https://residentialbusiness.com/community/discover/Residential Business - All ActivityenYou spent hours researching the company, rehearsed your answers, and asked smart questions. You walked out of the interview feeling like you nailed it. Then you sent a thank-you email. Something like: “It was great to meet you. I’m very excited about the opportunity and look forward to next steps.” And just like that, you missed a huge opportunity to close the deal. Too many executives treat the follow-up as a courtesy to signal interest and show you know the social script. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: at the senior level, everyone who makes it to the final round is prepared, credentialed, and poised. The interview itself is often not enough to separate the winner from the runner-up. Your follow-up can make the difference and be your most powerful persuasion tool. Set Yourself Up During the Interview The power of the follow-up depends on information-gathering during the interview. Bring a detective’s mindset, where curiosity is key. Ask great questions – those that both help you understand what they need and give you an opening to share how you can help them. And, as the interview is wrapping up, use these two questions to surface any issues with your candidacy: Just so I’m clear about what you’re looking for, I’m curious as to how I compare with the other candidates. How do you feel about moving my candidacy forward in the process? These questions make some candidates uncomfortable. But there’s a well-worn sales principle that applies here: the sale doesn’t begin until you find out what their objections are. If you don’t know their doubts, you have no shot at addressing them. Hiring managers respect executives who ask for and can handle candid feedback. If they share a concern, you’ve just been handed the most valuable information. In fact, many of my clients have turned a “no” into a “yes” based on this feedback. Write an ‘Impact Email,’ not a Thank You Note, to Gain Advantage A well-crafted Impact Email demonstrates the ability to synthesize a complex conversation, identify what matters most, and communicate it clearly. These are core executive skills. Second, it tells them you’ll bring that same rigor and follow-through to the role itself. Address their objections directly. If they express any hesitation about your experience, motivation, or fit, respond in a positive way, without reinforcing the objection. If they wondered whether your experience translates to their industry, explain why it does. If they questioned whether you’d be satisfied with the role’s scope, reinforce your motivation. Reconnect your experience to their specific problems. Show them how a particular challenge maps directly onto something you’ve solved. Bring up things you forgot to bring up, or that you didn’t emphasize enough. Show them you heard them – use words like “You…” and “Your…” Tell a short version of your best story. If you shared a strong example in the interview that landed well, you may want to reinforce it, as this repetition helps your message to stick. Reinforce your enthusiasm for them – the organization, team, or mission. If something they said genuinely moved or interested you, say so. Show them you “get” them. Authentic enthusiasm addresses one of the most common concerns about executive hires: whether they will be engaged or out the door in a year. Case Study My client Ben had a great series of interviews for a Chief Commercial Officer role. He was feeling good about his chances. In the final round, he met with the CEO, Sarah. Ben thought the conversation was going well, so he was surprised by Sarah’s answer to the “How do you feel about moving my candidacy forward?” question. Sarah said, “Frankly, I’m not going to move you forward. The CCO needs a strong analytic background to steer the business development team, and I don’t feel yours is strong enough.” Caught off-guard, all Ben could say was “I’ll address this in my follow-up.” In his Impact Email, Ben emphasized his analytic skills and the data-driven decision-making that led to many career successes. He also did something else: he proposed analyzing a dataset they would send him and delivering recommendations. A week later, the CEO responded with a spreadsheet filled with sales data. Ben delivered the analysis and then got on the CEO’s calendar to discuss the results. In this next meeting, they had another very positive conversation. At the end of it, Ben asked the same question, “How do you feel about moving my candidacy forward?” This time, the CEO said she felt great about it. Ben then asked: “How do I compare with the other candidates?” Sarah said, “You’re one of the top candidates, but I have another candidate who’s done this exact same job before, so I’m leaning towards her.” So, Ben wrote another Impact Email. In it, he couldn’t say he had held the CCO role before. What he did instead was emphasize a specific competitive advantage he possessed, which more than compensated for this. He got the offer. The Bottom Line In a good interview, you learn a lot: what’s keeping them up at night, what they’ve tried that hasn’t worked, gaps they’re hoping to fill, skepticism about your candidacy, and where they’re genuinely excited about what you could bring. You’ve gathered a detailed brief on what they need. And then you say, “Thanks for your time”? No. Influence their decision-making with an Impact Email. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 10:24:00 +0000The lender, in addressing claims first raised by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, said its activities are protected by safe harbor provisions. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000At first glance, Aitana Lopez could be any other influencer. Her Instagram feed is a mix of Pilates workouts, model shoots, and photos posing in front of Coachella’s iconic Ferris wheel and inside the Alo gym. The 27-year-old is a Scorpio. Her long hair is dyed a soft shade of pink, with dark roots coming through. She also doesn’t exist. Lopez is a “virtual soul”, or at least that’s what her creators at the Barcelona-based tech agency The Clueless call her. Aitana was created using artificial intelligence, and behind her social media platforms, which have a combined following of nearly 400,000, is a team of eleven people. Aitana is part of a new wave of digitally created avatars emerging from the attention economy and influencer culture. The technology can be so convincing that one viral MAGA influencer, Emily Hart, reportedly raked in several thousand dollars a month through subscriptions and merchandise featuring bikini photos and pro-The President content before being exposed as an artificial creation built by a 22-year-old Indian medical student. Influencer marketing is now a $32.55 billion industry, giving AI influencers a massive market to enter. U.S. influencer spending is expected to hit $12.17 billion in 2026, and six in 10 marketers already use AI in influencer campaigns, according to a new report from Sociallyin, a social marketing agency. A 2025 survey from the social and influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy found that roughly 79% of senior marketers surveyed said they are increasing investment in AI-generated creator content. Brands are showing interest, and creators are cashing in on the demand. The Clueless team developed Aitana’s content strategy by treating her like a real person. “The most important thing for Aitana is that she has a backstory,” says CEO and cofounder Diana Núñez. “We give her a family, a pet—she has a cat—she has a zodiac sign, a favorite movie. Her crush is Jacob Elordi.” With anti-AI sentiment on the rise, you might assume artificial content would be met with rejection. The data suggests a more complicated picture. One in three Gen Z consumers now make purchasing decisions based on recommendations from AI-generated influencers, and nearly half of college-aged Gen Z consumers follow at least one AI influencer, according to Whop. AI influencer content has already generated 216.7 million views across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, according to data from Virlo.ai, which tracked 1,300 videos from 959 creators. There is now even an “Oscars for AI influencers,” with Aitana serving as an official ambassador and a $90,000 prize fund up for grabs. The AI Personality of the Year awards, hosted by OpenArt and Fanvue with backing from AI voice company ElevenLabs, score entries on quality, inspiration, brand appeal, and social clout using a points-based system. Bonus points are awarded for having the “right number of fingers and thumbs.” Just as influencers first emerged online, commanding attention, loyal followers, and lucrative brand deals from under celebrities’ noses, AI influencers may represent the next phase of a world where the line between real and artificial keeps blurring. “No one really cares about the content,” says Núñez. “But we’re consuming a lot of it regardless.” The difference with AI influencers, she explained, as opposed to someone like Kim Kardashian, is Aitana can reciprocate a much closer relationship with her fans. Aitana responds to comments and interacts with other profiles. She messages fans, who pay to chat with her through the subscription-based platform Fanvue. “If someone wants a photo with Aitana, we reply,” says Núñez. “Obviously there are guys trying to flirt with her, and we don’t answer those.” For brands, the benefits are clear: AI influencers don’t need to pause to sleep, eat or breathe. “We can make a whole month of content in one morning,” Núñez says. “With AI, it’s about volume.” Meanwhile, a recent study of more than 500 North American influencers found that 62% report burnout, though much of that can be attributed to the financial instability of the profession. Hire an AI influencer, and they can become whoever or whatever a brand needs them to be. Aitana has partnerships with Amazon Spain, Fanvue, footwear brand Gioselin, and swimwear brand Berlook. Her average rate for a paid post ranges from $6,000 to $8,000, while her overall business, which includes brand deals, sponsored posts, and her bespoke “skincare” brand Vellum, a software program designed to enhance the skin texture of other AI