gets to the more uncomfortable truth. Some friction should absolutely go away. Nobody needs to spend an hour copying and pasting spreadsheet data. But some friction is the job: disagreement, discernment, hard conversations, learning by getting things wrong, and figuring out who you are when your expertise is suddenly easier to imitate. This episode is really about that distinction, and why leaders need to stop treating AI as a software rollout and start treating it as a human development challenge.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Rachel:LinkedInAI Mental Health CollectiveRachel's websiteSupport the show

AI transformation isn't just a tech upgrade—it's a human one. In this episode, Eric Porres (Chief AI Officer at Logitech) pulls back the curtain on what year two of an enterprise-wide AI transformation actually looks like. From shifting mindsets to scaling real adoption, this conversation gets into the messy middle: where curiosity turns into capability, and experimentation starts becoming systems.What stands out is how much of this journey has nothing to do with picking the “right” model—and everything to do with behavior change. Eric shares how Logitech moved from AI curiosity to AI competency, what it takes to build a culture of creators (not just users), and why thinking of AI as a teammate—not a tool—changes everything.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Eric on LinkedIn and SubstackCheck out Logitech

Leaders love to frame AI transformation as a technology problem. It's cleaner that way—tools, roadmaps, implementation plans. But what Anouk Brack lays out here is less flattering and far more consequential: this is a biological stress test, and most leadership teams are quietly failing it.Under constant uncertainty and pressure, your nervous system defaults to survival mode. That means the very capabilities you're counting on—strategic thinking, self-reflection, sound judgment—start to degrade. Not dramatically. Subtly. You keep moving, keep deciding, keep “leading.” But you're doing it with a shrinking field of view and a growing pile of bad bets.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Anouk:LinkedInLeadership EmbodimentAnoukA TrainingSupport the show

AI is moving fast—but the underlying challenges aren't new. In this episode, Galen sits down with Eugina Jordan to unpack what today's AI boom can learn from past transformations like 5G. From tool overload to shaky business models, they explore why the winners of this wave won't just be the biggest players—but those who can turn AI into real, usable value for everyday people.They also dig into what AI actually unlocks for small and medium-sized businesses, why “ordinary people” may be the biggest beneficiaries, and how the next wave of innovation might already exist—just waiting for the tech to catch up.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Eugina:LinkedInFacebookInstagramTikTokYouTubeYOUnifiedAI

Today's episode is a special one, recorded to announce an exciting and important new partnership between ISF and the organisation Prostate Cancer Research. Joining the show is PCR CEO Oliver Kemp, who for nearly a decade has worked to ensure fewer men suffer and die from prostate cancer. Steve and Oliver talk about how prostate cancer screening works and the importance of catching it early. The two also talk about the partnership and how it will help PCR's efforts across the UK. Key Takeaways: Early detection saves lives. If you find prostate cancer before it has reached stage 3, the survival rate is 100%. A cancer battle will affect people around you, but they will also be the people whom you can draw strength and support from.  Access to cancer screening varies between regions and demographics.  Tune in to hear more about: What PSA is and how testing for prostate cancer is done (5:28) The new partnership between ISF and PCR (18:58) How AI and new technologies can help in cancer detection (22:34) Standout Quotes: “I think us men are not always the best at going and looking after ourselves and we often need to be nagged to go out and do something. But if you've got prostate cancer, it's gonna get you one way or another, and it'll gradually grow inside of you. And it's far better getting it early and having a relatively simple procedure, which you can now be in and out of hospital in a single day rather than late-stage prostate cancer, which will have very different consequences.” - Oliver Kemp  “I think one of the great things about this partnership is first of all, we're aiming at people who often don't get tested. And there are lots of PSA tests happening across this country, but they're often focused on regional areas. So southeast of England, London has lots of testing. It has lots of the best hospitals in the world, whereas other parts of the country don't have access to that.” - Oliver Kemp  “And for people in cybersecurity, it's about being as proactive about your own health as you are about protecting your organization. So it isn't about waiting for symptoms. I didn't have any. Look at PSA tests. We've said on this show it's a very low cost. And the people that I've come across who've certainly taken that step, and sadly there are more of us than people might think, all tell me the same thing. And as for partners, families, friends that are listening, don't underestimate the power of your encouragement just being there. That's really important. You don't have to do anything big. It's just a quiet conversation that could genuinely help.” - Steve Durbin Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

