How to Focus on What Matters Most: 5 Leaders' Effective Strategies

What do you do when life changes in an instant—and the future you expected disappears? Advocate, activist and author Katie Piper explains how she rebuilt her life after surviving an acid attack on a London street at 24 driven by a man she'd briefly dated. The ordeal lead her to rethink her purpose, eventually founding a burn-rehabilitation charity and helping survivors like herself reframe "Why me?" as "What now?" It's a special conversation about resilience, personal reinvention and leading through adversity. You'll learn: -Why real confidence comes from knowing you can adapt and recover -The importance of accepting situations as they are, and releasing expectations -How to see challenge as a way to recommit to your purpose -How acceptance, discomfort and a self-authored identity can help you start again -Why vulnerability and empathy are strengths in leadership Katie Piper is a bestselling author, television presenter and founder of the Katie Piper Foundation, which supports burn survivors through rehabilitation. She is also a survivor of male violence and an advocate for people with burns and visible differences. This conversation explores resilience, purpose, trauma recovery, inclusive leadership and turning pain into purpose. Follow Meet the Leader on YouTube, Spotify or podcast apps, and subscribe for more conversations with people shaping the world This interview was recorded in January 2026 at the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos Switzerland. About this episode Read - Book: Beautiful, Katie Piper: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0091940761?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback Watch - Davos 2026 session: Scars of Survival: How I Rebuilt My Life: https://www.weforum.org/meetings/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2026/sessions/scars-of-survival-how-i-rebuilt-my-life/ Connect - Foundation: https://www.katiepiperfoundation.org.uk/ Related episodes: How to Face Uncertainty and Take Action: Lessons from a Blind Sailor's Pacific Crossing Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ypxt89hm Read here - Transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/2jrpf9km Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwKVbh71_QY    How to Focus on What Matters Most: 5 Leaders' Effective Strategies Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/49h7kx6x Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/36b6s6b7  Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why one CEO sets 'non-goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgAListen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdbrspj7  Read here - Listen: https://tinyurl.com/mtdhe37w  Suleika Jaouad: Harnessing Creativity and Curiosity to Lead Through Uncertainty Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5dck884j  Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdh8ax4yWatch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex-SlEoDaIw&vl=en  

How do you focus on what matters most in a distracted and noisy world? In this special Meet the Leader episode, leading thinkers and adventurers share practical ways to reclaim your attention and sharpen your focus so you can spend your time on the right priorities. Their strategies and approaches for leaders will help you refresh your thinking, make better decisions and prevent distraction from turning into burnout. Leaders will learn to: Rethink the first and last things you do each day to sharpen your attention Craft a "to-feel list" to clarify priorities and make days more meaningful Better appreciate the present to take control of your attention Think 'like an ancestor' to help you think beyond the short term Featured voices include human flourishing expert and social psychologist Jonathan Haidt; writer and three-time cancer survivor Suleika Jaouad; blind adventurer Hiro Iwamoto and navigator Doug Smith; Nia Tero CEO Aulani Wilhelm; and Buddhist monk Shoukei Matsumoto. Together, they explore attention management, focus, deep work, reflection, long-term thinking and improving leadership in a distracted world. Subscribe to Meet the Leader on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform for more practical leadership insights. Related episodes: How to Face Uncertainty and Take Action: Lessons from a Blind Sailor's Pacific Crossing - Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ypxt89hm - Read here - Transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/2jrpf9km - Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwKVbh71_QY    The Attention Crisis: How leaders can fix focus and happiness in an AI Era - Psychologist Jonathan Haidt - Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3zyur7s5- Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc45ccc3- Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXp43TMMAI Suleika Jaouad: Harnessing Creativity and Curiosity to Lead Through Uncertainty - Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5dck884j  - Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/bdh8ax4y - Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex-SlEoDaIw&vl=en  

How can leaders move forward when pressure is high and the way is not clear?  Blind adventurer Hiro Iwamoto and his 'seeing eye Doug" guide Doug Smith sailed across the Pacific in 55 days, from San Diego to Fukushima. The two share key strategies for leaders in taking action despite uncertainty and what's needed to pick the right partners to make impossible projects a reality. Hiro also shares how he stays calm in moments of extreme adversity, like when whale sank his boat during an earlier attempt leaving him in a life raft for 11 hours amid five-metre waves. Key takeaways: Courage means moving forward without waiting for 100% information. Find people who can solve problems, not just point them out How thinking in the present can prevent panic and enable decision-making Hiro is an adventurer, keynote speaker and the first totally blind person to sail across the Pacific. Doug had no previous sailing experience but became Hiro's crewmate and navigator for that extraordinary trip. Their lessons on crisis leadership, teamwork, overcoming fear and innovation can motivate any leader during difficult moments. Recorded January 2026 at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.  About this episode: Hiro: https://hiros-choice.com/ Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/hiro-iwamoto-blind-sailor-lessons-fear-decision Related Episodes:  Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why one CEO sets 'non -goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdbrspj7 Read here - Listen: https://tinyurl.com/mtdhe37w Adam Grant: Future leaders won't succeed without this key trait  Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/fbym95jy Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ys2dtftj Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVVIpttzUA    

