You may have seen warnings that Google is telling all of its users to change their Gmail passwords due to a breach. Thats only partly true. Google is telling users to change their passwords, but not because of a breach that exposed them. In fact, Googles real advice is to stop using your password altogether. Heres what I mean.
The breach traces back to Salesforce, whose systems were compromised by the hacker group known as ShinyHunters (also tracked as UNC6040). Attackers obtained business-related Gmail data, including contact lists, company associations, and email metadata. No actual Gmail account credentials were stolen, but the nature of the stolen data makes phishing and impersonation attacks far more dangerous.
Google confirmed the link between the Salesforce breach and a rise in targeted phishing campaigns and said attackers are already impersonating Google, IT departments, or trusted vendors to trick people into handing over login information. Some campaigns even involve vishing, or fraudulent phone calls made from spoofed 650-area-code numbers that resemble Googles corporate lines.
Phishing attacks increase
For years, phishing has been one of the most effective tools hackers use to break into accounts. Googles own data shows that phishing and vishing now account for roughly 37% of successful account takeovers across its services. With the data from Salesforce in hand, hackers can customize attacks that look far more authentic than the usual spam message.
Imagine receiving a message that references your actual employer, colleagues, or recent communications. That level of detail raises the likelihood that youll trust the email, click a malicious link, or provide sensitive information. Once credentials are stolen, hackers can bypass additional protections and take over accountssometimes without the victim realizing it until significant damage has been done.
Protect your email password
Look, the most important rule here is that you should literally never give anyone your Gmail password, especially not someone who calls you and purports to be tech support. No matter how convincing it may seem, Google is never ever going to call you and ask you for your login information. Seriously, even if your son calls you to help you with tech support, you should not give him your Gmail password.
Why? Well, because your email is basically the key to everything. In an interview I did last year, Cloudflare CTO John Graham-Cumming explained the problem.
If you do not have a good password on your email, the rest of your life is pretty much wide open, because every single service out there does reset password by sending you an email, says Graham-Cumming. So if I can compromise your email, I can compromise pretty much everything else you have.
Of course, even better than not giving out your password or clicking on links in fake tech-support emails is to stop using passwords altogether on your Gmail account. Google has been encouraging users for years to adopt passkeys instead.
Switch to a passkey
I also spoke with Jeff Shiner last year about passkeys. As the CEO of 1Password, Shiner knows a few things about how people use passwords and why they should be switching to more secure ways of protecting their accounts.
A passkey, from an end user point of view, looks like the biometrics on your device, says Shiner. The cool thing about a passkey is that to the end user, you never have a password for that service. You just use your biometrics, and then a passkey is created. But, from a security point of view, its actually stronger than a passwordeven a strong passwordbecause it cant be phished.
In light of the breach, Google is encouraging Gmail users to change their password. In fact, you should change your password on a regular basis in the event it is ever compromised. But even better is to stop using passwords at all.
Google is also pushing users toward stronger forms of authentication, including passkeys and app-based two-factor authentication (2FA). Unlike SMS codes, which can be intercepted or spoofed, authenticator apps and passkeys make it much harder for hackers to break into accounts even if they trick you into handing over a password.
Googles warning for users
Googles guidance can be summed up in five steps:
Reset your Gmail password regularly. Choose something unique and complex. Do not reuse passwords across accounts.
Turn on two-factor authentication. Preferably, use an authenticator app or a passkey.
Be skeptical of unsolicited messages. If you receive an email or call about account security, go directly to your Google account dashboard instead of clicking links or giving information over the phone.
Use Googles Security Checkup. The tool provides a quick overview of devices, apps, and settings tied to your account.
Stay alert. If something feels offstrange login notifications, unexpected password reset requests, or unusual email activityact quickly by securing your account.
This episode underscores a broader truth about modern cybersecurity: Your accounts are only as safe as the weakest link in the chain. In this case, a breach at Salesforce created risk for Gmail users who had no direct relationship with the company. Even if Googles ow infrastructure remains secure, attackers can exploit data leaked from partners to undermine trust.
With more than 2.5 billion Gmail users, it isnt surprising that the worlds most popular email service would represent one of the most irresistible targets for hackers. Googles latest warning is a reminder that in a world of constant breaches, vigilance is the only reliable defense.