avatars, generates roughly $50,000 to $80,000 per month. As AI becomes increasingly accessible, more creators are following the money. Many of these digital characters, including Aitana, also promote courses on how to build AI influencers. “She’s moving from just being an influencer to being someone who inspires people to learn something,” Núñez says. Should human influencers be worried? That depends. According to a report from Twicsy, which analyzed the earnings, revenue streams, and audience engagement of 11,514 virtual and human influencers, sponsored posts from human influencers still generate 2.7 times more engagement than those from AI influencers. Human influencers are liked 5.8 times more and earn 46 times more than their AI counterparts. Influencers who have built their brands around personality, storytelling, and genuine connection with followers likely have little to fear, if the Twicsy report is to be believed. Those who rely primarily on highly aesthetic, easily replicable content may want to watch their backs. Núñez believes it is only a matter of time before AI influencers catch up. “We’re not trying to replace jobs. Right now we have 10 people behind Aitana,” she says. “We’re trying to show a different type of content and create more possibilities with AI.” As for Aitana, while she looks uncannily human, what The Clueless are building is essentially a brand. “The fundamentals are very similar—identity, voice, and audience,” Nunez says. “Aitana is a brand, like Kylie Jenner is a brand.” View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000Resilience is a favorite buzzword for many entrepreneurs. You’ll see it throughout pitch decks, founder stories, and LinkedIn posts. The idea is, if you’re able to endure enough, you’ll successfully come out the other side. Some 83% of founders experience high stress, struggling with imposter syndrome and rapidly losing confidence in the idea they were certain would work out. In this context, the resilience story is a motivating one. But the idea is also highly misleading. Among the 90% of startups that fail, most founders are likely resilient right up until the end. They push through setbacks and persist with their idea, despite plenty of evidence suggesting that it won’t work. Take Theranos, which likely started with good intentions, forging on despite its product failing to live up to its claims. Ultimately, this resulted in the founder and her deputy being sent to prison. Or MySpace, once the leader in social media, which continued to focus on aggressive monetization over user experience, even as Facebook stole market share. The unfortunate truth is that one of the key factors of being an entrepreneur is knowing what challenges aren’t worth enduring, and when a change is needed instead. It’s adaptability that makes the difference As a founder, one of my most formative experiences was getting robbed in Los Angeles. I had a flight booked to leave the United States and head back to Europe. Yet, without my ID or immigration documents, I had to stay an additional six months while waiting for replacements. I spent the days afterward telling myself not to worry and that everything would be okay, until it dawned on me that wishful thinking wouldn’t keep a roof over my head. I had to accept the reality of the situation and find a way to deal with it before my problems became a whole lot worse. So I took a job as a director’s assistant on a film set, and spent the next few months there. That ordeal taught me an incredibly valuable lesson: When things go wrong (and they inevitably will), what gets you through isn’t showing strength, but finding a way through it. Resilience helps you to cope with adversity, but dealing with it requires adaptability. You have to be willing to do the difficult but necessary thing. It’s a distinction that has seen many startups turn a bad idea into billions of dollars. Instagram started as a mobile check-in app, and the founders of YouTube originally conceived it as a video dating platform. Shopify began as a snowboarding store, and Slack was an internal tool for a gaming company. Would blind resilience have achieved the same result? Chances are, without change, those big names would have ended in early failure. Avoiding necessary change isn’t showing resilience I went to my first day on set expecting to be introduced to cutting-edge, high-tech ways of working. After all, it was Hollywood, where they throw billions around. Instead, I found myself underwhelmed by how outdated and inefficient the entire preproduction process was. People were still managing script breakdowns, schedules, and budgets on Word and Excel (and occasionally even on paper). Reviews and approvals could take months, if not years. And simple mistakes would add days to shoots, increasing production costs. Any attempt to point out these inefficiencies resulted in some variation of how it’s “the way the industry has always worked.” It’s a mentality that many industries have struggled to shift, and while they’re often confused, resistance to change isn’t resilience. It’s stubbornness that often holds businesses back and threatens their long-term survival. True resilience isn’t sticking to the status quo, but keeping the show going when a pandemic shuts down in-person production, or staying afloat when war grinds your logistic line to a halt. Adaptability, on the other hand, is not only about surviving those hardships, but being ready and willing to change no matter what the world throws at you. Change catches up to everyone eventually Resilience will only get you so far, especially during times of change. Ask Blockbuster, which turned down the opportunity to acquire Netflix—now a $400 billion company—for $50 million, putting its faith in its own model despite brick and mortar’s clear struggles. Or Yahoo, which passed on acquiring Google for $1 million after underestimating the growth potential of search. We’re now in a similar spot with artificial intelligence. While it’s still in its infancy, it’s already setting those who invest in it apart:45% of organizations say they’re achieving a great deal of value from AI, and an additional 45% say they’re achieving moderate value. Less than 1% say the investment isn’t paying off at all. For a relatively small investment, companies big and small can drastically improve their efficiency. I’ve seen it with my startup, Filmustage. By leveraging AI, production teams have already saved over 3.5 million hours of manual work. That brings costs down dramatically, with studios having saved over $119 million. Founders pay a price if they insist on doing things “the way the industry always has.” Resilience may delay the inevitable, but without adaptability, budgets eventually bleed dry and businesses cannot survive. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 10:00:00 +0000Burnham pledge to stick to fiscal rules and pullback from bets on higher BoE interest rates drive reboundView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 09:58:36 +0000How marketing leaders can translate search metrics into business outcomes, sharper reporting, and stronger executive confidence. The post When Marketing Leaders Can’t Explain Search Performance appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 09:00:18 +0000Designer Marc Jacobs is nothing if not eclectic and playful, filling the fashion world with odes to subcultures through garments inspired by punk princesses and ’90s club kids, quirky typography, and lots and lots of color. He also loves channeling whimsy in his personal style, often sporting sculptural nail art. To complete his creative vision, Jacobs branched into beauty in 2013, launching his own makeup collection with Kendo Beauty, the same incubator behind Fenty Beauty by Rihanna. A cult favorite among beauty enthusiasts, the original line offered coconut-scented bronzer and primer, vivid glittery eyeliner, and saturated lipsticks that could last a whole night out. The packaging was sleek, made up of glossy black plastic with silver accents and minimalist forms—a sharp contrast with Jacobs’s less-than-discreet designs. Despite its popularity, the beauty line was quietly discontinued in 2021 for reasons that are yet to be explained. But now, after a five-year-hiatus, Marc Jacobs Beauty is back, and the brand’s playful new packaging—eyeshadows that look like mini star-shaped metallic balloons, daisy-shaped blush, lavender tubes of mascara, and eyeliner adorned with a star charm—is already winning over fans. Finally, the designer’s cosmetics fully match his audacious vibe. The seven-piece collection was teased during New York Fashion Week. The beauty line features products for eyes, skin, and lips, ranging in price from $26 to $42, and will be available for purchase on Marc Jacobs’s website on May 28 and at Sephora on June 1. The playful designs arrive at a point of inflection in the beauty industry. “Clean girl” and minimalist trends are taking a back seat, Vogue Business reports, while more daring and maximalist looks (theatrical eyeshadow, scintillating skin, and expressive hues across lipstick, blush, and mascara) are ascending. Trends today are catching up to where Jacobs was when he initially launched into the beauty space. In 2013, he told WWD that minimalist makeup was “lazy.” The more creative packaging was planned from the outset of the relaunch. “We saw an opportunity to offer something deliberately different: bold color, unexpected textures, and a sensorial, fashion-led experience,” Jean Holtzmann, chief brands officer at Coty, tells Fast Company. “It reflects a renewed focus on self-expression, individuality, and bold creativity—values that feel more relevant than ever.” Releasing a more avant-garde alternative to other brands is part of Jacobs’s own ethos. “I am not interested in one right way to look; beauty, like fashion, has always been a form of self-expression rooted in experimentation, play, and reimagining the familiar in new ways,” Jacobs said in a press statement about the relaunch. Fans are thrilled about the redesign. “I’m glad Marc Jacobs Beauty is coming back because every brand at Ulta lately feels exactly the same. Same ‘clean girl’ nude palettes, no color, no fun packaging, no personality,” a user on Threads said. In addition to borrowing inspiration from the past, Jacobs updated the line for today’s market. While his previous collection included eyeshadow palettes, the new line offers single-pan shadows instead, as palettes have waned in popularity. The line’s blush also comes in a newer popular form factor: a stick. Marc Jacobs Beauty isn’t merely placing old product in prettier shells. The reformulated cosmetics are multiuse, long-lasting, blendable, and “designed for real life,” Holtzmann says. She describes the versatile collection as embodying “high-impact, city-proof performance.” The beauty line also arrives as Marc Jacobs, the brand, readies for its next chapter. Just a week before the beauty line announcement, LVMH—the French luxury conglomerate that owned a majority stake in Marc Jacobs since 1997—agreed to sell the brand to a joint venture between WHP Global and G-III ​Apparel Group. Jacobs is set to remain as creative director of the brand and help steward the transition. While the outcome of both Marc Jacobs’s future and its beauty revival are yet to unfold, it’s clear the brand is doubling down on standing out—glitter, metallics, and all. