EP21: The Entry Level Collapse and the Rise of 22nd Century Leadership with Heather Jerrehian

EP27: Adaptability, Trust, and the Human Skills AI Can't Replace with Lara Albert

What happens when AI can do more of the work we've traditionally assigned to people? For many organizations, the conversation quickly turns to automation, efficiency, and workforce disruption. But according to Lara Albert, the more important conversation is about adaptability. As AI continues to reshape how work gets done, leaders face a critical challenge: helping people develop the skills, judgment, and confidence needed to thrive alongside increasingly intelligent technology. The future will not belong to organizations that simply deploy AI. It will belong to organizations that help people evolve with it. In this episode of Now to Next, Lara Albert joins me to explore the realities behind AI transformation, workforce readiness, leadership responsibility, and the human capabilities that will matter most in the years ahead. HIGHLIGHTS: * Why adaptability is becoming the most important workforce skill in the AI era * The difference between what AI can do and what AI should do * How organizations can drive AI adoption without creating fear * Why leadership and trust become more important as technology advances * The role of human judgment in an increasingly automated workplace * How companies can prepare employees for continuous change * Why AI should augment human potential rather than replace it * What future career growth may look like as work continues to evolve GUEST: Lara Albert is a senior marketing executive with more than two decades of experience helping organizations drive growth, innovation, and transformation. She has led world-class brands, launched breakthrough products, and guided teams through periods of significant market and technological change. Known for her strategic perspective and passion for leadership development, Lara brings a practical and human-centered view to the future of work and the role AI will play in shaping it. FOLLOW JASON AVERBOOK: Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook [https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook] X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook [https://x.com/jasonaverbook] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook [https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook [https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook] Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook [https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook] FOLLOW LARA ALBERT: LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/laraalbert/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/laraalbert/] (0:00) Introduction (1:25) Laura Albert's background and role at SAP SuccessFactors (2:20) Personal connection to early talent and evolving entry level jobs (5:16) Impact of AI on early talent expectations (7:47) Redesigning the career ladder and defining early talent (12:19) Developing foundational skills in the age of AI (15:04) Reworking HR processes, workflows, and readiness for change (19:17) Advice for students, parents, and hiring managers (21:48) The importance of adaptability and realism in career paths (24:04) Responsibility and strategies for redesigning entry level jobs with AI (26:24) Research insights on AI literacy for new graduates (27:37) Governance and guidance on AI tools in education (28:23) Concerns of CHROs regarding AI implementation (30:43) The rise of shadow AI and AI brain fry in the workplace (33:13) Importance of AI fluency and job evolution in the age of AI (37:17) Connecting with Laura Albert and accessing research (38:09) SAP's collaboration with industry analysts and thought leaders (39:32) Closing remarks

EP26: The Human Side of AI: Trust, Fear, and Why Change Management Must Change with Dr. Xenia Wade