Jason Aten
This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister publication, Inc.
Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
Get laid off with me. So read the closed captions of a recent TikTok post.
My boss just put a 15 minute sink on my calendar, creator @mbraindump said in the now-viral post. I cant believe this is really happening. Getting laid off, okay, here we go. It is a sinking feeling that’s sadly familiar to myriad workers.
In just the past week, thousands have fallen victim to mass layoffs at Amazon, Target, Paramount, CBS, and other large companies. After Amazon laid off 14,000 corporate employees last week, or 4% of its white-collar workforce, a number of workers started cropping up on social media to document their experiences.
The trend of documenting being laid off first emerged post-pandemic and gained traction as mass layoffs hit in 2023 and 2024. Now it is back, as a fresh wave of workers joins the ranks of the unemployed.
Pretty sure Im about to get laid off from my 9-to-5 right now, so come with me to my meeting, one TikTok user posted in late October. The video has over 670,000 views.
Day in my life as a software engineer, except I got laid off before I could finish it, another posted around the same time, which has almost 250,000 views.
Rather than posting a LinkedIn update, being laid off is now lucrative content. On TikTok, the hashtag #layoffs has almost 60,000 videos. Many of these riff off the ubiquitous “Get Ready With Me (GRWM)” genre of content, in which creators showcase their hair, makeup, or outfit while chatting about their inner lives or zeitgeist-y topics. Some, like @mbraindump, go on to turn unemployment into a content series post-layoff.
In an era of mass unemployment, layoffs are no longer seen as an individual failing. Instead, they are an unfortunate fact of life. For many, its not their first rodeo. Some are on their secondor even thirdlayoff in just one year.
Amid the job losses, a new culture around layoffs has emerged. As more layoffs have hit in the past year, the stigma has lifted. Studies have shown that employees are more disengaged than ever, making them more inclined to hold their employers accountable, even on the way out.
@mbraindumps video has received hundreds of comments of support and solidarity since it was posted. “Im so sorry. This sucks. These companies really dont view us as humans. Something has got to change. Sending you a hug!” one person wrote. “Living in this constant state of anxiety at your job is AWFUL. My God, they couldn’t have made this any less humane,” another commented. “Ive dealt with 2 layoffs within 12 months. I am really sorry youre in the club now,” a third commiserated.
Of course, filming and posting workplace meetings to social mediafor former and future employers to seedoes come with some risk. It could give hiring managers pause, or even put severance packages at risk.
And while watching others get laid off online might help destigmatize the process, it certainly doesnt make it any easier when a call with HR gets added to your calendar.
Ann Hummond knew the office software like the back of her hand. Based in Yorkshire, England, she could untangle any spreadsheet snafu in her sleep.
Over the past 23 years, she had worked her way up from a data entry clerk to her finance companys administrative director, quietly becoming the person everyone relied on when things went sideways.
She was, in short, indispensable.
And then, one Tuesday morning last year, during a quarterly team meeting attended by directors, colleagues, and a team leader, her bosswho is nearly 10 years her seniortold her publicly, in a roomful of people: Youre too old to do this job.
I must have looked like a goldfish with my mouth open, says Hummond, whose name and location have been changed for job security reasons.
I felt like I had been hit on the head with a shovel, she says.
Hummond, who speaks about her experience for the U.K.s Age Without Limits campaign to raise awareness of ageism in England, says she didnt break down in the meeting. I didnt want to give him the pleasure of seeing how much he had hurt me, she says.
Instead, she coolly finished her work day, gathered her belongings, and then went home and fell to pieces.
Although she took two weeks off work, quitting at the age of 64 was not an option. I cant afford to give up working. I have lots of responsibilities and a family to support, and I need to build up more savings. She also knows the prospect of finding a new job often collides with the cold reality of age bias, and is still working at the company.
Age discrimination is one of the last accepted prejudicestolerated in jokes, embedded in hiring, and often brushed off as pragmatism rather than bias.
In the U.S., legislation against it has existed since the passage of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act in 1967. Yet, Between 1997 and 2024, the number of age discrimination charges filed with the EEOC exceeded 15,000 in every year except fourthree of which were right after the pandemic, which caused a dip in all employment discrimination litigation, says Nicole Buonocore Porter, law professor at William & Mary Law School.
