Greg Pryor is a Founding Member of Connected Commons and a longtime leader in human capital and talent strategy. In this episode of Greg joins the podcast to discuss why social capital, the relationships and networks that connect people, plays such a major role in career success and organizational performance. He shares stories from his work in management consulting, talent leadership, and research on networks to explain how relationships shape influence, learning, and opportunity.

They also explore how organizations can identify key influencers, lead change more effectively, and avoid collaboration overload. The conversation closes with a discussion about how AI is changing the workplace and what it means for collaboration and leadership.

Links

• Greg’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-pryor-907920/

Elizabeth McSavaney is the Chief People Officer of Zurich Canada, where she leads talent strategy in a highly technical, rapidly evolving industry. In this live episode from the 2026 Transform Conference, Elizabeth shares how Zurich Canada is rethinking learning and development by focusing less on training activity and more on solving real business problems. She explains how initiatives like “Day to Invest” create space for growth, why capability and not completion should be the true measure of learning, and how HR teams can build credibility by driving measurable outcomes.

Elizabeth also discusses preparing early-career talent, embedding AI into everyday work, and why empathy remains a critical human skill in insurance and beyond.

Links

Elizabeth’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-mcsavaney-chrl-bsc-371377/

Kyle Forrest is a Principal and the Future of HR Leader at Deloitte Consulting, where he helps organizations navigate the rapidly evolving intersection of Humans and AI. In this live episode from the Transform Conference in Las Vegas, Kyle breaks down two of the key trends from Deloitte’s 2026 Global Human Capital Trends Report.

During our conversation, he explores how organizations can stay relevant amid constant change, why traditional change management is falling short, and what it means to become “changeful.” Kyle also dives into the rise of orchestration—where leaders must align human and machine capabilities—and what it takes to unlock real productivity gains in an AI-powered workplace.

Links

• Kyle’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleforrest/
• Deloitte Human Capital Trends 2026: https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/talent/human-capital-trends.html

Aneesh Raman is Chief Economic Opportunity Officer at LinkedIn and Co-Author of Open To Work: How to Get Ahead in the Age of AI. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Aneesh shares his perspective on how AI is reshaping careers, leadership, and the very nature of work itself. He explains why many professionals feel overwhelmed and unprepared, and why that anxiety is also an opportunity to rediscover uniquely human strengths like curiosity, creativity, and compassion. Finally, Aneesh shares why the traditional career ladder is breaking down, how individuals can adapt using a “climbing wall” mindset, and what organizations must do to redesign work for a more human-centered future.

Links

• Aneesh Raman’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aneeshraman/
• Open to Work Book: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/open-to-work-ryan-roslanskyaneesh-raman

In this solo episode of The Edge of Work, Al Dea explores how to grow your career in a time when AI, automation, and constant change are reshaping the workplace. He shares why traditional career paths and milestones are becoming less reliable, and why it is more important to focus on direction instead of fixed destinations.

Al offers practical guidance on taking agency of your development, building adaptable skills, and staying relevant even when the future feels uncertain. He also explains how employees can shift their mindset from waiting for clarity to actively creating career opportunities for themselves in a rapidly evolving world of work.

Links

• Al Dea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/
• Al Dea’s Website: https://www.al-dea.com/

Michael Bungay Stanier is the Author of The Coaching Habit and Host of the Change Signal podcast. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Michael joins Al Dea to challenge conventional thinking around change management and introduce the concept of change mastery. Drawing on insights from his podcast and decades of experience, Michael explains why most change initiatives fail and what leaders must do differently in a world defined by constant disruption. He shares the three pillars of change mastery, distributed agency, organizational capacity, and technical excellence—and why successful change depends less on process and more on people.

Links

• Michael’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbungaystanier/
• Change Signal Podcast: https://thechangesignal.com/

In this solo episode of The Edge of Work, Al Dea explores why one of the most important responsibilities of leaders today is becoming a developer of talent. With leaders stretched thin and expectations constantly growing, Al makes the case for why developing people cannot be optional if organizations want better performance, engagement, and adaptability. He introduces the idea of practices of development, (aka PODs) small, practical actions leaders can embed into everyday work to help employees grow without relying on formal programs.

Links

• Al Dea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsaldea/
• Al Dea’s Website: https://www.al-dea.com/

Ariel Leonard is the SVP of Talent at Frontier Communications, where she is helping lead a large-scale transformation of the company’s workforce and talent strategy. In this episode of The Edge of Work, Ariel shares how Frontier is shifting from traditional HR processes to a more skills focused, business aligned approach to talent. She explains how her team is rethinking workforce planning, internal mobility, and leadership development to support long term growth. Ariel also discusses the importance of building trust, creating clearer career pathways, and helping employees see new opportunities inside the organization.

Links

• Ariel’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielleonard/
• Harvard Business Review Article: https://hbr.org/2025/10/your-transformation-cant-succeed-without-a-talent-strategy