I catalyze transformation as an expert on disruptive transformation strategy and leadership. I'm an entrepreneur and NY Times bestselling author and have seen business, society, and the world undergo seismic changes. My work includes writing books, speaking, advising, and coaching companies and their leaders and I've worked with 14 of the Dow Jones 30 companies. 

I help leaders and their organizations in three ways: 

1) Research, Writing, and Streaming: I share my research and thinking through books and articles. I stream weekly here on LinkedIn, usually Tuesday at 9 am PST. I research and develop strategies for disruptive innovation, leadership in challenging times, and the impact of generative AI on the future of work. I was named one of LinkedIn's Top 10 Voices on Company Culture in 2022. 

2) Speaking and Workshops: From conference keynotes to intimate executive gatherings, my speeches and workshops educate and identify specific actions people can take to start making the future a reality today. Peppered with relevant examples, I tailor the content for every audience. I love creating "a-ha" moments when the audience sees what is possible in the future and has the confidence to take the next step.  I specifically emphasize the importance of relationships, empathy, and wisdom in leadership and transformation. Partial client list and appearances include Adobe, Banfield, Cloudera, Coty, Genesys, KPMG, Novartis, Oracle, Providence Health, SAP, SxSW, TED, Tony Robbins, US Navy, Verizon, Workplace from Meta, World Business Forum, and the World Economic Forum.  

3) Advisory and coaching. I take on a few select advisory and coaching clients a year, typically on a retainer basis. My advisory work addresses specific transformation challenges facing an organization, from shifting strategic focus to driving culture change. In my coaching, I work with people who are already great leaders and support them in leading disruptive, transformative change using a stakeholder-centered coaching approach developed by Marshall Goldsmith. Clients have included: Adobe, IBM, Microsoft, Southwest Airlines,

Charlene Li

Most 2026 prediction lists tell you what's coming. Then leave you hanging.

Here's what they won't tell you: Your entry-level talent pipeline is evaporating. Your leadership bench could be gone by 2029. And deploying ChatGPT isn't a strategy. It's just a tool.

In this week's #LeadingDisruption, I'm sharing my four predictions for 2026, and what you need to do about each one:

🎯 Why the AI bubble matters less than you think 
🎯 The talent crisis hiding in plain sight on your org chart 
🎯 Where 40% of knowledge workers say enterprise AI fails them 
🎯 How AI could destroy your differentiation … unless you fight back

The gap between companies using AI well and companies just using AI to keep up? It's about to become permanent.

Read the full predictions below. 

#AI #leadership #strategy #2026predictions #disruption

I help leaders drive disruptive business transformation and develop winning AI strategies

I have a love-hate relationship with predictions. They're useful in that they tell you what observant people think is coming. But here's my issue: Mos

Open article: Four AI Predictions for 2026 — And What to Do About Them by Charlene Li • 6 min read

Four AI Predictions for 2026 — And What to Do About Them

Your credibility as a leader was built on having all the answers.

AI just changed the rules.

Now you're being asked to lead a transformation you don't fully understand. To project confidence when you feel uncertain. To have a vision when the landscape shifts daily.

This isn't a knowledge gap. It's a leadership gap.

In this week's #LeadingDisruption, I'm breaking down what credibility actually means in the AI era.

The leaders who win will be the ones who learn publicly, admit when they don't know, and show their teams how to navigate ambiguity together.

Read the full newsletter.

#AI #leadership #credibility #transformation #disruption

"Can the leadership team help us figure AI out together, or are we on our own?" That's the question your team is actually asking. Not "Does my leader 

Open article: When Credible Leadership Means Saying ‘I Don’t Know’ by Charlene Li • 5 min read

When Credible Leadership Means Saying ‘I Don’t Know’

I speak to leaders all over the world about AI transformation.

And when I ask them what matters most to employee engagement and performance, they always say the same thing: direct managers.

Your frontline managers have an outsized role in whether people stay or leave, engage or check out, embrace AI or resist it.

And yet we spend the least amount of money, time, and attention developing manager competencies. It's holding back your AI transformation.

Here's what's really at stake:

Your managers are the ones creating psychological safety on their teams. 

They're deciding whether failures spark learning or blame.They're having daily conversations about career growth, skill development, and what "good work" looks like when AI is involved.

They're translating your AI strategy into action…often without clarity themselves.

The organizations that pull ahead won't just have the best AI strategy, they'll have invested in the people responsible for executing that strategy every single day.

So here's what I ask leaders:

▶️ What are you doing to develop your managers right now?

#Leadership #ManagerDevelopment #AILeadership #FutureOfWork #PeopleStrategy

Leadership credibility in the AI age has changed. 

Join me live on January 13 at 9AM PT/12PM ET for a conversation about something we don't talk about enough:

How to lead when you don’t have all the answers. 

Here's what we'll explore:

🔸 How to normalize not knowing, and make it psychologically safe for your team to say it too.
🔸 How do you balance your established identity with the continuous learning AI demands?
🔸 Why "I don't know" might be the most powerful thing a leader can say right now.
🔸 How do you build credibility when the rules keep changing?
🔸 What does it mean to admit you don't have the answers?

The pace of change with AI means that none of us can be experts in everything. 
So many leaders built their careers on having the answers. Now they're expected to build their teams on asking the questions.