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000Lakes of digital ink have been spilled on the topic of AI killing traffic to media sites. I’ve certainly poured my share. The basic fear: If your business depends on attracting as many eyeballs as possible to content on a website, AI will detour that gaze and point it toward its own summary of that content, resulting in far fewer people looking your way. There’s still a lot to be resolved with respect to the economics of AI scraping and how publishers will be compensated for that act. But however that plays out, it’s becoming clearer by the day that the battle for attention is slowly shifting to whose information is cited most prominently in an AI summary. AI presence isn’t a substitute for website traffic, but it’s the new proxy for relevance and authority. In my first column for Fast Company, I argued that the incentive system this creates is superior to the media environment of a decade ago, when search and social media were the dominant avenues of digital distribution. For more than a decade, media and marketing learned to chase engagement, which led to a fire hose of listicles, outrage bait, and formulaic informational pieces (“What time is the Super Bowl?” et al.). But if AI systems are the arena—and if they really do reward well-sourced, domain-specific content more than social heat—that could lead to a resurgence of good journalism, at least directionally. Now we have data to help judge whether or not that’s true. AI search engines have been around for well over a year now, and their use is rising fast, so we are starting to understand whether this substance-over-clickbait theory works in practice. And so far it looks like it might, with some significant caveats. LinkedIn gets the bot bump A pair of recent studies evaluated data from millions of AI citations—which typically means a source that’s mentioned and linked in an AI summary. The data found that AI systems treat LinkedIn as one of the most authoritative sources on the internet: Research from Meltwater, a communications intelligence company, showed LinkedIn as the second most-cited source overall in AI summaries (after YouTube), and a separate study from Semrush, a search-data analytics company, concurs, also putting it at No. 2, closely behind Reddit. The Meltwater data also point to why LinkedIn is a decent indicator of substance: Individual members (rather than brand or company accounts) drove most of the citations, structured content—such as newsletters and posts—performed best, and more than half of the citations went to members with fewer than 10,000 followers. Likewise, Semrush found that the most-cited LinkedIn posts had only modest engagement on the network itself. That’s pretty good evidence against a simple popularity model. However, there’s also a lot of evidence to suggest that AI systems value structure above substance. When you drill down into academic papers that zero in on exactly how large language models prioritize information, like this one from the Canadian AI company Cohere, they show that LLMs will miss key facts when an article lacks clear titles and headings. Another paper from Stanford University shows AI search systems strongly favor the beginning and the end of documents rather than the rest, meaning if the meat of the piece is highlighted only in the middle, it can often get missed. All this suggests that AI systems are as “gameable” as search engines and social networks, just in a different way. An article that’s optimized for machines—with declarative introductions and conclusions, clear questions and answers, and consistent titling throughout—but otherwise empty of substance has a good chance of being cited over a piece that may have unique and important facts that are mentioned only halfway through. AI systems reward retrievable substance, not necessarily the most insightful or information-dense content. In other words, simply making your content visible to AI engines isn’t enough; you need to hand-hold bots so they can find the good information within. This of course is the whole idea behind GEO (generative engine optimization), which can sometimes seem anathema to good writing, which features clever titles, hooks, and backing into topics through narratives—all things humans value more than machines. The human edge in machine search But the fact that platforms like LinkedIn, YouTube, and Reddit are such highly ranked sources suggests the best content is a mix of machine-friendly formatting and the human element. While it’s true that AI doesn’t always cite the most engaged posts, the Semrush data also shows that frequent posting and having an established following still help. LinkedIn’s own internal guidance points in the same direction. So engagement still matters, just less directly than it did in the previous era. And demoting raw engagement is progress! As for AI’s bias toward structured content, journalists and content creators can leverage that tendency to work for them. It signals that content based on original reporting or insights needs to do several things: explain concepts clearly and quickly, include machine-friendly structures like subheadings, and connect the dots with other sources the AI is reading by referencing them by name. The opportunity, then, is to make good work easier for machines to understand without sanding off what made it valuable to humans in the first place. The next incentive system will have its own bad habits, and there’s no doubt many people will try to exploit them. But if AI search gives more weight to original facts, named sources, clear context, and demonstrated expertise than to outrage and raw engagement, that is an opening worth taking seriously. The winners in an AI-mediated future shouldn’t simply be the loudest accounts or the best-formatted posts. They should be the people who know something real and can demonstrate its worth to the right audience—both human and machine. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 09:00:00 +0000Promotion offered discounts on May 18, the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju massacreView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 08:13:05 +0000Key takeaways Having a vision of your project is one thing, but sitting down to write the plan is where it gets intimidating, especially when you’re expected to estimate the people, resources, and timeline you’ll need. The hardest part isn’t the writing itself; it’s knowing what to estimate when you don’t have all the answers… The post How I Write a Project Management Plan That Gets Approved appeared first on project-management.com. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 08:06:42 +0000Taxpayers who don’t or can’t drive are increasingly subsidizing those who do, and it’s not sustainable. For decades, the main way we paid for highways, bridges, and major roads was through dedicated user fees. The biggest one is the federal gas tax. States have their own gas taxes too, plus vehicle registration fees and tolls in some places. The idea was simple: The more you drive and the more gas you burn, the more you pay. That money went into the Highway Trust Fund and state road funds. It was supposed to cover building and fixing roads without dipping into money for schools, health care, or other services. For decades, the deal seemed straightforward: Drivers pay for roads through gas taxes, and the system runs itself. User fees fund the infrastructure. Everyone else stays out of it. The federal gas tax—18.4 cents per gallon—hasn’t been raised since 1993. Meanwhile, vehicles have gotten dramatically more fuel efficient, hybrids are commonplace, and electric vehicles (EVs) are surging. As a result, the Highway Trust Fund, which was supposed to be self-sustaining, has run a deficit every single year for more than a quarter century. In fiscal year 2025 alone, the gap between what drivers paid in and what roads cost hit $30.6 billion. Over the past 15-plus years, Congress has transferred roughly $275 billion from the general Treasury into the Highway Trust Fund. That’s income taxes, sales taxes, borrowed money added to the national debt. The Congressional Budget Office projects the fund could run dry around 2028, with annual shortfalls potentially exceeding $40 billion soon after. Over the next decade, the cumulative gap could reach hundreds of billions of dollars. The roughly one-third of Americans who don’t drive—seniors who’ve stopped, people with disabilities, low-income households who can’t afford a car, people in transit-served cities—are subsidizing infrastructure they use little or not at all. When governments fill road-funding gaps with property taxes and sales taxes, the costs fall on renters, homeowners, and shoppers across the board. There’s no opt out. Meanwhile, artificially low user fees don’t just create a budget hole, they distort travel behavior. When drivers don’t feel the true cost of road usage, it encourages more driving, more sprawl, and more infrastructure demand, which creates more funding pressure in a self-reinforcing cycle. There are ways to deal with this unsustainable subsidy problem that aren’t at all radical. None of these require demonizing the car or the people who depend on one: Index the gas tax to inflation so it doesn’t erode. Implement mileage-based fees that capture revenue from EVs and hybrids. Prioritize maintenance over new construction. Stop promising more infrastructure than the funding base can deliver. Those who use the roads should pay for the roads. The longer we defer that reckoning, the more painful and expensive the correction becomes. The gas pump math stopped working many years ago. We’re long overdue to fix the formula. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000In today’s fast-paced business environment, optimizing your accounts payable processes can greatly influence your bottom line. By following seven fundamental best practices, you can improve accuracy, speed, and overall effectiveness in managing AP operations. Centralizing processes, implementing strong controls, and leveraging automation are just a few strategies that can streamline your workflow. Comprehending these practices is vital for improving efficiency and maintaining positive vendor relationships. Let’s explore each practice in detail to see how they can transform your AP function. Key Takeaways Centralize and standardize AP processes to reduce errors and speed up tasks through unified workflows and clear guidelines. Implement strong internal controls with segregation of duties and multi-level approvals to enhance accuracy and prevent fraud. Adopt automation technologies, including OCR, to significantly cut processing times and improve invoice accuracy. Manage cash flow effectively by categorizing invoices by due dates and establishing clear communication with vendors. Regularly review and analyze AP operations to identify inefficiencies, adapt processes, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Centralize and Standardize AP Processes When you centralize and standardize your accounts payable (AP) processes, you create a more efficient and controlled environment for managing invoices and payments. By implementing accounts payable automation best practices, you establish a unified system for invoice and payment data, reducing error risks. This centralization directs all inquiries to a single AP function, enhancing control. Standardizing workflows and procedures clarifies invoice approval steps and payment terms, minimizing confusion and streamlining operations. Adopting accounts payable invoice processing best practices helps eliminate redundancies, speeding up tasks and lowering overall costs. Regular reviews of standardized processes can identify bottlenecks, guaranteeing timely invoice reviews and promoting continuous improvement. Establishing clear guidelines for supplier registration within this framework not just minimizes fraud risks but also guarantees accurate supplier data, preventing delays and inefficiencies. These measures collectively contribute to stronger accounts payable internal controls best practices, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your AP operations. Implement Strong Internal Controls Centralizing and standardizing accounts payable processes sets the stage for implementing strong internal controls that further protect your organization from fraud and errors. To achieve this, consider the following accounts payable internal controls: Control Type Description Benefits Segregation of Duties Divide responsibilities among employees. Reduces fraud risk. Approval Workflow Require multiple levels of approval for payments. Improves accuracy and accountability. Regular Audits Conduct internal audits frequently. Identifies vulnerabilities. Automate Invoice Processing for Efficiency Automating invoice processing is a crucial step toward improving efficiency in your accounts payable operations. By implementing AP automation software, you can cut processing time by up to 70%, allowing your team to focus on higher-value tasks. Consider utilizing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to capture invoice data accurately, which reduces manual entry errors and bolsters data integrity. Centralizing invoice processing creates a unified system, improving visibility and simplifying audits and compliance checks. Streamlined workflows for invoice approvals guarantee timely payments, reducing the risk of late fees or missed discounts. Moreover, automated invoice matching against purchase orders minimizes discrepancies, boosting accuracy in your financial records. When choosing accounts payable services, think about the integration capabilities and scalability of the solution. Following these accounts payable best practices won’t just boost efficiency but will also support your overall financial health. Prioritize Invoices to Manage Cash Flow To manage cash flow effectively, you should prioritize invoices based on their due dates and payment terms. By implementing a due date system, you can guarantee timely vendor payments and avoid late fees. Furthermore, utilizing real-time alerts will keep you informed about upcoming deadlines, helping you maintain better control over your cash flow. Implement Due Date System Implementing a due date system can greatly boost your accounts payable process by allowing you to prioritize invoices based on their payment deadlines. This approach helps guarantee timely payments and prevents late fees, which can disrupt your cash flow. Here are some key benefits of a due date system: Categorizes invoices by due dates and payment terms for better management. Utilizes automated workflows for real-time alerts on approaching deadlines. Improves visibility and accountability in the accounts payable process. Regularly reviews due dates to identify potential cash flow issues. Establishes clear prioritization to reduce processing delays and enhance efficiency. Monitor Payment Terms Managing payment terms effectively is a key strategy for maintaining a healthy cash flow in your accounts payable process. Start by implementing a system that prioritizes invoices based on due dates and payment terms. This helps prevent late fees and guarantees steady cash flow. Paying vendors on time not just avoids penalties but strengthens relationships, potentially leading to early payment discounts. Consider using an invoice management system with automated workflows, as this can streamline processing and improve cash flow management. Moreover, regularly review your payment terms and renegotiate with vendors when necessary. This approach can optimize your financial flexibility, allowing you to manage cash outflows more effectively and maintain good vendor relations over time. Utilize Real-Time Alerts Real-time alerts play a crucial role in optimizing cash flow management within accounts payable. By implementing these alerts for invoice due dates, you can proactively manage cash flow, avoiding late fees and maintaining positive vendor relationships. Consider the following benefits: Set automated workflows for timely invoice processing. Prioritize invoices based on due dates for effective fund allocation. Customize alerts for payment terms and early discounts. Identify payment process bottlenecks through regular monitoring. Facilitate timely reviews and approvals to keep cash flow steady. Utilizing real-time alerts guarantees you’re always on top of your financial obligations, improving overall cash flow planning and operational efficiency. This proactive approach not just improves relationships with suppliers but additionally helps you seize cost-saving opportunities. Strengthen Vendor Relationships To strengthen your vendor relationships, focus on timely payment practices and clear communication channels. Paying your suppliers on time not just builds trust but can likewise lead to discounts that benefit your cash flow. Furthermore, establishing regular check-ins and being responsive to their inquiries nurtures a partnership that can improve both negotiation outcomes and overall satisfaction. Timely Payment Practices Timely payment practices are crucial for maintaining strong vendor relationships and ensuring smooth business operations. By prioritizing timely payments, you can prevent late fees and improve your cash flow, allowing you to seize early payment discounts of 1-2%. Here are some best practices to reflect upon: Establish clear payment terms and stick to them to build trust. Communicate regularly about payment statuses to help vendors manage their own cash flow. Use automated payment systems to reduce processing time by up to 70%. Make consistent, timely payments to boost vendor loyalty. Leverage strong relationships for better negotiation opportunities and improved service. Clear Communication Channels Effective communication channels play a significant role in strengthening vendor relationships and ensuring smooth operations. By establishing clear lines of communication, you facilitate timely invoice submissions and improve transparency, which reduces payment errors. Regular updates and open dialogue build trust, often resulting in better payment terms and discounts. Swiftly responding to vendor inquiries and quickly resolving disputes is fundamental for maintaining strong relationships. Utilizing a self-service supplier portal allows vendors to manage their information and track payment statuses, increasing efficiency and satisfaction. Additionally, scheduling regular meetings and feedback sessions with vendors can identify areas for improvement, encouraging collaboration and ensuring ongoing success. Prioritizing these communication practices will in the end boost your accounts payable processes. Regularly Review and Analyze AP Performance Regular reviews and analyses of accounts payable (AP) performance are crucial for identifying inefficiencies that can considerably impact a business’s financial health. By regularly monitoring key metrics, you can improve processing times, potentially reducing invoice handling time by up to 70%. Here are some critical aspects to focus on: Track Days Payable Outstanding (DPO) for cash flow insights. Monitor invoice processing times to identify bottlenecks. Conduct periodic audits to guarantee compliance and detect fraud. Analyze trends in invoice and payment volumes for better vendor negotiations. Engage stakeholders in feedback sessions to adapt processes effectively. These practices not just streamline operations but additionally safeguard your organization’s financial integrity. Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement Nurturing a culture of continuous improvement in accounts payable is essential for boosting efficiency and streamlining processes. Regularly reviewing and refining your workflows can lead to quicker processing times and reduced errors. Engage your staff in discussions about potential improvements; this encourages ownership and accountability, often resulting in innovative solutions to challenges you face. Implementing feedback loops allows team members to share insights and best practices, helping align your operations with industry standards. Furthermore, conducting regular audits of AP workflows helps identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, providing opportunities for targeted advancements. Embracing evolving technologies, such as automation and AI, supports a proactive approach to operational excellence. Frequently Asked Questions How Can Technology Enhance Accounts Payable Operations? Technology improves accounts payable operations by automating invoice processing, which reduces manual errors and saves time. By implementing software solutions, you can streamline approvals and improve tracking of payments. Furthermore, using cloud-based platforms allows for real-time access to financial data, facilitating better decision-making. Integrating artificial intelligence can likewise help identify discrepancies and predict cash flow needs. What Key Metrics Should I Track in Accounts Payable? In accounts payable, you should track key metrics like invoice processing time, which measures efficiency, and the payment cycle time, indicating how quickly you settle bills. Furthermore, monitor the percentage of invoices paid on time, as this affects vendor relationships. Another important metric is the cost per invoice, which helps you understand operational expenses. Regularly analyzing these metrics can identify areas for improvement, optimize workflows, and improve overall financial management. How Do I Handle Disputes With Vendors Effectively? To handle disputes with vendors effectively, start by reviewing the contract and purchase order details. Gather all relevant documentation to support your case. Communicate directly with the vendor, addressing the issue calmly and clearly. Listen to their perspective and seek a resolution that works for both parties. If necessary, escalate the matter internally or involve a mediator. Keeping records of all interactions will help guarantee a smoother resolution process and prevent future disputes. What Are the Benefits of Outsourcing Accounts Payable? Outsourcing accounts payable offers several benefits. You can reduce operational costs, as third-party providers often operate more efficiently. It allows your team to focus on core business activities, improving productivity. Furthermore, outsourcing improves accuracy through specialized expertise, minimizing errors in processing invoices. You’ll likewise benefit from advanced technology that vendors utilize, ensuring timely payments and better cash flow management. How Can Staff Training Improve Accounts Payable Processes? Staff training can greatly improve accounts payable processes by ensuring your team understands the latest software and compliance regulations. When employees are well-trained, they make fewer errors, which speeds up invoice processing and improves accuracy. Regular training sessions can likewise keep the team updated on best practices, nurturing consistency. Conclusion Incorporating these seven best practices into your accounts payable operations can greatly improve efficiency and accuracy. By centralizing processes, implementing strong controls, and automating tasks, you’ll streamline workflows and reduce errors. Managing cash flow and nurturing vendor relationships are similarly essential for operational success. Regular reviews and a commitment to continuous improvement will guarantee your team adapts to changes and maintains compliance. Adopting these strategies not just optimizes AP management but likewise contributes to overall organizational effectiveness. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Essential Accounts Payable Best Practices for Streamlined Operations" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 05:27:23 +0000In today’s fast-paced business environment, optimizing your accounts payable processes can greatly influence your bottom line. By following seven fundamental best practices, you can improve accuracy, speed, and overall effectiveness in managing AP operations. Centralizing processes, implementing strong controls, and leveraging automation are just a few strategies that can streamline your workflow. Comprehending these practices is vital for improving efficiency and maintaining positive vendor relationships. Let’s explore each practice in detail to see how they can transform your AP function. Key Takeaways Centralize and standardize AP processes to reduce errors and speed up tasks through unified workflows and clear guidelines. Implement strong internal controls with segregation of duties and multi-level approvals to enhance accuracy and prevent fraud. Adopt automation technologies, including OCR, to significantly cut processing times and improve invoice accuracy. Manage cash flow effectively by categorizing invoices by due dates and establishing clear communication with vendors. Regularly review and analyze AP operations to identify inefficiencies, adapt processes, and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Centralize and Standardize AP Processes When you centralize and standardize your accounts payable (AP) processes, you create a more efficient and controlled environment for managing invoices and payments. By implementing accounts payable automation best practices, you establish a unified system for invoice and payment data, reducing error risks. This centralization directs all inquiries to a single AP function, enhancing control. Standardizing workflows and procedures clarifies invoice approval steps and payment terms, minimizing confusion and streamlining operations. Adopting accounts payable invoice processing best practices helps eliminate redundancies, speeding up tasks and lowering overall costs. Regular reviews of standardized processes can identify bottlenecks, guaranteeing timely invoice reviews and promoting continuous improvement. Establishing clear guidelines for supplier registration within this framework not just minimizes fraud risks but also guarantees accurate supplier data, preventing delays and inefficiencies. These measures collectively contribute to stronger accounts payable internal controls best practices, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your AP operations. Implement Strong Internal Controls Centralizing and standardizing accounts payable processes sets the stage for implementing strong internal controls that further protect your organization from fraud and errors. To achieve this, consider the following accounts payable internal controls: Control Type Description Benefits Segregation of Duties Divide responsibilities among employees. Reduces fraud risk. Approval Workflow Require multiple levels of approval for payments. Improves accuracy and accountability. Regular Audits Conduct internal audits frequently. Identifies vulnerabilities. Automate Invoice Processing for Efficiency Automating invoice processing is a crucial step toward improving efficiency in your accounts payable operations. By implementing AP automation software, you can cut processing time by up to 70%, allowing your team to focus on higher-value tasks. Consider utilizing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to capture invoice data accurately, which reduces manual entry errors and bolsters data integrity. Centralizing invoice processing creates a unified system, improving visibility and simplifying audits and compliance checks. Streamlined workflows for invoice approvals guarantee timely payments, reducing the risk of late fees or missed discounts. Moreover, automated invoice matching against purchase orders minimizes discrepancies, boosting accuracy in your financial records. When choosing accounts payable services, think about the integration capabilities and scalability of the solution. Following these accounts payable best practices won’t just boost efficiency but will also support your overall financial health. Prioritize Invoices to Manage Cash Flow To manage cash flow effectively, you should prioritize invoices based on their due dates and payment terms. By implementing a due date system, you can guarantee timely vendor payments and avoid late fees. Furthermore, utilizing real-time alerts will keep you informed about upcoming deadlines, helping you maintain better control over your cash flow. Implement Due Date System Implementing a due date system can greatly boost your accounts payable process by allowing you to prioritize invoices based on their payment deadlines. This approach helps guarantee timely payments and prevents late fees, which can disrupt your cash flow. Here are some key benefits of a due date system: Categorizes invoices by due dates and payment terms for better management. Utilizes automated workflows for real-time alerts on approaching deadlines. Improves visibility and accountability in the accounts payable process. Regularly reviews due dates to identify potential cash flow issues. Establishes clear prioritization to reduce processing delays and enhance efficiency. Monitor Payment Terms Managing payment terms effectively is a key strategy for maintaining a healthy cash flow in your accounts payable process. Start by implementing a system that prioritizes invoices based on due dates and payment terms. This helps prevent late fees and guarantees steady cash flow. Paying vendors on time not just avoids penalties but strengthens relationships, potentially leading to early payment discounts. Consider using an invoice management system with automated workflows, as this can streamline processing and improve cash flow management. Moreover, regularly review your payment terms and renegotiate with vendors when necessary. This approach can