When your top talent leaves, seek to understand why

Generative AI is transforming the role of CEOs by not only providing data but also delivering decisions, which risks reducing leadership to mere process management and creating ethical challenges, writes Winston Thomas. Keep yourself relevant as a leader by learning to blend AI insights with your intuition and experience and creating a culture that leverages the power of AI without losing human creativity, Thomas notes.

Put it into practice: If you can learn to blend AI insights with human intuition effectively, you will thrive as a leader over those who rely solely on AI or resist its integration, Thomas writes. "The winners will be those who understand that GenAI is not just a tool but a fundamental shift in how leadership operates."

When a top performer on your team turns in their resignation, it's vital to understand why, writes Purpose Linked Consulting CEO Alaina Love, who suggests seeking honest feedback to uncover cultural or other issues that led to the decision to head off further losses and improve retention. Always respond with grace to team departures and seek to maintain the relationship should you get the chance to rehire them or work with them again, Love advises.

Put it into practice: Superstar team members take a wealth of knowledge with them when they leave, so create a plan now to fill in that gap before they walk out the door, Love recommends. "Begin by asking them: What have you learned or become best at doing since joining us that we need to find a way to replicate?"

Gratitude in the workplace is more than just polite gestures; it builds a culture where employees feel valued and motivated, write Karin Hurt and David Dye, who recommend making gratitude a daily habit and giving team members specific and meaningful thanks for a job well done. "It's not just about making people feel good -- it's about creating a culture where people feel seen, respected, and motivated to give their best," they write.

Put it into practice: Encourage your team members to express gratitude to one another by acknowledging each other's contributions, which can foster a cycle of collaboration and appreciation, Hurt and Dye write. "When people feel appreciated and valued, they're more likely to go the extra mile to help their teammates."

Good CEOs surround themselves with people they can trust, develop emotional intelligence, listen to employees, customers and stakeholders and look out for the mental health of their workers, says AXIS CEO Vince Tizzio. "It's imperative that all of us who have the privilege of leading companies find and embrace deeper ways to help our employees bring their most authentic and consistent selves to work," Tizzio says.

Sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows is a Thanksgiving staple, but the combination has a fascinating history. Marshmallows originated from the marsh mallow plant, used for medicinal purposes by ancient Egyptians, and the combination of sweet potatoes and marshmallows was notably popularized by a 1917 pamphlet from the Angelus Marshmallow Company, although recipes featuring the pairing date back even earlier, said Beth Forrest, Ph.D., food historian and professor of liberal arts and food studies at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y.

ALDI has achieved more EPA GreenChill platinum-level certifications than any other US grocery retailer for the third consecutive year and plans to transition to natural refrigerants within a decade, trial heating systems that eliminate the use of fossil fuels, install solar panel on rooftops wherever financially viable and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. "Equally focusing on all of these areas is essential to fueling our ambition to become the most sustainable grocer in the country and to make sustainability affordable and accessible for all," said Josiah McClellan, director of sustainability for ALDI US.

As Thanksgiving approaches, let's get our gratitude on. Karin Hurt and David Dye outline ways to bring gratitude into the office through peer recognition, saying "Thank you" in an authentic way, practicing being grateful every day and sharing that gratitude.

So, let's share some gratitude. I'm grateful for my family, my job, my home, a spouse who loves and supports me and friends who gather at this time of the year (and throughout the year, of course). I'm grateful for my dog, Pax, and my three cats, Rumi, Priya and Bryan. I'm thankful for coffee, a comfy couch and a warm bed. I'm grateful that I have the chance to bring you this newsletter every weekday, and I am incredibly thankful for those who take a moment to let me know that they enjoy the brief (and I'm even grateful for those who write in with constructive criticism). Thank you for allowing me to visit with you each weekday.

Your turn! What are you grateful for this season? Email me and let me know!

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