That requires a different kind of confidence. A different relationship with uncertainty. And a willingness to let go of who you used to be to become who your organization needs.

If you're navigating this tension—between the leader you were and the leader you're becoming—this livestream is for you.

Leadership Credibility Through Continuous Learning and Unlearning

When it comes to AI implementation, the term “psychological safety” often comes up. 

But what does that look like in practice?

It’s more than just being kind. It’s about creating an environment that welcomes vulnerability. 

Because learning to use a new technology *is* a vulnerable experience. It can make you feel foolish. You might make mistakes. And if your team is afraid of getting in trouble for learning at their own pace and making missteps…they’ll stop trying. 

Leaders who create psychological safety for their teams will see faster AI adoption and more widespread use because people feel more comfortable experimenting, playing, and fine-tuning. 

Click through to see how leaders can encourage learning without fear. 

#Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #AILeadership #FutureOfWork #OrganizationalCulture

What Psychological Safety Actually Looks Like 

When it comes to AI – or trying anything new, for that matter, you have a choice to make. 

You can look at uncertainty and feel anxious. Or you can look at the exact same uncertainty and feel excited.

What makes the difference?

Confidence.

Not confidence that everything will go perfectly, or that you have all the answers. Confidence that no matter what the outcome is, you're going to be okay.

💡This is one of my personal practices for staying emotionally agile through constant change:

I pause. I check in with myself. I ask: How am I feeling about this right now?

Then I flip the narrative. 🤸

🔁 Instead of focusing on what I don't know, I focus on what I do know.
🔁 Instead of dwelling on what I can't control, I identify what I can do.
🔁 It shifts me from paralyzed to in motion.

Here's the thing about leading through AI transformation: Uncertainty is guaranteed. Anxiety is optional.

The leaders who thrive are the ones who've built the confidence to act anyway.
How are you building that confidence in yourself and your teams right now?

#Leadership #Confidence #AILeadership #EmotionalAgility #ChangeManagement

People who believe their company is doing well are 25x more likely to be engaged with their work. 

When leaders track metrics at year-end, all you’re doing is getting a snapshot of how things *have* been – not what’s actually happening in the present-day. 

With AI, leaders can take temperature checks rapidly, implement real-time feedback loops, and close those loops at scale. 

It shows teams that their feedback really matters. 

And that’s what builds trust. 

So instead of looking back on 2025, consider looking forward. 
Connect with your people, see what’s working and what’s not, and don’t dwell on the past.

#Leadership #AILeadership #EmployeeEngagement #FutureOfWork #PeopleAnalytics

Planning your 2026 offsite? Skip the usual agenda.

Most offsites focus on the wrong things: reviewing last year's performance, setting generic goals, talking about "alignment."

But if you want to actually move faster in 2026, you need to ask questions that surface what's really slowing you down.

These two questions will do more for your strategy than a full day of presentations:

1️⃣ How fast can we move from identifying an AI opportunity to serving customers at scale—and what would it take to cut that time in half?

2️⃣ What beliefs are holding us back from what we want to achieve?

The first question reveals all your obstacles: outdated processes, fear, resistance, silos, lack of mandate.

The second question forces you to confront the culture issues preventing progress.

Try the exercise in the carousel. It's simple, powerful, and it works whether you're planning in person or virtually.

What beliefs is your team ready to let go of in 2026?

#Leadership #AIStrategy #StrategicPlanning #OrganizationalCulture #AILeadership

Planning your 2026 offsite

We expect AI implementation to be smooth sailing.

Take a course, get a mentor…GO! 

That’s not really how it works. 

I've learned this through my disruption work: we innovate better when we don't know where we stand. That liminal space between where we were and where we're going comes with a lot of friction.

Nobody likes friction, but here's what I tell leaders: friction is part of the process. You have to expect it. Prepare for it. Embrace it.

Because on the flip side of that friction are incredible *aha!* moments. Real learning. Transformation that puts you in a fundamentally better place.

Good things don't come easily. And that's okay.

How are you preparing your teams for the friction ahead?

#leadership #AI #transformation

A strategic human resources leader & leadership coach with over 25 years of bringing people-focused solutions to the most niggly business challenges to achieve results. With experience across the spectrum of HR practices, David’s specialities include:  talent management, executive coaching, process improvement, organizational change and transformation and leadership development.

Dave cofounded “get keep grow inc” a  Canadian employee engagement and retention professional services corporation.




Please note views and opinions expressed are my own and do not represent the views of my employer

David McLean

McLean & Company's new HR Trends report is live and shows some significant shifts in HR and organizational priorities for the coming year:

✅ Innovation jumped from #10 in 2025 to #2 in 2026—HR is now a key driver of transformation.
✅ Leadership development remains the top priority, but the focus is expanding to employee experience and AI adoption.
✅ HR is moving from reactive support to strategic leadership, shaping culture and enabling change.
📌 Bottom line: HR leaders must embrace innovation, tech, and cross-functional collaboration to stay ahead.



✴️✴️✴️ If you're interested in accessing the report, there is a link in the comments box below 


Acknowledgement: McLean & Company  


#ceo
#chro
#FutureOfWork 
#Leadership 
#Innovation 
#AI 
#StrategicHR

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