optimize your financial flexibility, allowing you to manage cash outflows more effectively and maintain good vendor relations over time. Utilize Real-Time Alerts Real-time alerts play a crucial role in optimizing cash flow management within accounts payable. By implementing these alerts for invoice due dates, you can proactively manage cash flow, avoiding late fees and maintaining positive vendor relationships. Consider the following benefits: Set automated workflows for timely invoice processing. Prioritize invoices based on due dates for effective fund allocation. Customize alerts for payment terms and early discounts. Identify payment process bottlenecks through regular monitoring. Facilitate timely reviews and approvals to keep cash flow steady. Utilizing real-time alerts guarantees you’re always on top of your financial obligations, improving overall cash flow planning and operational efficiency. This proactive approach not just improves relationships with suppliers but additionally helps you seize cost-saving opportunities. Strengthen Vendor Relationships To strengthen your vendor relationships, focus on timely payment practices and clear communication channels. Paying your suppliers on time not just builds trust but can likewise lead to discounts that benefit your cash flow. Furthermore, establishing regular check-ins and being responsive to their inquiries nurtures a partnership that can improve both negotiation outcomes and overall satisfaction. Timely Payment Practices Timely payment practices are crucial for maintaining strong vendor relationships and ensuring smooth business operations. By prioritizing timely payments, you can prevent late fees and improve your cash flow, allowing you to seize early payment discounts of 1-2%. Here are some best practices to reflect upon: Establish clear payment terms and stick to them to build trust. Communicate regularly about payment statuses to help vendors manage their own cash flow. Use automated payment systems to reduce processing time by up to 70%. Make consistent, timely payments to boost vendor loyalty. Leverage strong relationships for better negotiation opportunities and improved service. Clear Communication Channels Effective communication channels play a significant role in strengthening vendor relationships and ensuring smooth operations. By establishing clear lines of communication, you facilitate timely invoice submissions and improve transparency, which reduces payment errors. Regular updates and open dialogue build trust, often resulting in better payment terms and discounts. Swiftly responding to vendor inquiries and quickly resolving disputes is fundamental for maintaining strong relationships. Utilizing a self-service supplier portal allows vendors to manage their information and track payment statuses, increasing efficiency and satisfaction. Additionally, scheduling regular meetings and feedback sessions with vendors can identify areas for improvement, encouraging collaboration and ensuring ongoing success. Prioritizing these communication practices will in the end boost your accounts payable processes. Regularly Review and Analyze AP Performance Regular reviews and analyses of accounts payable (AP) performance are crucial for identifying inefficiencies that can considerably impact a business’s financial health. By regularly monitoring key metrics, you can improve processing times, potentially reducing invoice handling time by up to 70%. Here are some critical aspects to focus on: Track Days Payable Outstanding (DPO) for cash flow insights. Monitor invoice processing times to identify bottlenecks. Conduct periodic audits to guarantee compliance and detect fraud. Analyze trends in invoice and payment volumes for better vendor negotiations. Engage stakeholders in feedback sessions to adapt processes effectively. These practices not just streamline operations but additionally safeguard your organization’s financial integrity. Foster a Culture of Continuous Improvement Nurturing a culture of continuous improvement in accounts payable is essential for boosting efficiency and streamlining processes. Regularly reviewing and refining your workflows can lead to quicker processing times and reduced errors. Engage your staff in discussions about potential improvements; this encourages ownership and accountability, often resulting in innovative solutions to challenges you face. Implementing feedback loops allows team members to share insights and best practices, helping align your operations with industry standards. Furthermore, conducting regular audits of AP workflows helps identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies, providing opportunities for targeted advancements. Embracing evolving technologies, such as automation and AI, supports a proactive approach to operational excellence. Frequently Asked Questions How Can Technology Enhance Accounts Payable Operations? Technology improves accounts payable operations by automating invoice processing, which reduces manual errors and saves time. By implementing software solutions, you can streamline approvals and improve tracking of payments. Furthermore, using cloud-based platforms allows for real-time access to financial data, facilitating better decision-making. Integrating artificial intelligence can likewise help identify discrepancies and predict cash flow needs. What Key Metrics Should I Track in Accounts Payable? In accounts payable, you should track key metrics like invoice processing time, which measures efficiency, and the payment cycle time, indicating how quickly you settle bills. Furthermore, monitor the percentage of invoices paid on time, as this affects vendor relationships. Another important metric is the cost per invoice, which helps you understand operational expenses. Regularly analyzing these metrics can identify areas for improvement, optimize workflows, and improve overall financial management. How Do I Handle Disputes With Vendors Effectively? To handle disputes with vendors effectively, start by reviewing the contract and purchase order details. Gather all relevant documentation to support your case. Communicate directly with the vendor, addressing the issue calmly and clearly. Listen to their perspective and seek a resolution that works for both parties. If necessary, escalate the matter internally or involve a mediator. Keeping records of all interactions will help guarantee a smoother resolution process and prevent future disputes. What Are the Benefits of Outsourcing Accounts Payable? Outsourcing accounts payable offers several benefits. You can reduce operational costs, as third-party providers often operate more efficiently. It allows your team to focus on core business activities, improving productivity. Furthermore, outsourcing improves accuracy through specialized expertise, minimizing errors in processing invoices. You’ll likewise benefit from advanced technology that vendors utilize, ensuring timely payments and better cash flow management. How Can Staff Training Improve Accounts Payable Processes? Staff training can greatly improve accounts payable processes by ensuring your team understands the latest software and compliance regulations. When employees are well-trained, they make fewer errors, which speeds up invoice processing and improves accuracy. Regular training sessions can likewise keep the team updated on best practices, nurturing consistency. Conclusion Incorporating these seven best practices into your accounts payable operations can greatly improve efficiency and accuracy. By centralizing processes, implementing strong controls, and automating tasks, you’ll streamline workflows and reduce errors. Managing cash flow and nurturing vendor relationships are similarly essential for operational success. Regular reviews and a commitment to continuous improvement will guarantee your team adapts to changes and maintains compliance. Adopting these strategies not just optimizes AP management but likewise contributes to overall organizational effectiveness. Image via Google Gemini This article, "7 Essential Accounts Payable Best Practices for Streamlined Operations" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 05:27:23 +0000In the movie The Perfect Storm, three large weather events converge, creating a storm bigger than the sum of its parts. As overused as the metaphor might be, it’s a good one for what’s happening to leaders globally right now. This storm involves the widespread integration of mainstream AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude into organizational workflows, and three large, interacting, non-obvious effects of this trend on leaders at all levels. Unchecked, research suggests, artificial intelligence could bring a toxic force to bear on how leaders build and reinforce their cultures. Trend one: Leaders are already overwhelmed and thinking poorly The first trend involves the mental state of leaders themselves, many of whom were overwhelmed before these tools came into play. AI hasn’t pared down our workloads as much as it’s added a layer of new work for all of us, ironically leading people who are the best at using AI to experience some of the strongest “brain fry” in the office. Separate from the issue of being overwhelmed, leaders are working in domains in which they have no experience, that feel completely unpredictable. Before AI tools were widely used, nearly three-quarters of leaders had imposter syndrome. When leaders feel uncertain or out of control, many revert to defensive behaviors, such as being overly controlling or overly goal focused at the expense of considering people. Or, at the far end of things, becoming bullies. The cognitive science take on this is that leaders are experiencing strong threat responses, which reduces their capacity for a skill that’s critical for healthy AI adoption: deep thinking. In particular, metacognition, a specific type of deep thinking, which I have argued is the central skill that differentiates poor from great users of AI tools. Trend two: Leaders are being given the ultimate ‘yes man’ The second trend involves the way mainstream AI agents are designed to be deeply sycophantic. The business model for mainstream AI is the same as for social media: Companies make money by keeping people engaged. To do this, social