Isaac Getz

Tens of thousands of today’s jobs will soon disappear, replaced by new roles tied to AI. To avoid major social and human crises, businesses must act now to rethink the work models of those whose jobs are at risk. One key lesson from past failures in similar transitions is that this rethinking will not happen on its own. I am an AI enthusiast, having explored it first as an engineer and later as a cognitive science researcher. But enthusiasm alone is not enough. If companies continue their top-down approach—outsourcing tech-driven projects to experts without involving the very employees whose work is being disrupted—they are setting themselves up for failure. Unless business leaders reshape their organizational models to actively engage employees—including in the AI-driven transformation of their own roles—this technology is destined to fail for them.

In 2025, millennials and Generation Z represent nearly 75% of the workforce. Yet, they are much less inclined than their elders to join companies or even to stay there. According to 2023 Deloitte survey, 34% of millennials have turned down job offers from employers that did not match their values. Many among them are freelancers, with 35% stating they would never become employees again.

At the risk of compromising their survival, companies are intensifying their efforts to attract and retain these young talents, from improving working conditions to adopting social missions. However, these strategies show their limits. Investing in high benefits and modern work-spaces offers a temporary and non-differentiating solution. Even pursuing a deep social and environmental mission does not guarantee the adherence of the young, who remain skeptical about the real impact of corporate actions.

In this conference, Isaac will reveal and illustrate the key elements of the approach of companies that have chosen to focus above all on trust and self-direction rather than control and subordination, an approach that aligns with the aspirations of younger generations.

“Innovation is a must win battle,” declared one corporate CEO, and his EVP then implemented a process to manage innovation.  However, the battle is still raging—why?  Processes are primordial when people’s roles can be strictly defined, as in supply chain management. But in innovation people come before processes. As Isaac discovered in his work with some of the world’s most innovative companies, their leaders believe in exactly that; hence, instead of directly managing innovation they build an environment in which everyone can take initiative and run with it. In this session, I will reveal and illustrate the key elements of this approach to innovation before detailing the greatest leaders’ lessons in building an environment for innovation and how they can be applied in organizations of all sizes, types, sectors, and geography.

“If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need,” said the first visionary CEO of 3M, William McKnight. Yet, the rigid structure of many companies constitutes exactly these fences, albeit unknowingly. In such companies, when a new opportunity arises or complications loom, employees are unable to take initiatives, despite the fact that many—being on the ground—have real, viable solutions.

Transformational leaders—in companies of all sizes, types, sectors, and geography— have decided to eradicate these fences and build organizations that free people, allowing them to act for the best of the company. Through cases I observed, I will draw lessons on how transformational leadership can build an environment that allows employees and their companies to perform exceptionally, whatever challenging the situations they face are.

“How do you motivate people? You don’t. Man is, by nature, motivated,” wrote the legendary Douglas McGregor. Yet, too often managers assume their employees aren’t competent or willing to do their best. Gallup surveys seem to prove them right: average employee engagement remains low all over the world.

However, some leaders have realized that employees behave as competent and responsible adults—at home. These leaders then resolved to build a workplace in which people’s fundamental psychological needs are met—just like at home—and as a result, their employees have become self-motivated and engaged. This, in turn, has propelled these employees’ and their companies’ performance to the top of their sectors and kept them there throughout both good and bad times. I will illustrates, with personally observed examples, the steps these leaders followed, steps others can draw on to build similar self-motivated and top-performing organizations

All companies strive to achieve high performance, yet high performance eludes most. My research shows that this isn’t paradoxical—it’s logical. What’s more, I have studied over a hundred companies, which did not set out seeking high performance, yet were consistently achieving it. This does sound paradoxical, but there is more. These private and listed, local and international companies, spanning all sectors and continents, drive high performance regardless—enjoying exceptional performance in both fair weather and throughout storms. I will reveal the secrets of how these companies “square this circle” and will share lessons for you to takeaway and use tomorrow to transform your company into a similarly, exceptionally performing business—whatever the future holds.