Research suggests ageism is underreported to begin with.
Jobs, across cultures, are quietly coded by age. Regardless of industry, workers experience age discrimination across their careers: negative stereotypes, discriminatory recruitment processes, being passed over for training opportunities, not being recognized. Some studies suggest a staggering 77 to 93% of older adults report experiences with ageism, and 42% of hiring managers admit they consider age when reviewing résumés.
And most insidious of all: it compounds mentally and emotionally for those experiencing it, to the point where they really do feel like they might be incapable of doing great things at work.
Its illegal, its wrong, and its bad for business, says author, speaker and activist Ashton Applewhite. Older people make up the fastest-growing segment of the workforce, both because they need to work and because they want to.
Everyone, everywhere, is living longer, and everyone is old or future old.
Microaggressions, major consequences
The rules are there, tucked neatly into HR handbooks and federal law. The trouble is, they rarely make it off the page, and holding people answerable is complicated.
Weve made progress in policy awareness, but not in accountability, says Sheila Callaham, cofounder and board chair of Age Equity Alliance. Many policies that would strengthen age protections at work have languished in Congress for years, leaving outdated frameworks in place.
Even when cases do make it to the courtroom, such as 63-year-old James Barrios recent lawsuit against Atmos Energy Corporation and its affiliate, Atmos Energy Services, LLC, there are myriad reasons his case, and many others like it, will probably fail.
Most large employers require workers to agree to binding arbitration, which moves age discrimination claims out of court and into private proceedings, limiting transparency and reducing external enforcement of anti-age-bias rules, Callaham explains.
Another reason may simply be because of how deeply we internalize socially constructed beliefs.
A 2024 study found employees mimic the age discrimination they once experienced themselves, practicing negative observed and learned traits in a self-perpetuating cycle.
Age discrimination varies from other types of discriminationspecifically race or ethnicity discrimination, and perhaps sex discriminationin that most age discrimination is not based on animus, but rather, it is based on stereotypes about declining competence as one ages, explains Porter.
Age discrimination also persists because of the subtle, covert ways it slips into daily life.
Ariane Froidevaux, associate professor of management at the University of Texas, Arlington, cautions research of overt age discrimination can overlook subtle “microinsults.” Seemingly innocuous comments like the once-ubiquitous Okay, Boomer! or Youre pretty tech-savvy for someone your age, she explains, can be insulting.
Froidevauxs recent research about the changes in perceived age discrimination over time followed Swiss employees with the mean age of 42.64 over a six-year period. She examined how workers sensitivity to age discriminaton is shaped by their cognitive frameworks: Those who see the world as fundamentally fair”belief in a just world”appeared to be less sensitive, and less likely to perceive increasing age discrimination at work, she explains.
Surprisingly, some older workers may also perceive decreased age discrimination over timenot necessarily because of a tangible reduction in patterns of behavior, but because, darkly enough, repeated exposure gradually numbs their response and desensitizes them. For instance, an older worker repeatedly passed over for high-profile projects may start to notice it less over time, as bias fades into background noise.
Yet, even when repeated exposure lessens its sting, other research finds that age discrimination still quietly chips away at workers confidence and perceived work abilitymaking it one of the more insidious forms of bias.
Hummond says it poisons even things like sick leave.
My advice is try not to take too much time off for anything, she says. If you’re ill, you’re ill, but I feel judged in a way that youngsters aren’t.”
Nothing personaland everyones next
We know discrimination against older workers has impacts on their well-being, mental health, and motivation. But it reshapes workplace dynamics for others, too.
When exclusion of a certain group is embedded into the work culture, the safety of belonging is threatened, explains Callaham, who calls this the “shadow threat” of ageism.
She coined the term after a 31-year-old tech worker told her that his 38-year-old manager was stockpiling savings in case he was fired for “being too old,” stoking the younger employees own fears of being next. Collectively, this spawns a frenzied attitudeyoure never too young to start running out of time.
What we can do
Research suggests age diversity statements have a positive impact, while Applewhite makes a case for blind interviews.
Many orchestras use blind auditions, where musicians perform behind a screen, in order to diversify their ranks. How about replicating this in business practice? Conducting virtual interviews with the camera off?