What happens when employees walk into AI training already convinced the technology might replace them? Most organizations are treating AI adoption as a technology challenge. Dr. Xenia Wade believes that is exactly where leaders are getting it wrong. Drawing from her research background, enterprise transformation work, and recent move from Germany to Japan, Xenia explains why AI creates a level of fear and vulnerability that previous technology transformations never did. Employees are not just learning a new tool. Many are questioning their future, their identity, and the value of skills they spent years developing. In this conversation, we explore why psychological safety has become a prerequisite for AI adoption, why traditional change management is no longer enough, and why trust may be the most important capability leaders need to build right now. HIGHLIGHTS: * Why AI triggers fear in ways previous technology transformations never did * The connection between psychological safety and successful AI adoption * Why employees often arrive at training with strong opinions before learning begins * The difference between AI training and true AI education * How leaders can build trust by modeling vulnerability and uncertainty * Why honesty is more powerful than certainty during periods of transformation * The hidden danger of measuring AI success through token usage and adoption metrics alone * What "token maxing" reveals about flawed AI ROI measurement * Why traditional change management still matters, but is no longer enough * How organizations can create cultures where people feel safe experimenting with AI * The role of judgment, confidence, and human capability in an AI-enabled future GUEST: Dr. Xenia Wade is a transformation strategist, researcher, and advisor focused on the human side of AI adoption and organizational change. With a PhD in Human Resource Management, her research explored how employees learn from one another and how workplace dynamics influence behavior and performance. She later brought those insights into enterprise transformation work, helping organizations navigate large-scale digital change initiatives. Now based in Japan after relocating from Germany, Xenia combines academic research with practical transformation experience to help leaders understand the psychological, cultural, and human dimensions of AI adoption. Her work focuses on psychological safety, trust, leadership behavior, change management, and the future of human-AI collaboration. FOLLOW JASON AVERBOOK: Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook [https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook] X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook [https://x.com/jasonaverbook] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook [https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook [https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook] Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook [https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook] FOLLOW XENIA WADE: LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/xenia-wade/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/xenia-wade/] Website: https://xeniawade.com/ [https://xeniawade.com/] Substack: https://xeniawade.substack.com/ [https://xeniawade.substack.com/] Free guide, 3 moves to get a stalled AI rollout moving: https://xeniawade.com/field-guide/ [https://xeniawade.com/field-guide/] (0:00) Introduction and Dr. Xenia Wade's background (2:35) The human side of change and technology (3:47) AI and human interaction (6:04) Psychological safety in the workplace (9:20) Creating a culture of safety and vulnerability (13:57) Human bottlenecks in technological adoption (17:37) Comparing AI adoption to past tech changes (20:52) External factors shaping employee perception of AI (24:08) Rebuilding trust in AI and institutions (26:11) Training AI versus building trust (28:07) Building psychological safety in organizations (30:23) Meaningful education for job security (32:31) Shifting focus from IT to people (34:32) Measuring ROI in AI projects (36:44) Psychological safety and trust in the workplace (38:53) Key takeaways for leaders (39:56) Optimism in the age of AI (42:37) Balancing benefits and downsides of AI (43:20) Connecting with Dr. Xenia Wade

EP25: The Trust Collapse: Why Your Workforce Has Stopped Believing Your AI Strategy

BCG dropped two studies that should be taped to the wall of every CHRO's office. One shows that adding AI "employees" to org charts is making human workers sloppier and more likely to blame the bot when things go wrong. The other — "AI brain fry" — shows that cognitive overload from managing AI tool sprawl is driving errors, burnout, and intent to quit. Meanwhile, 48% of Q1 tech layoffs were attributed to AI, Gen Z workers are listing AI skills they don't have on their résumés, and boards are demanding governance answers most executives cannot give yet. But the story underneath all of that — the one you won't find in any headline today — is a trust collapse. Workers don't believe what leaders are telling them about AI anymore. And that gap is now a credibility crisis. This episode is about all of it. HIGHLIGHTS: * Why BCG’s latest research found AI workers can reduce human accountability * The rise of “AI brain fry” and the hidden cost of tool sprawl * Why employees are increasingly disconnected from leadership AI narratives * The growing credibility crisis around augmentation vs replacement * How organizations are accidentally creating burnout through poor AI experience design * Why eliminating junior roles without redesigning development pathways creates long term risk * The dangerous rise of inflated AI skills data across the workforce * Why boards are asking governance questions most executive teams still cannot answer * The difference between deploying AI and redesigning work for humans HOST BIO: Jason Averbook has spent thirty years watching the gap between where organizations say they are with technology and where work is actually happening. He has a name for it. He has a framework for closing it. And he built Now to Next to do exactly that. Now to Next is the AI studio Jason co-founded with Jess Von Bank in 2026 — built on practitioner intelligence, original research, and the conviction that human transformation precedes digital transformation. Always has. Always will. Before Now to Next, Jason co-founded Leapgen, acquired by Mercer in 2023, where he led global HR transformation strategy and the firm's generative AI practice. Earlier he served as CEO of The Marcus Buckingham Company, co-founded Knowledge Infusion through its acquisition by Appirio, and held senior roles at PeopleSoft and Ceridian. He has advised hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies, authored two books on the future of HR and workforce technology, delivered more than 1000 keynote presentations globally, and teaches as an adjunct professor at universities worldwide. He is consistently recognized as one of the top three thought leaders globally on the future of work. FOLLOW JASON AVERBOOK: Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook [https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook] X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook [https://x.com/jasonaverbook] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook [https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook [https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook] Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook [https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook] SOURCES CITED: * BCG / Fortune: "Adding AI 'employees' is backfiring" (May 28, 2026) * BCG / HBR: "AI brain fry" — 1,488 workers surveyed (March 2026) * Oliver Wyman CEO Survey: 43% of executives cutting junior roles, up from 17% (Q2 2026) * Fast Company: "Skills manifesting — workers citing skills they intend to learn" (May 2026) * Society for Corporate Governance / Nasdaq: "AI in the Boardroom" (May 2026) (0:00) Introduction and the importance of designing AI for humans (1:17) Trust crisis and AI's impact on worker-leader relationships (1:52) BCG study and AI agents as employees (3:12) Leaders' reactions and responsibility for AI onboarding (6:22) AI brain fry, cognitive overload, and experience design (10:44) AI's impact on tech layoffs and junior roles (17:00) AI governance and executive challenges (18:14) Trust collapse revisited and key takeaways (20:34) Summary and closing remarks