Entry-level jobs provide a special window into the wider changes we'll see to job design and skill development. In this episode of Meet the Leader, Peter Brown of PwC explains how entry-level roles are transforming and breaks down new research on what employers really want from entry-level workers now. He also shares how these roles can continue to serve as training grounds for career skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and relationship building and why a thoughtful redesign of these roles will be key to future leadership development. Top names from our Chief People Officer community also share the advice new grads need to know in a fast-changing job market. Key takeaways: The most dire headlines about entry-level jobs are not yet backed up by data. Employers are increasingly prioritizing applied experience and skills over degrees alone. Employers are expecting more 'seniorized' skills earlier. New grads should focus on outcomes rather than tasks and look for ways to build human skills on purpose. Peter Brown is PwC's global workforce leader and a co-author of the World Economic Forum report Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Entry-Level Work. Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, the future of work, and the biggest trends shaping business. This is the third episode in a 3-part series on AI and jobs.   About this episode: PWC: Pwc.com Report - PWC  AI 2026 Jobs Barometer https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/services/ai/ai-jobs-barometer.html Hopes and fears https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/workforce/hopes-and-fears.html Report - World Economic Forum Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Entry-Level Work: A Framework for Safeguarding and Reinventing Early Career Pathways: https://www.weforum.org/publications/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-entry-level-work-a-framework-for-safeguarding-and-reinventing-early-career-pathways/ Related episodes - AI and Jobs Series: AI and Jobs series: Upskilling's 'Messy Middle' and Fixing the Skills Mismatch Listen here - Spotify:  https://tinyurl.com/2vddb3k3 Read here - Transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/2fnuacsz AI and Jobs Series: What one company stopped doing - an HR exec shares lessons shaping the future of work Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/49xjtnyj Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/27fjhud8 Other related episodes:  AI 'workslop' is a leadership problem. Here's how to fix it Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2mxkzwc3  Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4evh8yk6  Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTAbIqqAf4Y  How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ykk9r7hb Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yc2azrwv Watch here - Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/yyv24pvd  

New research shows many labor markets face a skills mismatch, not a talent shortage. And in the 'messy middle' of the AI transformation, that mismatch will be harder for leaders, workers and hiring managers to ignore as they build future-ready teams. To compete, companies will need to focus on skills-based hiring to ensure worker capabilities reflect what rapidly evolving roles require. In this episode, Maria Flynn, CEO of non-profit Jobs for the Future, explains why skills, not degrees will be the currency of the future workplace, and why education and workforce systems built for the past are struggling to keep pace with AI-era job shifts. She shares changes needed in how workers are trained, assessed, tested and hired. Flynn also discusses the importance of designing quality jobs in all sectors and how worker voice and agency matters in both AI training and implementation and how this can reduce turnover, strengthen AI adoption, and close gender gaps. Key takeaways: • What is the skills mismatch - and what hiring managers need to understand to build their teams • How skills-based hiring can expand across hiring, advancement and talent management • Why successful AI adoption needs worker input, better job quality and inclusive workforce design Part two of our three-part AI and Jobs series. Subscribe to Meet the Leader for more conversations on leadership, AI, skills and the future of work.  About this episode: Jobs for the Future: https://www.jff.org/ Research - JFF: JFF AI for Workers & Learners Survey: https://info.jff.org/ai-for-workers-learners-2026-survey JFF American Job Quality Study: https://www.jff.org/idea/the-american-job-quality-study/ Research - World Economic Forum: Report: 2026 Chief People Officer Outlook, World Economic Forum:  https://www.weforum.org/publications/chief-people-officers-outlook-may-2026/ Related episodes - AI and Jobs Series AI and Jobs series: How entry level jobs are changing in an AI era Read here - transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/mpfnc822 Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3b2wzccw AI and Jobs Series: What one company stopped doing - an HR exec shares lessons shaping the future of work Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/49xjtnyj Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/27fjhud8 Other related episodes: AI and Jobs Series: What one company stopped doing - an HR exec shares lessons shaping the future of work Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/49xjtnyj Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/27fjhud8 AI 'workslop' is a leadership problem. Here's how to fix it Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2mxkzwc3 Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4evh8yk6 Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTAbIqqAf4Y How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ykk9r7hb Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yc2azrwv Watch here - Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/yyv24pvd