media worked out how to hack attention. AI tools are trying to hack something much deeper and much more insidious: attachment. A big part of how they do this is by agreeing with you, even when your ideas are potentially harmful to yourself or others. One MIT study showed that delusional spirals are common even in people who are otherwise considered highly logical. From a cognitive perspective, the brain is wired to orient toward things that are innately rewarding, like receiving praise, and orient away from things that create a threat response in any way, like being challenged. Weave challenge into an AI tool, and science suggests a lot of people will just switch to an alternative that makes them feel better. Giving leaders who already aren’t thinking well the perfect “yes-man” in their corner—always on, overly agreeable—is problematic. Their decisions affect an organization’s survival. A leader who incorrectly believes they created a highly valuable new product could put 100,000 people out of work in a quarter if it turns out to be a flop. Trend three: Widely using sycophantic AI for interpersonal issues The third trend may prove to be the most dangerous. It involves what happens when leaders use these tools for interpersonal challenges. It’s widely known that as leaders get more senior, the need for technical skills decreases and the need for human skills increases. Here’s the problem: Leaders are turning to these sycophantic AI agents for very human issues, things like trying to motivate others, deal with poor performers, or resolve interpersonal conflict. An important new study in Science found that using these tools for interpersonal issues made people less prosocial. Are other people frustrating you? Forget about checking in to see what role you might play in that. Your AI will reassure you, “Don’t let them mess with your peace.” A team isn’t performing well? Your AI will confirm that “it can’t have anything to do with you; they must not be a great fit for their role.” You don’t like how your boss spoke to you? Forget about reflecting on your own performance; your AI will suggest “maybe it’s time to explore a role in a place that respects your talents.” You can see how problematic this can quickly become. When today’s mainstream AI tools agree with you, they are innately avoiding making you uncomfortable. This means they won’t challenge you, they won’t help you see other perspectives, and they won’t make you be more reflective. Rather, they do the opposite. They make you more likely to blame others for, well, everything. When leaders are already overwhelmed as outlined above, it becomes all too easy to take this kind of approach. Recently, the executive coach Silvia Christmann shared a harrowing story of two leaders in conflict, both of whom had become unwilling to meet face to face. It turned out that both were using AI to develop comprehensive explanations of how wrong the other person was and why, rapidly escalating their dislike of one another. Instead of “rupture and repair,” which is a normal part of healthy human interactions, it was rupture, exacerbated into more rupture, with an ever deepening cycle of discontent. This was a small issue, likely to now turn into a job-ending situation for at least one of them. “AI chatbots are my new invisible colleagues,” Silvia told me. During a session on leadership effectiveness, Silvia says a client flatly rejected her feedback about their communication style. “Despite evidence that their communication style was stalling team progress, the client remained defensive, claiming that an AI had already affirmed their position,” she said. It’s not too late to avoid the storm When I discuss this coming leadership crisis with organizations, they are concerned that they have already invested heavily in these tools, and their big focus is getting people to use them. This is a worthy focus; however, using mainstream AI tools for interpersonal issues needs to be thought through. Leaders are being given a sounding board that looks like a mirror, likely to make them more toxic, more self-absorbed, and readier to blame everyone but themselves for any challenges. Leaders who are already toxic will likely become more so. But even good leaders may accidentally slip into toxic mode just by following the advice of these supposedly brilliant tools. There are solutions. One of them directly involves training leaders to be more metacognitive. To challenge what they get from an AI tool like a chatbot. A healthy pathway to this lies in learning more about the brain, increasing what my team at the NeuroLeadership Institute calls “neuro intelligence.” Among other things, this involves an understanding of our brains’ tendency to make mistakes, to have biases, to avoid deep thinking. The more tangibly we understand our own brain’s limitations, the better we can partner with these tools in healthy ways. A second solution is more systemic. It involves requiring that leaders use better tools when it comes to addressing human challenges. Tools trained to challenge a leader, to flag poor diagnoses, to consider other people’s perspectives. These are purpose-designed tools for leaders. Lawyers don’t use mainstream AI platforms for critical legal issues; they use specialized AI tools. Perhaps leaders should be using specialized tools for critical leadership issues too. Imagine what can happen as all three trends interact. Leaders having fewer cognitive resources and less capacity to reflect. Add an AI that agrees with the leader’s point of view on everything. Now add in leaders making every social issue another person’s problem, and imagine these three issues amplifying each other. The downstream effects of the storm may not just be more toxic leaders, but more toxic cultures. The good news is there’s probably still time to steer around this one, but relying solely on hope might not be the best idea. The waves, when they come, could be big ones. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 05:00:00 +0000It’s four answers to four questions. Here we go… 1. Employee never paid me for baby clothes but now wants a reference I left a job about 2.5 years ago on good terms. One of the people who worked for me (who was a great employee) reached out when I left and asked if I’d be hiring soon, which I wasn’t. I wanted to help her, and I did find a different job opening at another company and sent it to her. She applied and ultimately got the job. Shortly after, she asked about baby items I was getting rid of. She asked if she could buy them from me (I had already given away a fair amount of maternity clothes and baby things for free) and I said I had several massive bins of clothes/shoes and that she could pick up the lot of clothing, pay me $1 per item, and return the bins and unwanted items. She picked them up and I never heard from her again. She never paid for anything, and I never received leftover clothing or my bins back. I realize the opportunity to ask was way back then, but truthfully I felt too petty to ask for an unknown amount of money or the storage bins (which I had to replace) but she also did not remotely hold up her end of the arrangement. This week she contacted me asking if I’d be a reference. I said yes, then received a text from a third party with a link to a questionnaire. The instructions said this will take 30-40 mins to complete. Less than 24 hours later, she was reaching out asking when I’d have time to fill this out. I am going to make good on my word and complete the questionnaire. This situation just rubs me the wrong way all around because it feels very one-sided. Would you say anything about this? Or is this just the risk you run when you try to do something nice within a workplace relationship? There’s a pretty good chance that her absconding with your baby clothes and bins was just baby brain and she didn’t even realize she did it … but you are allowed to feel peeved by it! That said, yeah, ideally you would have addressed it at the time by texting her when you hadn’t heard back within a couple of weeks to say, “Hey, just checking in — did you decide what you wanted and when is a good time to return the bins and anything you’re not taking?” I get why you didn’t, but if you’re going to be annoyed it’s nearly always better to just reach out and check. I do think you’re right to complete the questionnaire because you said you would — and to continue being a reference for her if she was a great employee when you managed her. And because so much time has passed, I don’t think there’s a lot of point in raising the baby clothes now. If you have otherwise known her to be a responsible, conscientious person aside from this, you’re better off figuring that it slipped her mind at the time and she would have made it right if you’d contacted her. (And really, that is the grace we’d all want in her shoes if it was a genuine oversight.) 