EP24: The Function Nobody Owned: HR, IT, and AI Finally in One Room with Tracey Franklin

What does it really take to integrate people, culture, and technology in a way that drives transformation, not just change? As organizations race to adopt AI and digital platforms, many are still treating technology and people as separate strategies. But what happens when those two become one system? In this conversation, I sat down with Tracey Franklin, Chief People and Digital Technology Officer at Moderna, to explore what it actually looks like to connect people and technology in practice, not just in theory. Tracey shares her experience scaling Moderna from 800 to nearly 6,000 employees during one of the most critical moments in modern healthcare, and how that growth required rethinking not just talent, but how work itself gets done. We talk about why integrating HR and digital technology is no longer optional, how AI is reshaping decision-making and operating models, and what leaders often miss when trying to modernize their organizations. This is a conversation about building organizations that are designed to evolve, where culture, capability, and technology are not competing priorities but deeply interconnected system HIGHLIGHTS: * Why separating people strategy and technology strategy is breaking organizations faster than AI is transforming them * What leaders misunderstand about scaling culture during hypergrowth moments like Moderna experienced * The real reason most digital transformations fail even when the technology works * What changes when HR and technology leadership sit under one vision instead of operating in silos * How AI is shifting not just productivity, but how decisions get made across the enterprise * The tension leaders must navigate between speed, innovation, and maintaining human connection GUEST: Tracey Franklin is Moderna’s Chief People and Digital Technology Officer, where she leads the integration of people, culture, and digital innovation to shape how the organization operates and evolves. Since joining Moderna in 2019 as Chief Human Resources Officer, she played a critical role in scaling the company from 800 to nearly 6,000 employees during the COVID-19 pandemic while helping build a culture recognized globally as a top employer by Science. In 2024, her role expanded to include Digital Technology, reflecting the growing importance of aligning human capability with technological advancement, particularly in the age of AI. Before Moderna, Tracey spent 15 years at Merck & Co., Inc., where she held multiple global leadership roles, including Vice President, HR Chief Talent and Strategy Officer. Her experience spans global talent strategy, organizational transformation, and HR leadership across the U.S., UK, and Switzerland. She holds a BA in Communication Arts and Sciences from Pennsylvania State University and an MA in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. FOLLOW JASON AVERBOOK: Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook [https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook] X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook [https://x.com/jasonaverbook] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook [https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook [https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook] Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook [https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook] FOLLOW TRACEY FRANKLIN: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-franklin-8b731b1/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-franklin-8b731b1/] (0:00) Introduction (2:28) Moderna's growth and pandemic response (3:35) The "blank sheet of paper" approach in HR and digital roles (5:12) Combining HR and IT: Challenges, benefits, and rebuilding vs. incremental changes (10:03) Managing human and machine resources (12:20) AI's impact on HR roles and democratizing AI access (14:52) Upskilling HR for AI and evolving skill sets (19:02) The future of HR: AI, human interaction, and rapid advancements (25:24) Vibe coding: Viability, practicality, and applications at Moderna (27:32) Importance of data in AI integration (32:22) K-shaped economy and the AI knowledge divide (33:29) Skills and mindset for future employees (38:04) Career ladders and AI's impact on entry-level jobs (40:10) HR's role in an AI-integrated work environment (41:10) Concerns and responsibilities with AI deployment (43:13) Closing remarks

