The Best of This Week in Leadership

In 2023, inflation slowed down, but so did economic growth. More workers found themselves back at the office. And everywhere, people fretted over what AI will mean and do to the business world. Each week, Korn Ferry’s experts delved into all of those topics, and more. Here are nine of our biggest and most-talked about articles of the year.

A Changing of the CEO Guard

Some were asked to step down, but an unusually large number just got fed up and left. Many experts are still puzzled about why so many CEOS left the supreme job in the corporate-business world in 2023.

ChatGPT Invades the Workplace

Nearly half of professionals are already relying on the new AI tool (or one of its competitors) for daily work tasks, a Korn Ferry survey shows. But leaders are still figuring out how to govern the technology’s use.

AI: Is Britain Taking Center Stage?

A combination of a light-handed government and an aggressive private sector has quietly put the UK on the map of one of the world’s most important industries.

Back to Work… for What?

This was the year companies got truly serious about insisting that employees come to the office. It also was the year some meaningful data came out on the pros and cons of remote verses office work.

The Breaking Point for Middle Managers

In a tough year for restructurings, particularly in technology and finance, the main target was corporate midsections. But experts warn that removing too many middle managers—and putting too much pressure on those that remain—can jeopardize many corporate priorities, such as innovation and diversity initiatives.

5 Ways to Ask for a Raise in a Performance Review

With the labor marketing tightening in 2023, employees lost a lot of power over employers. But they’ve still got some leverage, if they use the right tactics.

Pay Attention* (Because Nobody Else Is)

Call it a crisis of concentration. Today, workers spend an average of 47 seconds per task—less than a minute—before shifting focus. There’s plenty of reasons why our attention spans are diminishing. What can organizations and individual workers do to rebuild their mental fitness?

Dealing with a ‘Flatlining’ Economy

Shrinking food packets. Shedding business units. Increasing accountability. The checklist goes on. The UK’s economic news continues to be tough, forcing a change in the way savvy leaders operate. 

A Three-Day Workweek?

The headline sure sounds enticing, until you read the details. As the year drew to a close, anxiety over what AI means to workforces only grew. Will the new technology make some jobs obsolete—or merely make workweeks shorter and potentially less well paid?

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