Podcast
Now to Next with Jason Averbook
Hosted by Jason Averbook · EN
A place to sit down with trailblazers, truth-tellers, and builders who are actively reshaping our world.
14episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
EP18:Leading Through Change, AI, and the Future of Work with Al Dea
Jan 1500:45:00Tap to summarizeWhat if the real challenge with AI is not the technology, but how humans respond to change? In this episode, Jason Averbook sits down with Al Dea, Founder of The Edge of Work, to unpack what talent, learning, and HR leaders are really experiencing as AI, transformation, and constant change collide in today’s workplace. Drawing from dozens of deep conversations with senior talent and learning leaders, Al shares what is top of mind right now. From change fatigue and fear, to middle manager overload, to why most organizations are using AI for efficiency instead of redesigning work itself. They explore why humans are wired to survive rather than thrive during change, why mindset matters more than tools, and what leaders must focus on to build resilient, human-centered organizations in an AI-driven world. This conversation goes beyond hype to examine leadership, agency, curiosity, and the deeply human skills that will matter most as work continues to evolve. Highlights: Why organizations feel overwhelmed even if change is not actually new How human survival instincts shape resistance to AI and transformation The hidden cost of constant change and why ambiguity makes it worse Why most companies are using AI for efficiency instead of rethinking work design The overlooked role of middle managers in driving real change Why reskilling often misses the point in an AI-powered workplace Fear versus agency and how leaders choose to play not to lose or play to win The deeply human skills that AI cannot replace but can amplify What leaders must unlearn to build more adaptive and human organizations Guest: Al Dea is a Talent, Leadership, and Workplace Executive Coach, Speaker, and Facilitator who is passionate about helping leaders build organizations that grow their people and bring teams together to achieve meaningful business outcomes. He is the Founder and Owner of The Edge of Work, a leadership development consulting firm that partners with organizations to address critical people and workplace challenges, including leadership development, manager effectiveness, team performance, and upskilling power skills such as influence, emotional intelligence, collaboration, communication, and career management. Al’s mission is to inspire leaders to build better and more human companies that unlock the potential and performance of their people. He does this by advising leaders on workplace trends and delivering leadership training that helps employees navigate and thrive in today’s rapidly changing world of work. Previously, Al worked at Salesforce and Deloitte Consulting, where he helped Fortune 500 companies drive organizational transformation through digital technology. His insights have been featured in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, MIT Sloan Management Review, Time, Fast Company, Inc Magazine, and The World Economic Forum. Follow Jason Averbook: Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook Follow Al Dea: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/ (0:00) Introduction (4:01) Family Influence and Parenting Philosophies (7:29) Solopreneurship and Industry Impact (8:39) Conversations vs. Surveys in Organizational Change (11:47) Change Management and Human Instincts (16:31) Navigating Information Overload (19:02) AI: Automation vs. Work Design (20:58) Organizational Challenges and Middle Management (24:11) AI Integration and IT's Role (25:36) Reskilling in the Age of AI (27:24) Bridging IT and Talent Departments (28:30) Upskilling for an AI Future (30:34) Addressing Fear of Obsolescence (33:08) Embracing Change and Upskilling (35:18) AI's Impact on Personal Productivity (37:34) The Human Element in Business (41:38) Future Skills: Curiosity, Trust, Discernment, Agility (42:02) Al Dea's Focus on Developing Leaders (43:19) The Role of Curiosity in Change (44:35) Closing remarks
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EP17: Why Career Advice No Longer Works
Dec 1900:23:54Tap to summarizeIn this timely solo episode of Now to Next, Jason Averbook takes on a feeling many people are struggling to name. A sense that the usual paths around education, careers, and work no longer feel clear, especially as families come together during the holidays. Drawing from conversations with executives, parents, students, and mid career professionals, Jason explains why this moment is not about jobs disappearing or people falling behind. It is about the loss of a shared map for how we plan our futures. Questions that once had straightforward answers no longer do. What should I study? Is college still the right choice? Am I behind, or just early? Instead of framing this uncertainty as a problem, Jason reframes it as awareness. A sign that people are paying attention to how work is really changing. He argues that the biggest gap today is not skills. It is agency. The ability to notice what is shifting, make informed choices, and move forward without waiting for permission. Host Bio: Jason Averbook is a globally recognized thought leader, advisor, and keynote speaker focused on the intersection of AI, human potential, and the future of work. He is the Senior Partner and Global Leader of Digital HR Strategy at Mercer, where he helps the world’s largest organizations reimagine how work gets done — not by simply implementing technology, but by transforming mindsets, skillsets, and cultures to be truly digital. Over the past two decades, Jason has advised hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies, co-founded and led Leapgen, authored two influential books on the evolution of HR and workforce technology, and built a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking voices in the industry. His mission is to challenge leaders to stop seeing digital transformation as an IT project — and start embracing it as a human strategy. Follow Jason Averbook: Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook (0:00) Introduction (2:12) Recent personal experiences and the changing landscape of work and education (6:32) Skills half-life, education system challenges, and AI's impact on work (10:04) Storytelling, agency, and system breakdowns in the job market (14:40) Debating the value of college and viewing careers as experiments (18:01) Learning from different company sizes and changing narratives (20:04) Closing remarks