Your leadership team doesn't have a strategy problem—it has an execution problem disguised as one. The offsite went great, the vision is crisp, and the slides look expensive. But somewhere between “bold initiative” and “Tuesday morning,” nobody translated strategy into what people should actually do. That gap? That's where most organizations quietly stall.Tom Healy argues that L&D is the missing link leaders keep ignoring. Not because it's ineffective—but because it's unglamorous. CEOs will talk endlessly about growth, retention, and performance, yet fail to connect those outcomes to how people are trained, onboarded, and supported day-to-day. Meanwhile, AI is making content creation trivial. The real work—the uncomfortable, strategic clarity about culture, behavior, and expectations—is still being skipped.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Tom:LinkedInPeopleOps360mentummSupport the show

AI isn't just another layer of tooling—it's becoming the operating system for how professional services teams plan, deliver, and scale their work. In this conversation, Tim Fisher sits down with Joe DiPaulo (CEO of Accelo) to unpack how AI-native PSA platforms like Forecast are shifting teams from reactive firefighting to proactive, data-driven delivery.They explore what's actually changing on the ground: from margin leakage and spreadsheet chaos to predictive resourcing and AI-assisted decision-making. The throughline is clear—AI isn't about replacing people, it's about helping teams scale smarter, with better visibility, stronger utilization, and more consistent outcomes.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Joe:LinkedInAcceloForecast

In today's episode, Steve speaks with Martina Navratilova. Martina is one of the most accomplished tennis players of all time, holding the record for most open era titles and Wimbledon wins. Since retiring from tennis, Martina has been a vocal advocate for gay rights and cancer awareness. In her conversation with Steve, she talks about the importance of screening and early detection, and why self-awareness and kindness to yourself are essential when you're going through something difficult. The two also discuss adapting to change, how to read your opponents and why rehearsing matters – both on the tennis court and in the world of cyber. Martina also gives the audience a piece of advice on staying resilient in the face of uncertainty, from the perspective of a champion.Key Takeaways: If something doesn't feel right in your body, get tested. And even if you're feeling fine, do that annual physical.  There is no substitute for practice when it comes to crisis preparedness. Breaches will happen, it's about how you respond – with clarity and honesty – that matters. Tune in to hear more about: Some news from Steve (1:33) Building the right team (10:18) Recovering after a breach (13:24) Standout Quotes: “We tend to overreact and overcorrect. Less is more in just about everything in life. Less is more. You can always add to it. But if you go too far, you've gone too far.” - Martina Navratilova “At the end of the day, if you are the big boss, you are making the decisions, you have to trust your gut. So you take all the information in, but you have to say, ‘Okay, what really feels right with my knowledge, with my intelligence, with my history, what is the best way forward?'” - Martina Navratilova “No system is bulletproof no matter what. You may hit the best serve ever, but that person guessed and they get it back. It's how you bounce back from that. But nothing is bulletproof. You just need to figure out where was the breach, how can we fix it and avoid doing it again?” - Martina Navratilova Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

Capacity planning can feel like a tug-of-war between sales, delivery teams, and leadership—especially when growth goals collide with a team that already feels stretched. In this episode, Galen Low sits down with Brandon Llewellyn, Head of Delivery at Cirface, to unpack how delivery leaders can use data to diagnose real capacity issues, make smarter resourcing decisions, and avoid the trap of “just squeezing in one more project.”Brandon shares how his team approaches capacity planning using simple but powerful metrics, why top-down planning often beats granular task estimates, and how productized services, deal size, and role clarity can dramatically change how “busy” a team feels. They also explore how AI is influencing operational efficiency—and what leaders should actually do with the time it frees up.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Brandon:LinkedInCirface

In this week's episode, Steve sits down with conductor, pianist, comedian, and broadcaster Rainer Hersch. Rainer leans on his orchestra experience to explain how leaders outside the concert hall can build deep trust and strike a balance between discipline and adaptability in a rapidly changing world. He also reveals his secret leadership weapon: humor. Key Takeaways: Conducting an orchestra has many parallels to leading a business. Not every team member must know the entire business, but the leaders do.  Good conducting—and by extension, good leadership—is a back-and-forth effort between leaders and those being led. Tune in to hear more about: How conductors make different parts of the orchestra function in harmony (1:53) Flexibility in an orchestra and in business (6:59) How Hersch uses humor in his work as a conductor (14:54) Standout Quotes: “These analogies are very similar to how any large organization works. The only person actually who's got the kind of blueprint for the product that the orchestra is presenting to its customers, that is the orchestra score, is the conductor. Everybody else has just got their individual parts of the project. So coming together in that way musically, well, requires listening, it requires following in certain occasions, leading in others.” - Rainer Hersch “The conductor is the person who's given that one job of examining this plain piece of writing and going, okay, this is what is intended, this is the emotion that is intended. And in order to bring that emotion out, we need to do this in a certain way, and inspiring and motivating everybody else to participate in that irrespective of how they would personally go about it.” - Rainer Hersch “There are mistakes that happen in a performance, and I'm not going to stop every single mistake and go, ‘Duh-uh, bar 24 flutes.' No. There are some things that happen, I know they will be fixed by the individual players. In a rehearsal, something happens, they miss the queue. I'll say, that'll be all right in the performance, won't it? Yes, it will. They've seen that I've seen it, and that's enough for them.” - Rainer Hersch Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