Callaham adds debunking age stereotypes starts with awareness, which can in turn increase accountability. When organizations talk openly about how age bias shows up, theyre better able to build systems, habits, and expectations that make inclusion real, she says.
Managers and HR professionals can do a lot to prevent age discrimination at work by modeling and adopting an age-inclusive culture, says Froidevaux.
In Hummonds case, she was (and still is) the person the office turns to for her technical prowess and knowledge of the company, but things have turned pretty sour.
Over the past year, her responsibilities have been reduced and flexible work arrangements withdrawn.
I dont feel trusted, she says, Ill knock on a door and hear the conversation stop.
For her colleagues, too, the atmosphere in the office is different, more guarded: You go in on a Monday and nobodys talking. With its innate universality, few realize how toxic age discrimination can make workplaces, with everyone wondering Whos next?
Hummond keeps working, still indispensable, still sidelined.
Im working down to retirement, but its not fun anymore, she says.
If one founder is good, then more must be better, right? Not necessarily. New research shows that the benefits of cofounding a startup with strangers can be eclipsed by the risks.
Yes, cofounders can bring their own perspectives, along with access to wider networks, greater capacity, and access to funding, says Monique Boddington, a management practice associate professor at the University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School, whose research includes early-stage venture formation and startup strategy development.
And yet: An increasing number of individuals have been setting up businesses with no intention of taking on employees, she explains.
Thats because more people are identifying as solo entrepreneurssolopreneurs”since the pandemic, Boddington adds. And while the distinction between self-employed, freelancer, and solopreneur is still murky, the way to spot [solopreneurs] is whether their venture pursues novelty and scalable opportunity or mainly income replacement or replication, she says. For those running startups, many such workers are choosing to go it completely alone.
In 2022, 84% of all U.S. firms had no employees, meaning there was just the one person running the business. These 29.8 million “nonemployer businesses” accounted for $1.7 trillion, or about 6.8% of the economy. And the momentum hasnt slowed; in 2023, Americans filed over 5.5 million new business applications, and Gustos 2025 New Business Formation survey suggests more than 4 in 5 small businesses in the U.S. have no employees.
Why people do it
According to the same Gusto survey, over 50% of solopreneurs cite career autonomybeing ones own boss”as the reason for adopting a lone wolf, owner-only business model.
Many, like growth marketing consultant and content creator Kevin Fernando, do so because of the unmatched freedom it affords them. Fernando, who is the founder of Solopreneur Digital, where he helps entrepreneurs and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies grow, says that you get to move quickly, make decisions that align with your vision, and build something thats fully your own.
Of course, going solo, and starting a venture with no cofounder or employees, doesnt come without its challenges.
The flexibility and autonomy of being your own boss often come with the vulnerability of being on your own, says Filip Majetiæ, sociologist and senior researcher at the Ivo Pilar Institute in Croatia. While strong social support from family and friends can improve solopreneurs overall mental and physical health, he explains, this support does not buffer specific stress-related health problems such as exhaustion and headaches.
Like many others, Fernando finds everything falls on him, and the constant context switching can be draining.
When youre a solopreneur, youre not just the strategist. Youre the marketer, customer support, designer, and operations managerall rolled into one. You have to be self-motivated and resilient because theres no one else, he says. Thats especially the case if youre not sharing responsibilities with a cofounder in your ventures early days.
But new research posits that this may be a good thing.
Stranger danger
Conventional wisdom would suggest that bringing on a cofounder with a vastly different network from your own leads to more potential funds, as the chances of overlap in who you know would be lower. While that may be true, an analysis of over 3,500 Kickstarter campaigns in a study titled, “The ‘Devil’ You Don’t Know,” reveals that new ventures that include strangers on the team are less than half as likely to deliver the product or service they pitched, and almost twice as likely to cease operations.
Studies challenging beliefs that resilience is universally beneficial to entrepreneurial teams are gaining traction, suggesting the very advantages that seem so compelling on paper can also introduce frictionmaking teams less reflexive, slowing decision-making, and complicating execution.
While having people with diverse skills and experience on a founding team has significant benefits, their ability to work together effectively is just as important, explains Kimberly A. Eddleston, the Schulze Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship and Montoni Research Fellow at the DAmore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University. They need to be compatible, trustworthy, and able to communicate.