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EP16: The New AI Gap: What Leaders Aren’t Seeing Yet
Dec 1100:15:48Tap to summarizeWhat if your organization is already running on a new operating model—and no one realizes it yet? In this third solo episode, Jason unpacks two major reports from OpenAI and NTT Data and explains why they signal the biggest shift in how work gets done since the internet. He breaks down the invisible rewiring happening across enterprise workflows, the widening gap emerging between workers who use AI and those who don’t, and why HR must now become the architects of augmented work. This episode is a practical, urgent call for leaders to rethink how they design work, empower their people, and build momentum in an AI-shaped world. Host Bio: Jason Averbook is a globally recognized thought leader, advisor, and keynote speaker focused on the intersection of AI, human potential, and the future of work. He is the Senior Partner and Global Leader of Digital HR Strategy at Mercer, where he helps the world’s largest organizations reimagine how work gets done — not by simply implementing technology, but by transforming mindsets, skillsets, and cultures to be truly digital. Over the past two decades, Jason has advised hundreds of Fortune 1000 companies, co-founded and led Leapgen, authored two influential books on the evolution of HR and workforce technology, and built a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking voices in the industry. His mission is to challenge leaders to stop seeing digital transformation as an IT project — and start embracing it as a human strategy. Follow Jason Averbook: Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook Links: https://openai.com/index/the-state-of-enterprise-ai-2025-report/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email https://www.nttdata.com/global/en/news/press-release/2025/december/120901 (0:00) Introduction (1:14) The three pillars of change (2:13) First pillar: Operating model and AI infrastructure (5:14) Second pillar: Bridging the human gap with AI (9:16) Third pillar: HR's role in AI and workflow redesign (11:10) Practical steps and HR's responsibility in AI adoption (14:04) Recap and LEAP framework (15:01) Closing remarks
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EP15: Why Education Must Change Now — and How Work-Based Learning Delivers
Dec 400:47:40Tap to summarizeWhat if the most important shift in education isn’t more degrees — but earlier, real-world experience? In this conversation, Jason sits down with Alexandra Levit, renowned futurist and author, and Stephanie Loeck, VP of Strategic Development at GPS Education Partners, to discuss their groundbreaking new book, Make School Work. From redefining what “success” looks like to bridging the broken signal between schools and employers, this conversation uncovers why the traditional college-or-bust mindset is becoming obsolete, how students can build confidence and agency through real-world experiences, and what needs to change—urgently—to prepare the next generation for the world ahead. Guest Bios: Alexandra Levit Alexandra Levit is the founder & CEO of Inspiration at Work, a woman-owned futurist consulting firm focused on preparing organizations and their people for the future of work. A globally recognized voice on workforce trends, she specializes in helping companies redesign their workforces for the effective integration of AI. A former nationally syndicated Wall Street Journal columnist, Alexandra is the bestselling author of They Don’t Teach Corporate in College, Humanity Works, Deep Talent, and the newly released Make School Work. She also holds a certificate in Strategic Foresight from the University of Houston. Her consulting, research, and speaking engagements span Fortune 500 clients including Deloitte, Intuit, American Express, and Adecco, and she has advised U.S. government organizations ranging from the Department of Labor to the Department of Defense. Alexandra’s insights have been featured across NPR, CNN, The Atlantic, Fortune, and more. She is a Thinkers50 Radar honoree and an Emerging Leader Award recipient from Northwestern University. Stephanie Loeck Stephanie Loeck is the Vice President of Strategic Development at GPS Education Partners (GPS Ed), where she leads national efforts to expand access to high-quality work-based learning. She focuses on driving systems change through program innovation, cross-sector partnerships, and policy advocacy. She is co-author of Make School Work, created with Alexandra Levit, Stephanie Reisner, and the GPS Ed team—a practical, learner-centered guide that helps communities design and scale sustainable work-based learning programs. The book draws on GPS Ed’s 25 years of experience building successful education-to-industry pipelines. Stephanie’s background spans education-to-workforce strategy, economic development, and policy. Prior to GPS Ed, she served as VP of Partnerships at America Succeeds, leading national initiatives such as Durable Skills and Age of Agility. Her work centers on a core belief: every young person deserves a meaningful, prosperous future—and our education systems must evolve to make that possible. Follow Jason Averbook: Substack: https://substack.com/@jasonaverbook X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonaverbook YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nowtonextwithjasonaverbook Facebook: https://facebook.com/jasonaverbook Follow Guests: Alexandra Levit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandralevit/ Stephanie Loeck: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieloeck/ Learn more about the book: makeschoolwork.org (0:00) Introduction (3:51) Importance of work-based learning and challenges in education (8:16) Defining high-quality work-based learning and its place in schools (15:08) Structural changes needed in education systems (19:59) The purpose and goals of "Make School Work" book (26:31) The signal problem in education and workforce alignment (29:38) Target audience for the book and the future of education (37:44) Benefits of the shift towards work-based learning (41:23) Evolution of higher education and employer expectations (47:00) Closing remarks
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