Podcast
The Edge of Work
Hosted by Al Dea · EN
The Edge of Work provides new insights and ideas to help leaders navigate the changing world of work. In each episode, we’ll talk to leaders, practitioners, and innovators to explore new ideas for attracting and developing talent, leadership, and workplace culture, all to help you lead and succeed in a changing world of work.
33episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Beyond Change Management: The New Rules of Change Mastery
Mar 1700:35:18Tap to summarizeMichael Bungay Stanier is the Author of The Coaching Habit and Host of the Change Signal podcast. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Michael joins Al Dea to challenge conventional thinking around change management and introduce the concept of change mastery. Drawing on insights from his podcast and decades of experience, Michael explains why most change initiatives fail and what leaders must do differently in a world defined by constant disruption. He shares the three pillars of change mastery, distributed agency, organizational capacity, and technical excellence—and why successful change depends less on process and more on people. LinksMichael’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbungaystanier/ Change Signal Podcast: https://thechangesignal.com/
Transcribe →Turning Leaders Into Developers of Talent
Mar 1000:16:40Tap to summarizeIn this solo episode of The Edge of Work, Al Dea explores why one of the most important responsibilities of leaders today is becoming a developer of talent. With leaders stretched thin and expectations constantly growing, Al makes the case for why developing people cannot be optional if organizations want better performance, engagement, and adaptability. He introduces the idea of practices of development, (aka PODs) small, practical actions leaders can embed into everyday work to help employees grow without relying on formal programs. LinksAl Dea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/Al Dea’s Website: https://www.al-dea.com/
Transcribe →Aligning Talent Strategy With Transformation at Frontier Communications
Mar 300:24:35Tap to summarizeAriel Leonard is the SVP of Talent at Frontier Communications, where she is helping lead a large-scale transformation of the company’s workforce and talent strategy. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Ariel shares how Frontier is shifting from traditional HR processes to a more skills focused, business aligned approach to talent. She explains how her team is rethinking workforce planning, internal mobility, and leadership development to support long term growth. Ariel also discusses the importance of building trust, creating clearer career pathways, and helping employees see new opportunities inside the organization. LinksAriel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielleonard/Harvard Business Review Article: https://hbr.org/2025/10/your-transformation-cant-succeed-without-a-talent-strategy
Transcribe →Intelligence on Tap: Inside the Frontier Firm in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Feb 2400:34:16Tap to summarizeMatthew Duncan is the Head of Future of Work & AI Thought Leadership at Microsoft, where he helps organizations understand how AI is reshaping work, leadership, and organizational design. In this episode, Matthew explains what it means to build a frontier firm that is human led and agent operated. He shares why intelligence is becoming an on demand resource, how agents are changing the role of managers and early career talent, and why simply adding AI tools is not enough. The conversation also explores the mindset shifts leaders must make, what holds organizations back from adoption, and why this moment represents a major opportunity for those willing to rethink how work gets done.LinksMatthew’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewloysduncan/Microsoft WorkLab: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/
Transcribe →Science First, AI Second: Rethinking Learning Innovation at TTEC
Feb 1700:38:40Tap to summarizeDominik Rus is the Global Head of Learning and Development Innovation and Technology at TTEC, where he sits at the intersection of learning science, AI, and business performance. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Dominik shares how his team approaches learning innovation with a clear philosophy of science first, AI second. He explains why scaling bad learning with new technology creates more problems than it solves, and how TTEC is using evidence based design, AI enabled practice, and agent driven tools to improve real world performance. The conversation also explores how learning roles are changing, what skills based and adaptive learning really mean, and what L&D leaders need to rethink as AI reshapes how work and learning get done.LinksDominik’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominikrus/TTEC Case Study: https://writer.com/blog/ttec-customer-story/Article on TTEC’s Learning Wizards: https://writer.com/blog/ttec-customer-story/ Dominik’s Paper on Science First, AI Second: https://leonardo.institute/SPARK/September2025/ Dominik’s Blog on AI and Learning Design: https://www.ttec.com/author/dominik-rus-global-head-learning-science-innovation-and-technology
Transcribe →How to Lead Change When Everything Is Changing
Feb 1000:23:43Tap to summarizeIn this solo episode of The Edge of Work, Al Dea shares practical guidance for leaders who are navigating constant, overlapping change. Drawing from his work with organizations, conversations with podcast guests, and real world experience, Al breaks down why change feels so difficult at work and what leaders often miss about the human side of it. He explores common reactions to change, including fear, loss of control, and identity threats, and offers five pragmatic practices leaders can use to drive meaningful progress. LinksAl Dea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/Al Dea’s Website: https://www.al-dea.com/
Transcribe →Your Best Meeting Ever: Fixing Collaboration at Work
Feb 300:36:09Tap to summarizeRebecca Hinds is the Head of the Work AI Institute at Glean. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Rebecca joins Al Dea to unpack why meetings have become one of the biggest barriers to effective collaboration and how leaders can redesign them to actually get work done. Drawing from her research at Stanford, her experience leading innovation labs, and insights from her book Your Best Meeting Ever, Rebecca explains why meetings are often a symptom of broken collaboration systems. The conversation explores meeting overload, calendar “doomsdays,” asynchronous work, and the growing role of AI in meetings and leadership. Rebecca also shares lessons from the Work AI Institute on how organizations can navigate AI transformation with more intention and evidence-based leadership.LinksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-hinds/Website: https://www.rebeccahinds.com/Book: https://www.amazon.com/Your-Best-Meeting-Ever-Principles/dp/166806748X
Transcribe →The Future of Work: How Foursquare Redesigned Its Culture for Performance and Speed
Jan 2700:32:05Tap to summarizeKit Krugman is the SVP of People and Culture at Foursquare, where she is leading a significant shift in how the company approaches culture, performance, and organizational speed. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Kit shares how Foursquare redesigned its people systems to increase product velocity, reduce layers, and strengthen cross-functional teamwork.She explains why performance management became the starting point for culture change, how team-based performance and organizational network analysis provide better signals of impact, and how AI is beginning to reshape coaching, feedback, and learning—and what that means for the future of people leadership.LinksKit’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kitkrugman/Kit's Blog Link: https://foursquare.com/resources/blog/culture/building-for-speed-why-culture-change-starts-with-performance/
Transcribe →How AI Is Forcing a Rethink of HR, Talent, and Skills with Sandra Loughlin
Jan 2000:43:00Tap to summarizeSandra Loughlin is the Chief Learning Scientist at EPAM Systems and one of the leading voices on skills, talent data, and learning science. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Sandra unpacks why so many skills and AI initiatives fall short, what organizations misunderstand about learning and behavior change, and why HR is at an inflection point. During the conversation, they explore the realities of building skills-based organizations, the role of tasks and context in workforce decisions, and how AI is reshaping talent, L&D, and strategic workforce planning. Sandra also shares why training alone rarely drives change, what real learning requires, and how organizations can make better people decisions by treating skills as a data problem rather than a buzzword.Linkshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sandraloughlin/
Transcribe →Best Hits: How Great Teams Work with David Burkus
Jan 1300:42:49Tap to summarizeNote: This is a replay of a previous popular episodeDavid Burkus is a Leadership and Teamwork expert, keynote speaker, and author of Best Team Ever. During this conversation, David shares key insights from his book Best Team Ever on what makes teams thrive in today’s workplace. We explore the science behind high-performing teams, the critical role of psychological safety, and why work is increasingly about collaboration. Plus, David breaks down practical strategies for leading cross-functional teams, building social capital, and fostering a culture where everyone contributes their best. LinksWebsite: https://davidburkus.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/
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