Author: Zoya Lakhani

From Talent Ownership to Talent Stewardship

Organisations have never invested more in talent development. Sophisticated frameworks, succession pipelines, high‑potential programmes and capability models have become standard. Talent is firmly on the agenda, and most organisations understand that a strong pipeline, combined with intentional development, can be game‑changing. Alongside this investment sits a widely held belief: leaders own talent. However, there is …

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The Future of Work: Inclusive Human-AI Teaming

For many organisations, AI is still being treated primarily as a technology project. The conversation is dominated by questions of tools, platforms, automation, productivity and technical skills. Which systems should we adopt? Which workflows can we streamline? Where can we reduce effort? How quickly can we capture efficiency gains? These are all legitimate questions, but …

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Giggle v Tickle: The Shifting Legal Landscape of Female-Only Spaces in Australia

Last week, the full Federal Court of Australia handed down its much-anticipated decision in Giggle v Tickle and, by all measures, it was one of the most consequential discrimination judgments in many years. The factual background was that “Giggle for Girls”, a social networking app created as a women-only platform and its director Sall Grover …

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Cognitive Surrender: The Hidden Risk No One Is Talking About in AI Adoption

Artificial intelligence is changing how we work. And more importantly, it is changing how we think.  Most perspectives about AI focus on productivity: faster outputs, greater scale and increased efficiency. Those gains are real, but beneath the surface, something more significant is happening, and many organisations are only beginning to recognise it.   People are starting to think less, not because they are incapable or disengaged, …

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Return-to-Office Mandates: Recalibrating Work in a Post-Pandemic World

The push to bring employees back into the office has become one of the defining workplace tensions of the post-pandemic era. For many employers, the office represents more than just a physical location—it is a hub for collaboration, culture-building, and oversight. Leaders often argue that in-person environments foster innovation, strengthen team cohesion, and make it easier to …

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AI, Layoffs and the Future of Work: What Organisations Must Do Now

When the Australian technology company Atlassian recently announced layoffs (1600 jobs, 10% of global workforce) as part of a broader restructuring, many employees were reportedly taken by surprise. The company explained that the changes were linked to a strategic shift toward platform efficiency, automation and increased use of artificial intelligence tools. Public statements emphasised productivity …

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Bridging: The Missing Link in Scaling Innovation

A recent Harvard Business Review article, adapted from Genius at Scale (Hill, Tedards & Wild, 2026), examines why scaling innovation has become so difficult inside large organisations. Bridging leaders As complexity increases and technologies such as AI reshape business models, no single function holds all the expertise, authority or legitimacy required to move ideas from …

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International Women’s Day 2026: Are We Measuring the Right Things?

You can’t fix what you refuse to see— James Baldwin On 8 March 2026, the United Nations marks International Women’s Day under the theme: “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.” The focus this year is on enforceable rights, accessible justice, and tangible structural change. It also emphasises inclusion — not progress for some …

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Succession Planning: Think in Moves, Not Lists

Leadership pipelines don’t emerge — they’re engineered. In every global role I’ve held, I’ve visualised succession planning as making moves on a chessboard. You’re constantly thinking a few moves ahead, not just who can step in now, but who might be ready in the next phase of the game. And just like chess, the organisations …

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Privacy Still Matters in the Age of AI and Surveillance

“The right to be left alone is the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilised people.” — Warren and Brandeis, The Right to Privacy (1890) From online shopping to airport security to digital health records, most people now live with a level of monitoring and data collection that would have been unthinkable …

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