Our business reality has been permanently adjusted. Breakneck tech development, government policy shifts and geopolitical turmoil has ratcheted up the pressure on leaders and elevated the stakes of every decision. The disruption increases peril but also opportunity—if we can make the right choices.

To succeed in this environment requires a new kind of playbook, one that pairs urgency in some areas with patience in others; where embracing AI is a requirement, yet human capital is more important than ever; where creativity and innovation clash with efficiency in new ways, altering accepted practices and redefining the equation for success.

Drawing on hundreds of in-depth interviews with the world’s top CEOs and business leaders, Robert Safian offers a cohesive framework for addressing these unprecedented times. Presenting clear, engaging and often-unexpected lessons, Safian delves into personal, practical learnings from leaders at Airbnb to Starbucks, sharing memorable and often intimate stories of their in-the-trenches choices, decisions and epiphanies.

There are no simple answers in these difficult times, but sticking with yesterday’s approach is a formula for trouble. For all the dislocations, now is an ideal moment to inspire and reshape a career, a team, an organization. By bringing to life the insights that matter most, Safian shows just how critical this moment is, and how thoughtful and intentional our choices must be to create the future we all want.

In just a few years, artificial intelligence has moved from the realm of techies to the center of cultural and business. The rise of the algorithm has been supercharged by generative AI, Nvidia GPUs, and a proliferation of large language models – from factories to marketing departments, schools to the military.

Some lament and fear this rising tide; others are unabashed champions. Either way, the bottom-line is irrefutable: Tech’s newest wave is upon up, and there’s no going back. What’s more, the pace of impact is only just ramping up. The change ahead will dwarf the impacts we have seen to far.

Whether you run a big public company or a nascent startup, whether you are inside academia or in the nonprofit world, whether you oversee a team or contribute to the operations of an enterprise, understanding AI’s emergence is central for all of us. In this presentation, Robert Safian explores five lessons that underscore how AI and the algorithm is redefining business and organizational leadership—including the biggest lesson every leader and businessperson needs to grapple with to thrive in this era.

Modern business is pure chaos. To succeed in this climate requires a whole new approach. Organizations need to invest in people who thrive in this environment. They are the members of Generation Flux. This is less a demographic designation than a psychographic one. What defines GenFlux is a mind-set that embraces instability, and thrives in disruption—recalibrating careers, business models, and assumptions.

Not everyone will join Generation Flux, but to be successful, businesses and individuals will have to work at it. This is no simple task. The vast bulk of our institutions—educational, corporate, political—are not built for flux. With so many leaders now emphasizing agility, there is still an incomplete understanding on how to make that work.

Robert Safian has researched and interviewed scores of GenFluxers, from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky to Signal president Meredith Whitaker to retired four-star US General Stanley McChrystal. In this talk, Safian offers actionable insights on how organizations can recruit and empower GenFluxers to drive future success—and what it takes for each of us personally to join the ranks of this rising, essential cohort.

The pace of change in culture and business has never been more intense, from AI to tariff wars, and for leaders that can be paralyzing. Yet it also signals dramatic opportunity for those who are able to take advantage. Chaos is increasingly the norm, but chaotic change should not slow us down. If we have the right tools and can surf the wave of change, great things are possible.

Drawing from hundreds of interviews with top CEOs and business leaders—and bringing their voices into the room, via audio clips from his podcast—Robert Safian provides lessons that leaders at any stage can put into action. Mixing the most effective case studies with his business acumen and natural curiosity, Safian tailors each presentation to the specific needs of your organizations and audience.

Both inspiring and educating, he offers the knowledge necessary to successfully navigate the journey of change.

With the pace of change at historic highs, leaders and organizations struggle to juggle the barrage of new information, tools, ideas and options. Robert Safian, host of the award winning podcast Rapid Response and former editor-in-chief of business media Fast Company, explains how identifying a “mission” and infusing it through your organization can unleash dramatic results.

Whether navigating how best to deploy AI, how to respond to new global trade shifts, or how to respond when social, cultural, and political issues impact an organization, we need a new understanding of what a brand and a business stand for and how to intertwine profit and purpose to long-term impact.