Its one of businesss oldest truths: If you work with the right people, everything else falls into place. The problem? Nailing the people part of the equation is really hard.
The limitations of going it alone
Solopreneurship can be a great starting point to get an idea off the ground. A single person can bootstrap with greater resource efficiency, greater control, rapid iteration, and hire-in capabilities, Boddington says. But to scale, she explains, a team is critical.
Founding teams are also more likely to attract funding in the first place, and the Kickstarter research revealed that teams comprised of strangers garnered more crowdfunding backers because they served as novel bridges to resources.
Crucially, operational struggles (such as coordination breakdowns, delays in delivering promised products or services, differing work styles leading to relational uncertainty, misalignment of vision and goals, and potential early stage dissolution) appeared in teams with strangers in the boardroom, not businesses bound by strong family or friendship ties.
Not all cofounders are a liability, Eddleston says. In ventures with family, for example, team members can rally quickly in a crisis, and [they] have a ‘survival’ advantage because family members are willing to work for below-market wages, and even for free, to keep their business float, she says.
Still, entrepreneurs can thrive totally alone, without a cofounder or a team.
With AI revolution, the next wave of entrepreneurship wont be about bigger teams, but smarter individualsAI-powered solopreneurs who turn technology into their growth partner, says Areti Gkypali, an assistant professor at Athens University of Economics and Business in Greece.
The strategy has worked well for Fernando. By automating repetitive tasks and building systems to handle things like client communications, lead generation, and content distribution, hes shaved 20 to 25 hours off his workweek, freeing him to focus on strategic priorities.
Ultimately, for anyone eyeing a new startup, its worth being strategic about who, if anyone, to partner with. As Fernando says: Its a lifestyle that rewards focus and leverage more than raw effort.
If its one thing that can consistently break the internet, its pets.
Take Pancho the diva: The 1-year-old English cream mini dachshund started his career early in the fame-hungry world of LA, and is now a celebrity with 148,000 followers on Instagram.
We created this personality of this dog that is a diva and a brat who loves the lavish, luxury lifestylebut his poor little parents cant afford it, says his owner, Felix Levine, entrepreneur and host of the popular podcast Unlike Me. He and Serena Kerrigan, founder of the dating game Lets F**ing Date, are seasoned content creators, so when friends joked about giving their new dog an online persona, the idea stuck.
We thought maybe a Dear Diary, I hate my parents vibe, Felix recalls.
The content quickly evolved into vlogs with AI-powered voice-overs, where Pancho shared his spoiled rants at his parents. And the idea gained momentum: from Central Park to a European summer, Panchos following snowballedgaining 30,000 followers in just two weeks.
Brands took notice. Panchos first deal was with Five Below, followed by partnerships with Pet Life Unlimited, Target, Amazon, and even Kiehls. (Yes, the skincare giant now has a dog line). From toys to gourmet snacks and premium grooming, each partnership was endorsed with his signature diva flair.
Serena Kerrigan and Pancho [Photo: Courtesy of Felix Levine]
The pups collabs don’t scream ‘ads’, and thats precisely why it works. In the last month alone, his posts reached 24 million viewers and drew over 9 million engagements, a rate many of his fellow human influencers would feel a twinge of envy for. With affiliate links, brand partnerships, and his own storefront, Pancho has a mini-media empireand hes only turning one.
Levine and Kerrigan declined to disclose exactly how much revenue Pancho has generated, but confirm its in the six figures.
The “petfluencer” trend isn’t new. But it’s just as profitable as ever.
Charming, and delivers results
A study published earlier this year in The Journal of Advertising Research found that pet influencers outperform human influencers, particularly since theyre seen as more sincere and trustworthy than their human counterparts, who are often met with skepticism due to perceived commercial motives.
Social media endorsements from petfluencers have been shown to generate stronger consumer responses, including higher engagement and greater willingness to pay.
Pancho [Photo: Courtesy of Felix Levine]
Lead researcher Dr. Laura Lavertu, a lecturer in marketing at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, echoes this idea: Petfluencers offer distinct advantages compared to human social media influencers. While human influencers often persuade through relatability or aspiration, petfluencers are seen as more genuine. They have no hidden agenda, no baggage, no scandals.