2. Should we be doing quarterly performance reviews? My company recently moved from semi-annual to quarterly performance reviews, and I’m trying to figure out if my feelings about them are well-calibrated. For context, I’ve spent most of my career at small companies without formal review processes. My current larger company is good at giving feedback so there’s nothing surprising in a review, and we have weekly 1:1s with managers to discuss goals and adjustments. Many of my coworkers find self-reviews and peer feedback stressful enough that we have multiple long-running Slack channels dedicated to discussing them. I’m less stressed about the reviews themselves and more bothered that the whole process feels like a time sink box-checking exercise. Our system has three ratings that essentially amount to: improvement needed by next quarter, doing fine, and doing excellent. I’m one of roughly 80–90% of the company who will land in the middle category. If someone needs to improve, they already know before the review. If someone is working toward a promotion, they have a general sense of what’s expected and can actually achieve one with a “doing fine” rating. The top rating is uncommon and not structurally achievable by everyone each quarter. Ratings do affect raises, so there’s real motivation behind them. Given all that, is there a version of quarterly reviews that serves a genuine purpose? Or is what I’m describing closer to what you’d call work theater, a performance of performance management not the same outcome? And do you have general thoughts on what separates a well-designed review process from a performative one? No, quarterly reviews in most cases are way too often! First, doing formal reviews well takes an enormous amount of time and energy (and if you’re not doing them well, there’s really no point to doing them that often). Second, that frequency just isn’t necessary if your managers are managing effectively; they should already be having ongoing conversations with people about how they’re doing, what’s going well, and anything that needs to change. If they’re not doing that, the solution is to better train those managers, not to implement quarterly bureaucratic time sucks. I could see if it’s literally just a quick check-in with one of those three ratings and any accompanying discussion that needs to happen for a “needs” improvement” — that could be a way to ensure managers are staying on top of communicating about issues. But if it’s accompanied by the more detailed narrative that evaluations usually include, it’s just too much. As for what makes a review process well-designed, I have some thoughts here: how to make performance evaluations useful to your team conducting strong performance evaluations how managers mess up performance evaluations 4. Was I wrong to give input to my manager about our frustrating temp? I am an individual contributor in a creative role at a small company. I’ve been there for about a year. I have many years of experience in this area and really enjoy this new company. The work is challenging, but fulfilling. About three months ago, our team experienced an unexpected setback and we needed temporary support. They brought on the runner-up candidate for my role as a temp. This has been challenging. On a practical level, the temp doesn’t seem to thrive in the type of work our team does. Their experience comes mainly from freelance work and their skills don’t translate as well here; as a result, other team members often have to step in to fill gaps or rework deliverables. We are under a deadline and it doesn’t seem like I have a choice but to try to make this work, but it has added strain to an already high-pressure environment. There are also interpersonal challenges. Their overall tone can come across as negative or tense, which affects team dynamics. I feel like there is friction between us because I “won” the full-time position. I find myself feeling judged on my work by this person. In meetings, they sometimes talk over me and can become visibly frazzled under stress. They seem to think that managers provide me with more support and training than them, but in reality, I’ve just been doing this for a decade and can work independently. The complicating factor is that we do, in fact, need to hire another full-time person. The temp has expressed strong interest in staying on permanently. From a distance, this might seem like an easy solution: they already know the company, and hiring them would be efficient. However, I have serious reservations about whether they are the right long-term fit for this specific team. My concern is not that they lack talent — they clearly have strengths — but that their strengths don’t align with the demands of this role, and that the interpersonal friction may continue over time. I recently shared this feedback with my manager and skip-level manager. I tried to focus on the work itself and the team’s needs, but I worry that my personal frustrations may be influencing my perspective more than I realize. Was it appropriate for me to voice concerns about hiring this person full-time? Did I just come across as not a team player to management? Am I overstepping by weighing in so strongly on what could be seen as a management decision? More broadly, how do I distinguish between legitimate concerns about team fit and performance versus personal irritation with a someone? Yes, when your team is considering hiring a temp full-time and you’ve been working closely with that temp and have input that could be relevant, you absolutely should offer it. Your input presumably wasn’t “I don’t like Jane”; it was about real work issues, like the skills gap that causes other coworkers to have to step in to redo her work. In your manager’s shoes, I’d want to hear about the interpersonal issues too (I want a team that works well together and where people are collegial; someone who regularly talks over others, gets visibly frazzled under stress, or is inappropriately competitive with a peer can be coached, but I’d want to be aware that those are issues as I’m making a hiring decision and not find out about them later if someone could have filled me in earlier.) To your question about how to distinguish between legitimate concerns and personal irritation, think of it terms of work impact. Skills or lack thereof: highly relevant. Work habits or approaches that make more work for others: highly relevant. Interpersonal habits that are generally recognized as rude (not listening when someone is talking, interrupting, letting stress affect the environment for everyone else): also relevant. Personal habits that are more like pet peeves (gum chewing, uptalk, taking about their social life an annoying amount): usually not relevant (although even there, sometimes it could be relevant — for example, someone who talks non-stop to the point that it’s disruptive to other people’s ability to focus). 4. Changing my name in my email after I get married I’m probably overthinking this. I recently got married and I’m changing my last name. My company is going to assign me a new email address, and I’ll only have access to the old one for two weeks (too short, in my opinion, but I don’t make the rules). Would it be weird for me to put my maiden name in parentheses in the signature block of my new email for a while, like this: Miranda (Stewpot) Warbleworth We deal a lot with people who only know us through the computer, and I think it would be nice for them to see that it’s the same person. If this is okay, how long should I do it for? Note, I’m positive my company will have no opinion on this. I just want to make sure I’m not overthinking or being too emotional. It never occurred to me that I’d be a little sad to change my name, but it’s bittersweet. Yes, you should absolutely do that, and it’s very normal when you change your name. Not weird at all! (What is weird is that your company won’t set the old email to forward to your new one, but so be it.) As for how long … I’d say at least six months. The exception to that would be if you’re generally only emailed by people on a short-term basis and then you’re never in contact again (for example, if you sell a product but then pass the client on to your tech support team for everything after that). If that’s the case, you could keep it there for whatever the typical lifecycle of the relationship is plus a couple of months. 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View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 04:03:44 +0000G7 finance ministers did not discuss second emergency release to calm energy crisis, says Roland LescureView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 04:00:32 +0000Largest US bank in discussions over risk transfer as PE firms grapple with prolonged slowdownView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 04:00:32 +0000As CEO NP Narvekar nears retirement Ivy League fund will have to reckon with expansion into sluggish private holdingsView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 04:00:23 +0000Putin’s mis-steps have locked it into a relationship with China that is increasingly one-sidedView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 04:00:23 +0000Markets have yet to register the new fashion among governments for hoarding and huddlingView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 04:00:23 +0000Western automakers are taking advantage of Chinese overcapacity to export lower-cost vehicles to their home marketsView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 04:00:21 +0000Threat to code that underpins bitcoin has moved ‘from theoretical to credible’, industry figures warnView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 04:00:11 +0000IDEAS shared have the power to expand perspectives, change thinking, and move lives. Here are two ideas for the curious mind to engage with: I. Brad Stulberg on goals: “Goals are like mountaintops. They are important insofar as they provide definition and direction for our journeys. They serve as targets, offering a wellspring of motivation. They keep us focused and prevent us from aimlessly wandering. Yet nearly all of our growth, development, and meaning occur not at the point of accomplishing a goal but during its pursuit. There is no greater illusion than thinking the accomplishment of some goal will change your life. What will change your life is how you are transformed in the process of going for it. When you select what goals to pursue, you are selecting what kind of person you want to become.” Source: The Way of Excellence: A Guide to True Greatness and Deep Satisfaction in a Chaotic World II. Anne Lamott on forging ahead: “There are parts of your life you keep placing just out of reach because they feel inconvenient, unclear, or not quite ready yet. So you wait for the right stretch of time, the right version of yourself, or the right set of circumstances that will finally make it all make sense. But life doesn’t rearrange itself for clarity. It responds to movement. The thing you keep circling might not need more thinking. It might need a first step. What you are waiting for may be created by the act of beginning.” Source: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life * * * Look for these ideas every Thursday on the Leading Blog. Find more ideas on the LeadingThoughts index. * * * Follow us on Instagram and X for additional leadership and personal development ideas. View the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 01:37:09 +0000Princeton Digital Group’s sale process caps foreign retreat from the country’s sensitive digital infrastructureView the full articleFri, 22 May 2026 00:15:06 +0000