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CEOs are becoming less powerful, says work expert Adam Grant
CEOs are influential and highly paid, but long hours, high stress, and uncertainty about the future are leading to “CEO burnout” and disinterest in leadership roles among young workers.
CEO is one of the most influential and highly-compensated jobs in the world, but according to organizational psychologist Adam Grant, the overwhelming feeling he senses from business leaders right now is one of “powerlessness.” With so many uncertainties and risks right now—climate change, crumbling democracy, powerful new advances in AI—CEOs are putting their heads down to focus on short-term gains instead of preparing for the long-term futures of their organizations.
On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer asks Grant, who studies leadership and culture in the business world, what he makes of this shift, and whether CEO incentives need to change. Grant sees a growing disinterest among young workers in taking on leadership roles, pointing to long hours, short tenures, and a growing sense that it’s unclear how much good they can do, if any, from the executive c-suite. All this contributes to what Grant calls “CEO burnout,” and he said he hopes to see more companies with co-CEOs, which is better for business and workers.
“I think the job [of CEO] is just so big and complex that it’s hard for one person to have all the skills you need,” Grant explains.
Watch full episode: How AI is changing the world of work
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on US public television every week. Check local listings.
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How AI is changing the world of work
The AI revolution is coming… fast. But what does that mean for your job? GZERO World with Ian Bremmer takes a deep dive into this exciting and anxiety-inducing new era of generative artificial intelligence. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney have the potential to increase productivity and prosperity massively, but there are also fears of job replacement and unequal access to technology.
Ian Bremmer sat down with tech expert Azeem Azhar and organizational psychologist Adam Grant on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to hear how CEOs are already incorporating AI into their businesses, what the future of work might look like as AI tools become more advanced, and what the experts are still getting wrong about the most powerful technology to hit the workforce since the personal computer.
“One of the dangers of last year was that people started to lose their faith in technology and technology is what provides prosperity,” Azhar says, “We need to have more grownup conversations, more civil conversations, more moderate conversations about what that reality is.
Catch GZERO World with Ian Bremmer on US public television every week or on US public television. Check local listings.
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AI and the future of work: Experts Azeem Azhar and Adam Grant weigh in
Listen:What does this new era of generative artificial intelligence mean for the future of work? On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer sits down with tech expert Azeem Azhar and organizational psychologist Adam Grant on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to learn more about how this exciting and anxiety-inducing technology is already changing our lives, what comes next, and what the experts are still getting wrong about the most powerful technology to hit the workforce since the personal computer.
The rapid advances in generative AI tools like ChatGPT, which has only been public for a little over a year, are stirring up excitement and deep anxieties about how we work and if we work. Artificial intelligence can potentially increase productivity and prosperity massively, but there are fears of job replacement and unequal access to technology. Will AI be the productivity booster CEOs hope for, the job killer employees fear?
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Rethinking the post-pandemic workplace
While the pandemic continues to ravage much of the world, the rich world is opening back for business and companies are preparing to bring their employees back to the office. But quite a few of those workers don't seem thrilled about a return to pre-COVID workplace norms. A recent survey of 30,000 Americans found that three in ten never want to return to the office again. Another poll found that one in three US workers wouldn't want to work for an employer who requires them to be on site full time. But Wall Street's impatience is starting to show. Take Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, who effectively told his New York City employees that they should expect to be back in their cubicles by September, or else. If employers are going to require that their workers return to the office, what should those workers expect in return?
Watch the episode: Adam Grant reimagines work after COVID
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Lightning round: Adam Grant on fun at work and jargon monoxide
In our GZERO World "Lightning Round," organization psychologist Adam Grant shares his thoughts on how to disconnect from work, what is and isn't fun in the workplace, and why people use work jargon."There's some hilarious research which shows that people use that kind of jargon because they're insecure and they want to sound smart," observes Grant, author of "Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know."
Watch the episode: Adam Grant reimagines work after COVID
“Essential workers” and the inequality of work
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant discusses the "essential workers" who kept the world going throughout the pandemic and didn't get to work from home. According to Grant, the US should be rethinking its policy on essential work. "Where was hazard pay for all the teachers? For all the medical professionals? For all the warehouse workers who put their lives at risk to keep the world running, and to try to keep the economy alive as well?" asked Grant, in an interview with Ian Bremmer on GZERO World.
Watch the episode: Adam Grant reimagines work after COVID
Adam Grant reimagines work after COVID
As the pandemic recedes in some parts of the world, many employers—from Fortune 500 CEOs to small business owners—are bringing their workers back to the office full time. The thing is, not all of those employees want to go back. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer speaks with renowned organizational psychologist Adam Grant about how to reimagine "work" in a post-pandemic world. Plus, a look at how the paid family leave benefits in the United States stack up to other developed nations (hint: not so great).
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Adam Grant on post-pandemic WFH: CEOs still don’t get it
Where does US organizational psychologist Adam Grant stand on the raging debate on post-pandemic work from home? His message is clear: CEOs demanding everyone return to the office like COVID never happened simply don't get it. "Productivity is about the purpose and the process that you bring to your job (...) not about the place you happen to be doing it in." Catch his interview with Ian Bremmer on the Season 4 premiere of GZERO World, which begins airing on US public television Friday, July 9. Check local listings.
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