The study also noted that as the number of sponsored posts by human influencers rises, their perceived sincerity declinesa phenomenon researchers call influencer fatigue, which in turn makes pets a more credible alternative. (The more fur or legs you have, the more credible you are, apparently.)
Some have even become household names: As reported by Forbes, TikTok user @princesshoneybellex, a big-shot Australian cat influencer, earned $74,148 in 2023 alone, surpassing the U.S. average salary.
Could your pet create a cash flow?
Our four-legged friends offer brands countless opportunities in the pet care market, which is anticipated to reach over $427.75 billion by 2032.
And its not just pet-focused companies cashing inlarger brands like Dyson are tapping into the rise of petfluencers, partnering with celebrity pups to extend their reach in a way that resonates directly with pet owners.
In today’s oversaturated media landscape, where ads are swarming from every corner, partnering with a celeb pet might be your smartest marketing move.
As noted by The Journal of Advertising Research, people follow and engage with petfluencers for the joy and entertainment that they bring, and are, overall, universally loved given their ability to communicate with diverse audiences and transcend cultural differences.
When Pancho first came home weighing just a pound and a half, his owners thought they were getting a dog. As it turns out, hes now running his own business, landing brand dealseen managing his own intern to keep up with his demanding schedule.
Leaders learn to say things with confidence. You may assume that people will be more prone to listen to you when you speak forcefully and with a sense of belief. Despite your best efforts, though, youre going to say something incorrect every now and again. You might get out ahead of a story only to find out that things were not as they seemed initially. You might just have your facts wrong.
Regardless of why you erred, you still have to be willing to admit that you were wrong.
Happily, there is an easy way to do this, though you may find it hard to do at first.
You have to admit you were wrong. Yup. Thats right. You just have to come out and say it. There is a simple formula for admitting you were wrong.
Do it right away
Let everyone know as soon as possible after you find out that you said something that was not correct. Dont sit on the error for days. It is best if everyone hears it from you rather than having someone else discover the mistake first and make your admission feel like a reaction.
Of course, if someone else does point out that what you said was incorrect, you should verify that they are correct and then immediately thank them for providing the feedback. You might even credit them in your statement
After all, you want the people who work for you and with you to own their mistakes. The best way to demonstrate that you value corrections is to issue your own quickly. In addition, by thanking people who pointed out errors, you encourage others to step forward with errors they notice as well. That helps to keep the organization functioning with good knowledge.
Use simple declarative sentences
There is some embarrassment that can come along with making mistakesparticularly when youre new to leadership. You may think that leaders need to be infallible. As a result, you may not want to put a dent in your reputation by saying that you were wrong.
To cover for this embarrassment, you may use tortured sentences to avoid owning the error. You may resort to the passive voice (Mistakes were made . . .) or use lots of qualifiers (When speaking about the upcoming sales meeting, I inadvertently left out . . .) or cast blame elsewhere (Sadly, when I spoke, I was relying on . . .)
It turns out that great leaders dont need an air of infallibility, they need to project transparency. You create trust by being honest, not by being right all the time. Simply saying something like, Recently, I told you X. Actually, Y is true, is incredibly effective. And, again, speaking in this way encourages other members of your team to come forward and admit when they have said something wrong.
Do a postmortem
Of course, just because you admit when youre wrong doesnt mean that it is good to be wrong. Youd like to minimize the number of times that you have to walk back something you said.
It is important to figure out why you ended up making a statement that was not true. Perhaps you spoke too quickly without verifying information. Perhaps you relied on sources that did not have the full story. Perhaps you made intuitive leaps that led you astray.
If you have trouble figuring out how you might have gone wrong, consider talking to a colleague or mentor about the situation and walking through it with them. You might find that just talking it through helps you to figure out where you went wrong. And their expertise may bring to light problems with your process that led to you saying something wrong.
When mentoring some of your direct reports, you might even want to refer to the errors in your own judgment that you discover. That way, you can help the people working for you to make a different set of mistakes rather than having to repeat yours to learn for themselves.
We are living in turbulent times and there is no reason to expect that things will become less so in the future. During such moments our emotions become strained and pushed to their limits. Stress increases as emotions are stretched, making it increasingly important that we are able to recognize the effects of it in ourselves as well as others in our environment.