As AI grows more powerful and takes on more rote work, what should humans stop doing? Fertility benefits company Progyny took on this question as a company to re-evaluate routines and norms and how AI might help work evolve. Chief Human Resources Officer Cassandra Pratt shares how teams there are using AI to reduce rote work, rethink job design, improve meeting culture and give people more time for the human side of work that machines cannot do, such as building trust and strengthening relationships. The first in a three-part AI and Jobs series. Key takeaways: The importance of clear goals and prep during AI implementation How the "Start, Stop, Continue" framework from author Barry O'Reilly can reduce burnout and sharpen execution How to turn teams into superfans of your company and business to strengthen engagement What fluid job design will look like in the years ahead - and how to help teams navigate it About this episode: Progyny: https://progyny.com/ Book: Unlearn: Let Go of Past Success to Achieve Extraordinary Results, Barry O'Reilly  Report: 2026 Chief People Officer Outlook, World Economic Forum:  https://www.weforum.org/publications/chief-people-officers-outlook-may-2026/ Related episodes - AI and Jobs SeriesAI and Jobs series: Upskilling's 'Messy Middle' and Fixing the Skills Mismatch Listen here - Spotify:  https://tinyurl.com/2vddb3k3 Read here - Transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/2fnuacsz AI and Jobs series: How entry level jobs are changing in an AI era Read here - transcript:  https://tinyurl.com/mpfnc822  Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3b2wzccw  Other related episodes: AI 'workslop' is a leadership problem. Here's how to fix it Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2mxkzwc3  Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4evh8yk6  Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTAbIqqAf4Y  How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ykk9r7hb Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yc2azrwv Watch here - Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/yyv24pvd  

Top leaders from NVIDIA, Walmart International, TIAA, Goldman Sachs and NYU share career advice, leadership lessons and practical ways to stay resilient through uncertainty in an AI age. This an inspiring collection of advice and personal anecdotes shared at this spring's commencement addresses can help anyone from new grads to veteran professionals navigate coming AI shifts and other big career pivots. In this episode:  NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang on AI and maximizing your potential TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett on the advice she gives her team Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt's 3 tips on how to have an amazing life Former Walmart CEO Kathryn McLay's advice on the early career moment that helped her keep perspective Goldman Sachs Chairman & CEO David Solomon on why he still DJs - and the importance of cultivating passions outside of work About this episode: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Carnegie Mellon Commencement address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZh_0uRgrg4 Social Psychologist Jonathan Haidt, NYU Commencement address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvoyGjK8vTA TIAA CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett, Florida A&M Commencement address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taN6-b7bqAk Former Walmart CEO Kathryn McLay, High Point University Commencement address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxpja7ih1VI Goldman Sachs Chairman & CEO David Solomon, Wharton MBA Commencement address:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSop6XzzY9w Related Episodes: The Attention Crisis: How leaders can fix focus and happiness in an AI Era - psychologist Jonathan Haidt  Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc45ccc3 Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3zyur7s5 Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXp43TMMAI Adam Grant: Future leaders won't succeed without this key trait  Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/fbym95jy Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ys2dtftj Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVVIpttzUA Nick Thompson, The Atlantic: Why one CEO sets 'non -goals' - and what ultramarathons taught him about focus and mental toughness Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xh9PLsyptgA Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/bdbrspj7 Read here - Listen: https://tinyurl.com/mtdhe37w

  Workslop – low-quality work produced through poor human-AI collaboration – is wasting time, slowing teams down and limiting the productivity gains leaders expect from AI. But the problem isn't always the technology – it's often a signal to leaders that teams need more support. Workslop often reflects unclear standards, weak direction and poor feedback. In this episode, BetterUp CEO Alexi Robichaux explains why AI can amplify both good and bad leadership standards, and why leaders need to define what excellent work looks like before AI scales a team's output. He also shares how AI coaching can help managers find ways to hone hard-to-improve soft skills, practicing difficult conversations, tricky performance reviews and tough feedback, all in a safe space before those moments happen with real teams. Key takeaways in this episode: AI amplifies clarity or confusion. Set clear standards before AI scales your team's work. Workslop is a leadership warning sign. Poor AI output can reveal unclear direction and weak feedback. It can be a sign teams need more guidance or support.  Managers need practice. AI coaching can help leaders sharpen direction and rehearse how they give feedback or tackle difficult conversations. Rethink how you invest in people. AI investment is overwhelming planning conversations. But are you putting that diligence into how you develop your talent? About this guest: Website: https://www.betterup.com/ Research: The Hidden Cost of AI-Generated Busy Work: https://www.betterup.com/workslop Article: Workslop: Why AI performance depends on how we think, talk and lead: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2026/01/why-ai-performance-depends-on-how-we-think-talk-and-lead/ About this episode:  Read here - Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/alexi-robichaux-ai-workslop-leadership-coaching Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTAbIqqAf4Y Related episodes: How to Lead People Through AI Change: Questions to Ask from a Transformation Expert Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/ykk9r7hb Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/yc2azrwv Watch here - Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/yyv24pvd The Attention Crisis: How leaders can fix focus and happiness in an AI Era - psychologist Jonathan Haidt  Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/yc45ccc3 Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3zyur7s5 Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXp43TMMAI Adam Grant: Future leaders won't succeed without this key trait  Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/fbym95jy Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ys2dtftj Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVVIpttzUA

Are you building game-changing AI solutions? Or just automating low-stakes work that makes the "irrelevant efficient"? Nigel Vaz, Publicis Sapient's CEO and a digital transformation expert, talked to Meet The Leader to explain why many AI strategies fall short and what's needed to lead teams through technological change. In this episode, Vaz shares the questions that can refine your strategic discussions on AI and help close the gap between AI expectations and results. He also shares why the hardest part of AI transformation isn't the tech but getting the people part right -- and what helps teams transition. Key Takeaways: The questions teams you're not asking nearly enough. Vaz explains how to refine your thinking to ensure your solutions aren't locked into yesterday's way of working The hidden gap that can derail your AI transformation: What separates promising AI experiments from work that actually changes how a business performs? He breaks down the blindspots that hold real innovation back.  Get the people part right. Incentives, expectations and old measures of success can slow AI adoption more than the technology itself. Vaz shares what leaders often underestimate when asking teams to work in a fundamentally new way. How to learn and unlearn. Your value as a leader will depend on your capacity to learn. He shares how to deploy existing experience for new solutions. Vaz shares key examples of how to put this thinking to work, including including a legacy modernization project that cut a 10-year timeline to under three and Publicis Sapient's own transition from a people-led services model to a people-and-product enterprise AI company. Learn more about this - including the innovative CEO GPT tool Publicis Sapient built that helps teams scale internal knowledge and context. About this guest:  https://www.nigelvaz.com/about https://www.publicissapient.com/ About this episode: Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/ai-transformation-leadership-future-of-work/ Related episodes: How to upskill for an AI Age: Workera CEO Kian Katanforoosh Read here - transcript: https://tinyurl.com/7rbsu62eListen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2p9zfazzWatch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOxIFpQcBCs Adam Grant: Future leaders won't succeed without this key trait Watch here: Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/fbym95jy Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ys2dtftj Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVVIpttzUA The Attention Crisis: How leaders can fix focus and happiness in an AI Era -psychologist Jonathan Haidt Read here - transcript:: https://tinyurl.com/yc45ccc3 Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3zyur7s5 Watch here - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXp43TMMAI  

How can we strengthen leadership pipelines? One overlooked answer: Invest in women's sports. Data shows that investment in women's sports creates a powerful yet under-appreciated talent pipeline, building future leaders, closing the gender gap and driving high-performing teams. Deloitte US Chair Lara Abrash shares insights from the firm's research on women's sports – both the billion-dollar economic opportunity it represents and the unsung way sports strengthens the leadership talent pipeline.  Abrash, active in a range of sports since her youth, will also break down the leadership skills, mindsets, and team dynamics sports uniquely cultivates. She'll share the personal experiences that shaped how she leads and the way she approaches talent and capability. Her personal lessons learned can help anyone understand what's needed to develop future leaders, improve team performance and build talent pipelines that last.  Key Insights:  Women's sports is growing rapidly - but remains an untapped sector and opportunity for economies and communities. Sports teaches girls how to team - but a range of factors make them more likely to drop out of sports than boys. Great leaders are great coaches. Abrash reminds us that "Managers manage outcomes while leaders lead people." Practice makes progress: Sports can build leaders who learn quickly from mistakes and adapt faster -- skills key for a fast-paced AI era. Sidestep the 'superwoman' myth: Sports shows we often accomplish more in groups. Women who admit they are less effective alone take the first step to building great teams and avoiding burnout. About this episode: Transcript - read here: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/womens-sports-leadership-skills-gender-gap Related report: Deloitte Research - Game-Changers: Unlocking the Potential of Women's Sports: https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/Industries/tmt/perspectives/game-changers-unlocking-potential-women-sports.html World Economic Forum - Sports for People and Planet:  https://www.weforum.org/publications/sports-for-people-and-planet/ Related episodes: What Astronauts Know About High-Performing Teams (That Many Don't Understand) Read here: https://tinyurl.com/3h2xkyv9 Listen here: https://tinyurl.com/mrmtwnb4 Watch here: https://youtu.be/AI_7QcZy5A8 Why Smart Ideas Don't Always Land — and How to Build Creative, Curious Teams Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/33b99j2u Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5n8427nw How to close gender gaps in tech - and the one skill AI can't learn Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/s2ppr7s2 Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/5xkkhd5w