EP23: The Agent Illusion: Why Most “AI Agents” Aren’t What You Think

What if the “AI agents” your organization is investing in aren’t actually agents at all? I woke up one morning, checked my phone, and saw yet another company announcing they are now an “AI agent company.” I have seen it over and over again. Different vendors. Same claim. No clear definition. I walk through in this episode what actually separates a workflow, a copilot, and a true agent, and why that distinction matters more than ever. I also share real examples of where organizations are getting this wrong, and what happens when you layer AI on top of broken processes. This is not about chasing the next buzzword. It is about knowing what you are actually deploying, what you can trust it with, and whether your foundation is ready for it. Because putting AI on top of broken processes does not create transformation. It hides the problem until it shows up at scale. If we cannot define what we are deploying, we cannot govern it, trust it, or scale it. HIGHLIGHTS: * Why “AI agent” has become one of the most misused terms in tech right now * The critical difference between workflows, copilots, and true agents * How to tell if a system is actually reasoning or just following a pre-built path * The hidden risk of “agent sprawl” and why it mirrors the rise of shadow IT * Why most AI demos look smarter than the systems actually are * The real reason agents fail when deployed on outdated processes and bad data * What adaptive reasoning and memory actually mean and why they matter * The 5 questions every leader should ask before trusting any “AI agent” * Why clean data and validated processes matter more than the technology itself HOST BIO: Jason Averbook has spent thirty years watching the gap between where organizations say they are with technology and where work is actually happening. He has a name for it. He has a framework for closing it. And he built Now to Next to do exactly that. Now to Next is the AI studio Jason co-founded with Jess Von Bank in 2026 — built on practitioner intelligence, original research, and the conviction that human transformation precedes digital transformation. Always has. Always will. Before Now to Next, Jason co-founded Leapgen, acquired by Mercer in 2023, where he led global HR transformation strategy and the firm's generative AI practice. Earlier he served as CEO of The Marcus Buckingham Company, co-founded Knowledge Infusion through its acquisition by Appirio, and held senior roles at PeopleSoft and Ceridian. He has advised hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies, authored two books on the future of HR and workforce technology, delivered more than 1000 keynote presentations globally, and teaches as an adjunct professor at universities worldwide. He is consistently recognized as one of the top three thought leaders globally on the future of work. FOLLOW JASON AVERBOOK: Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook [https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook] X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook [https://x.com/jasonaverbook] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook [https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook [https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook] Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook [https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook] (0:00) Introduction and defining AI agents (2:49) Categorizing AI agents and system paths (6:22) Use cases and historical evolution from workflows to agents (11:28) Architectural differences: Workflow vs. agent (15:18) Key features of genuine agents: Adaptive reasoning and memory (19:34) Real-world application: Enhancing HR efficiency (21:48) Questions to ask vendors about AI agents