[Image: Dexterity Books]
Becoming acutely aware of ourselves and others we are interacting with in this type of environment is paramount to building healthy relationships in the workplace and all areas of our lives. In my book, Emotional Intelligence Game Changers, I delve into how to navigate difficult times. Here are four ways emotional intelligence can help you navigate turbulent times.
1. Manage triggers
During crisis situations, heightened emotional self-awareness allows us to recognize our triggers. Rather than reacting from our emotions, this allows us to pause, take time out, and respond after we have allowed our emotions to settle down and think things through from a rational perspective. This helps us make reasoned decisions, rather than acting impulsively from our emotions.
2. Sustain relationships
Turbulent times can cause relationships to become strained as everyone feels increased pressure. If this is left unchecked, relationships that would normally stay positive could become fractured. To prevent this, we need to become more empathic and actively listen to others. Emotionally intelligent people have learned to use these tools to help overcome misunderstandings, build support networks, and develop a sense of collaboration and community around them.
3. Build coping strategies
It is hardly surprising that turbulent times cause our stress levels to elevate to new highs. Emotionally intelligent people have developed coping strategies that help them thrive, even during times of unusually high stress. For example, they are aware of and continually practice asking for help, mindfulness, openness, and strategic vulnerability. Modeling these habits helps others they are involved with build their own coping strategies.
4. Deescalate conflict
Conflicts, which are a constant in normal times, will spiral during troubled times, both in intensity and frequency. This requires increased empathy and the ability to listen to and get to know others on a deeper, more personal level. Emotional intelligence allows us to go beyond surface biases and stereotypes as it allows for more curiosity in our interactions with others.
Instead of jumping to judgement and conclusions, it allows us to dig deeper to find out what the other person is going through during this time. Instead of reacting, emotional intelligence allows us to ask relevant questions that will help lower defenses and find out more about what motivates and drives others. Being able to form connections at a deeper level allows us to gain a much better understanding of what motivates and drives them. Even though we may not agree with them, this sets up the basis for a much healthier relationship with them.
As the founder, chair, and CEO of the Exceptional Women Alliance, I am fortunate to be surrounded by extraordinary female business leaders. Our purpose is to empower each other through peer mentorship that provides personal and professional fulfillment within this unique sisterhood.
This month, Im pleased to introduce Sammie Dabbs. Sammie is passionate about building and scaling high-performing commercial organizations. As chief commercial officer, she oversees revenue strategy, sales, and marketing alignmentdriving growth through a combination of operational rigor and customer-centric innovation. With a proven track record of leading teams, entering new markets, and unlocking sustainable revenue, Sammie brings a front-line perspective on how companies can thrive in an increasingly competitive and complex business landscape.
Q: As a chief commercial officer, how do you define your core mandate?
Dabbs: My mandate is to be the architect of growth. That means aligning sales, marketing, customer success, and revenue operations into one unified strategy. I dont see these as separate functionstheyre different parts of the same engine. My job is to ensure that engine runs smoothly, efficiently, and with clear direction. Ultimately, a CCO has to deliver consistent revenue performance, but the path there requires strategy, executional discipline, and a relentless focus on the customer.
Q: Why is sales and marketing alignment such a challenge for many organizations?
Dabbs: Sales and marketing often grow up in silosdifferent metrics, different budgets, different perspectives. Marketing says, We delivered leads. Sales says, Those leads arent qualified. Its a cycle of finger-pointing that hurts the business. Alignment requires shared ownership of pipeline, shared KPIs, and constant communication. In my role, I set a single commercial target, so everyone is working toward the same number. When sales and marketing win together, the customer feels it.
Q: What have you found to be the biggest barrier to growth?
Dabbs: Complexity. Companies layer on too many tools, too many initiatives, too many prioritiesand in the process, they lose focus. The real barrier isnt the market; its internal misalignment. Ive seen teams hit their stride when we strip away the noise, focus on ideal customers, and empower reps with clear messaging and support. Simplicity and executional discipline will beat complexity every time.
Q: Whats your approach to leading a commercial team?
Dabbs: I believe in clarity and accountability. Teams need to know the strategy, their role in it, and how success will be measured. Then its about coaching for execution and celebrating wins along the way. Im very data-driven, but data is only useful if it drives action. I set targets, track outcomes, and make adjustments in real time. At the same time, I want teams to feel empowered to bring forward ideas from the fieldwe learn the most from our customers.
