"This year delivered whiplash: geopolitics, tariffs, and technology all shifting at once. And heading into 2026, the disruption isn't easing up. Bob Safian distills hard-won lessons from his Rapid Response podcast this year on how to lead when the ground won't stop moving-featuring standout moments from Airbnb's Brian Chesky, Runway's Cristóbal Valenzuela, Meta's Clara Shih, LinkedIn's Aneesh Raman, Planned Parenthood's Alexis McGill Johnson, and the NWSL's Jessica Berman, with practical takeaways for turning uncertainty into advantage."
"From the team behind the Masters of Scalepodcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today's top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. How far out do you think of your product roadmap? Or is that something you're reassessing all the time? Lesson number one: As tech moves fast, we need to move even faster"
"Valenzuela's approach is so different from traditional leadership, leaning into experimentation rather than specific goals, and reframing plans on a weekly basis. It's an approach that could make a lot of people uneasy. I talked about this with Clara Shih, who's led AI business at Salesforce and at Meta. She offered practical insights about navigating what's hype and what's imperative."
Geopolitical shifts, tariffs, and rapid technological advances produced intense disruption that continues into 2026. Leaders face accelerated change that requires resetting expectations, speeding decision cycles, and adopting flexible planning. Runway's CEO prioritizes weekly reframing, experimentation, and rapid iteration to avoid being leapfrogged by competitors. Clara Shih recommends separating hype from imperative and applying practical, targeted responses. Executives across sectors—from Airbnb and LinkedIn to Planned Parenthood and the NWSL—use candid leadership, faster roadmapping, and adaptive practices to turn uncertainty into competitive advantage. Embracing experimentation and shorter planning cadences enables organizations to respond to fast-moving AI and geopolitical shifts.
Read at Fast Company
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]