If your organization looks successful on paper but feels strangely tense in practice, there's a good chance fear—not excellence—is quietly running the show. In this episode, David Rice talks with Brave Together author Chris Deaver about how fear disguises itself in high-performing workplaces: polished presentations, perfect metrics, and meetings where nobody laughs—and nobody challenges anything either.Their conversation explores what happens when organizations reward superhero behavior, visibility over collaboration, and certainty over curiosity. The result is brittle excellence and teams that quietly fracture under pressure. The alternative, Deaver argues, is building cultures of co-creation—where leaders shift from being the smartest person in the room to becoming integrators, connectors, and context builders. In a world reshaped by AI and constant disruption, the real advantage isn't information anymore—it's shared wisdom, deep empathy, and the courage to build together.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Chris:LinkedInLead with a Question podcastCheck out Chris' book: Brave TogetherSupport the show

Today, Steve sits down with Dr. Helena Boschi, globally acclaimed psychologist, to talk about the best security system of all: the human brain. The two discuss how stress impacts performance in high stakes environments like cybersecurity, why trust and psychological safety matter more than ever, and what leaders can do to help their team stay calm, focused, and creative even when the pressure is on. Finally, Dr. Boschi also explains what neuroscience reveals about how we can train our brains to become more cyber resilient. Key Takeaways: Leaders must be aware of the early warning signs of too much stress – memory loss, absentmindedness, sudden outbursts, etc.  Leaders must strike a balance between quick results and allow teams to think about problems in new ways, even if it takes a little longer. The brain is not great at adapting to big changes, so introduce new things in chunks to make the transition easier.  Tune in to hear more about: How the brain can help us become better leaders (11:26) Digital fatigue (19:56) How leaders help teams embrace change (25:50) Standout Quotes: “If you can see that if people start behaving in a much more emotional way than normal or they're struggling to make decisions or they're a bit absent-minded, time for leaders to say, let's just take a pause and let's think about what's going on. By the time these warning signs are spilled over into physical and behavioral ones, it's normally then almost too late.” - Dr. Helena Boschi “In a world with endless distraction, we have got information coming at us from all directions, and we simply don't have the brain power to deal with it all. So the brain selects what it wants to focus on based on what's important to that person. So what's important for me may not be important for you. We have to select, the brain has to actively select – this is called selective attention. Selective attention also makes us blind to the things we are choosing not to focus on. And you might pick up something that I am blind to. So your selective attention might help me see what I can't see. So it's really important to surround yourself with people who disagree with you, who see the world differently, because their blindness will be different to our blindness.” -  Dr. Helena Boschi “Human beings are quite fallible and they're quite flawed because we have a brain that is not optimized for making the best decisions. It's optimized for making the best decisions for me, but often not for the collective. And when it comes to information security, again, it's not really optimized. If the brain is tired or hungry, it won't make great decisions. So I think coming back to basics for the brain is really important. Keeping the brain in its most healthy state is probably the best thing that cybersecurity professionals can do, and that means keeping the body very active.”  - Dr. Helena Boschi Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

You were told AI would clear your calendar. Instead, you're answering 800 chats a day and wondering what, exactly, you accomplished. Productivity is up. So is the volume. You 10x your output and somehow inherit 10x the work. Welcome to the hamster wheel.In this episode, Eliza Jackson, COO at ButcherBox, and I unpack the real transformation behind AI at work. It's not about learning a new tool. It's about unlearning how you work. It's about rethinking what you own versus what you delegate. And it's about building the kind of resilience and mindset that don't show up on a résumé—but determine whether your team can survive what's coming.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Eliza on LinkedInCheck out ButcherBoxSupport the show

In a job market that's already shaky, it's easy to see AI-led automation as salt in the wound. But Wade Foster flips that framing: pushing into AI is actually one of the kinder things organizations can do—because it strips away the “mysticism” and replaces it with something more useful: a pragmatic understanding of what AI can save you from (tedious, brain-draining tasks) and what it can't replace (problem-solving, judgment, taste).What comes through in this conversation is a more grounded promise: AI doesn't erase the job—it helps in the “messy middle.” And when you use it as a thought partner (not just a shortcut), it can actually increase the time you spend on meaningful work… because it makes the process more enjoyable and the output better.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Wade on LinkedIn and XCheck out Wade's website and ZapierZapier MCP (Model Context Protocol)Zapier MCP Documentation & Setup (Quickstart)Zapier MCP Guide: Use with Your AI ClientZapier MCP with Anthropic (Claude)Zapier Agent Skills for Claude (Blog)

Today, Steve is in conversation with Jaya Baloo, COO at Aisle. One of the world's leading experts on quantum technology and cybersecurity, Jaya shares what the future of quantum computing looks like and what businesses can do to prepare for a quantum-prevalent world. She also offers her view of how cyber and quantum technology will co-evolve in the next 10 to 20 years. Key Takeaways: You should have started preparing for quantum yesterday. Cybersecurity stands out among areas of quantum as a space where quantum may first be used by governments to attack adversaries. More diversity is needed in quantum development.  Tune in to hear more about: How to begin your journey to quantum-ready today (8:17) How diversity can shape responsible development of quantum (13:48) Jaya Baloo's view on quantum in 10-20 years (15:58) Standout Quotes: “ Cybersecurity is something really special here because unfortunately we do not have only from quantum, the same ability to protect as we have to attack. And I worry that the first application of these technologies beyond the sensors, the first real application from governments will be that offensive use to attack our current cryptographic stack.” - Jaya Baloo “I think in general, especially now with the whole onslaught against everything DEI, I actually think it's such a shame to waste time on excluding anyone from anything. We really need the best skillset we can possibly get. And what you see is that, especially in areas like quantum, there's not enough diversity.” - Jaya Baloo “So what I really think that we need to think about is how do we democratize, as much as possible, access to our defense against a potential quantum threat, and how do we democratize the availability of quantum computing in order to benefit all of humanity?” - Jaya Baloo Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

Trust in AI isn't a vibe—it's something you can intentionally design for (or accidentally break). In this episode, Galen sits down with Cal Al-Dhubaib to unpack “trust engineering”: a shared toolkit that helps cross-functional teams (engineering, UX, governance, risk, and business) talk about the same trust risks in the same language. They get into why “boring AI is safe AI,” how guardrails and human handoffs actually preserve trust, and why the biggest failures often aren't the model—they're the systems (and incentives) wrapped around it.You'll also hear real-world examples of trust going sideways—from biased outcomes to hallucinated “gaslighting,” to AI-assisted deliverables causing accuracy issues—and what project leaders can do to prevent finger-pointing when it happens.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Cal on LinkedInCheck out FurtherAI Incident Database

So yeah—your dashboards look great. Your team's shipping faster, summarizing more, “getting leverage” with AI… and all the while you might be quietly trading away the one asset you can't buy back on a subscription plan: human judgment.In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Vivienne Ming—neuroscientist, entrepreneur, and an “AI realist” who has zero patience for utopian hype or Skynet fan fiction. Vivienne lays out a clean fork in the road: cognitive automation (AI does the thinking for you) vs. cognitive augmentation (AI makes you think better—often by making the work harder). If your AI strategy is mostly about convenience, this is your gentle-ish warning that convenience is not a strategy. It's a sedative.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Vivienne on LinkedInSupport the show

PMOs are at a crossroads. As AI-led transformation accelerates, many organizations are still treating PMOs as project police—while quietly expecting them to deliver strategic clarity, risk foresight, and business value. In this conversation, Galen sits down with Amireh Amirmazaheri to unpack why that disconnect exists, what PMOs need to unlearn to move forward, and how the role must evolve if it's going to earn (and keep) a seat at the table.They explore the real difference between managing projects and enabling business success, why AI won't save broken processes, and what it takes to lead a PMO with purpose instead of power. The result is an honest, human-centered look at the future of PMOs—one that prioritizes judgment, ethics, and clarity over templates, tools, and false certainty.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Amireh on LinkedInCheck out PMO SolutionsRelated articles and podcasts:About the podcastOur Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era by James Barrat21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

Today, Steve returns to Business Matters with Juliette Foster. In this conversation, Steve recaps 2025 in cyber and shares what he sees as the biggest risks heading into 2026. The two also discuss resilience and compliance, as well as the growing importance of togetherness among businesses…Key Takeaways: Companies would be wise to conduct frequent cyber audits.  Supply-chain disruptions can have long-lasting, reputational effects.  How we protect the integrity of our data is at the core of cybersecurity.  Tune in to hear more about: The relationship between government business in cyber (12:56) How boards should plan for a cyber attack (15:40) Collaborating within and across industries (22:24) Standout Quotes: “I've said many times that good compliance doesn't equal good security, but good security does equal, nine times out of 10, very good compliance. So where do we go with all of that? I do think that we're probably getting to a point, sadly, where we need to be viewing some of the security processes that we need to undergo in the same way as we consider financial audits.” - Steve Durbin “I think that the day is gone when you can rely on your defenses. So boards have to be planning for the day when the defenses fail. When an attack really starts to make an impact on your business. The starting point is to figure out how long you can be without your systems. It may sound like a strange thing to say, but that's the important starting point for me.” - Steve Durbin “Security is not, in my opinion anyway, a competitive advantage. And because it's not a competitive advantage, there shouldn't be this massive barrier to sharing some of the ideas, some of the attacks that are out there for the good of the industry.” - Steve Durbin  Read the transcript of this episodeSubscribe to the ISF Podcast wherever you listen to podcastsConnect with us on LinkedIn and TwitterFrom the Information Security Forum, the leading authority on cyber, information security, and risk management.

AI didn't replace your job—it replaced your value proposition. In this episode, we sit down with Taylor Blake, SVP of AI Labs at Degreed, to talk about the uncomfortable truth facing L&D teams: if your job is framed as delivering content, unblocking employees, or feeding answers in the flow of work, AI is already doing it better, faster, and without your calendar invite.But where AI stops short is precisely where L&D's future begins. Taylor shares how her team at Degreed lives as “customer zero,” using their own tools before shipping them to clients—which means they're embedded in the mess, not just pitching the promise. From readiness over responsiveness to the emotional toll of relentless efficiency, this conversation explores what it really means to build capability in a world where one employee now has the power—and pressure—of ten.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Taylor on LinkedInCheck out DegreedSupport the show

Do project management methodologies still matter when AI can generate plans, notes, and schedules in seconds? In this episode, Galen sits down with Stan Yanakiev to unpack why the answer is still a firm yes—but with an important caveat: methodologies have to adapt. Together, they explore how PMs can move faster with AI without losing control, context, or the human side of delivery.The conversation digs into lightweight project management, human-in-the-loop AI, and why speed without structure leads to “speed wobbles.” Stan shares practical examples of using AI to reduce documentation overhead, strengthen decision-making, and free PMs up to do what they do best: lead people, align stakeholders, and navigate complexity.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Stan on LinkedInCheck out Mindrise

AI is touching every role, every industry, and every level of an organization—but that doesn't mean every project manager needs to become an engineer. In this conversation, Galen Low sits down with AI strategist and engineering leader Kesha Williams to talk about what PMs really need to know to stay relevant in an AI‑infused world.They explore how to lead AI‑related projects without getting lost in the technical weeds, how to confidently translate between business and technical teams, and how to focus on outcomes over hype. With clear examples, sharp insights, and a dash of humor, this episode is packed with guidance for delivery leaders navigating AI today—and preparing for what's next.Resources from this episode:Join the Digital Project Manager CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Kesha on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter/XCheck out KeySoft websiteKesha on AI – LinkedIn PageKesha on AI – SubstackEveryday AI Challenge – LinkedIn Learning

Most business leaders are still talking about AI as if it's just another “productivity upgrade.” Meanwhile, the world building the future — massive data centers, AGI R&D, and winner‑take‑all investment — is sprinting ahead without guardrails, ethics, or broad societal input. In this conversation, researcher Christopher DiCarlo pushes executives to confront a reality most aren't prepared for: AI isn't a tool you add to the org chart, it's a paradigm shift that will redefine work, power, human purpose, and morality.This episode is part wake‑up call, part philosophical intervention. It challenges HR leaders and executives to stop asking “how much more productive do we need to be?” and start asking “what kind of future are we building — and at what cost?” If you're still waiting for a miracle app to solve everything, this conversation will shift your perspective on AI strategy, ethics, and leadership responsibility.Related Links:Join the People Managing People CommunitySubscribe to the newsletter to get our latest articles and podcastsConnect with Christopher on LinkedInCheck out Convergence AnalysisSupport the show