Q: How do you think about the role of marketing in driving revenue?
Dabbs: Marketing is no longer just a brand functionits a revenue driver. A strong marketing team generates demand, accelerates pipeline, and positions sales to succeed. But that only happens when marketing is tied directly to commercial strategy and accountable for pipeline contribution alongside sales. When marketing owns revenue, they create campaigns that resonate with buyers, not just campaigns that look good on paper.
Q: Technology is changing the commercial function rapidly. Whats your philosophy on tools like AI and automation?
Dabbs: Technology is essential, but its not the strategyits the amplifier. AI and automation can make sales and marketing faster and smarter, but they dont replace human judgment or relationships. My philosophy is: Get the fundamentals right first. If you dont have clear positioning, a disciplined process, and strong teams, no tool will save you. But if you do, then technology allows you to scale, personalize, and optimize in powerful ways.
Q: Can you share an example of a commercial pivot that made a major impact?
Dabbs: One example is when we restructured our go-to-market model to focus on fewer, higher-value customer segments. Instead of spreading resources thin across too many markets, we doubled down on accounts where we could deliver outsized value. That shift required marketing to retool messaging and sales to change their targeting, but the results were dramatichigher win rates, shorter sales cycles, and better customer retention. Sometimes growth is about addition, but more often its about focus.
Q: If you had to give one piece of advice to other executives leading commercial teams, what would it be?
Dabbs: Treat growth as a company-wide responsibility, not just a sales number. Every functionproduct, finance, operationscontributes to the customer experience. As CCOs, we have to be the integrators, making sure the entire business is aligned around delivering value to customers. When you break down silos and build a culture of accountability, growth becomes sustainable.
Larraine Segil is founder, chair, and CEO of The Exceptional Women Alliance.
Many organizations are racing to build AI strategies, but too often they focus on adopting the latest tech, rather than creating the environment to support it. The reality is that lasting transformation is fueled by people, which requires companies to take a good look at their culture.
At Architech, thats exactly what we did. By prioritizing and rewarding innovation, we aligned our culture with our AI strategyand it worked. This year, we are proud to be recognized as one of Fast Companys Most Innovative Workplaces. We are one of 10 companies globally recognized by Fast Company for excellence in AI, automation, and machine learning.
Heres how we built an award-winning culture.
MAKE INNOVATION REPEATABLE
Innovation comes from people. At Architech, we operationalized that idea by creating an Innovation Lab, a dedicated R&D space where curiosity thrives and exceptional geeks are celebrated as heroes.
Backed by a 10% reinvestment of revenue, our Innovation Lab provides the time and tools to tackle real problems. One of our standout successes: an intelligent collections application that earned a spotlight in Microsofts AI Lunch and Learn series. Infrastructure and investment create a foundation for continuous innovation, enabling organizations to tackle its top priorities.
INNOVATION THRIVES WHEN EVERYONE PARTICIPATES
We launched a company-wide AI Innovation Challenge in September, 2024 inviting every employee to identify their own workplace challenge to solve and to tackle organizational inefficiencies using AI.
Over three months, cross-functional teams reimagined workflows and built automation tools that reduced friction, accelerated delivery, and inspired new client offerings. The challenge sparked experimentation and breakthroughs from the bottom-up. Among the most impactful was an automated quality assurance testing system that improved consistency and freed our teams to focus on creativity. We celebrated winning ideas at the town hall and they became a badge of honor for employees. We continue to spotlight the most creative employee-led breakthroughs with a monthly AI Innovation Award.
Innovation happens when people are given the tools, trust, and time to experiment.
LEARNING FUELS INNOVATION
With AI knowledge scarce across tech companies, upskilling and mentorship have become the real differentiators.
At Architech, internal knowledge-sharing sets the pace: We offer project showcases, AI Bytes Learning Series, and real-time experimentation to create a culture of continuous growth.
We launched Elevate, a four-week technical bootcamp for interns led by Architech experts in product, design, data, AI, and engineering. Mentees solve real business challenges using cutting-edge tools and are encouraged to explore what inspired them the most. One finalist team built an AI-powered customer support platform and graduated knowing the AI fundamentals, and with the confidence for the next step in their tech careers.
Today, our internal expertise in emerging technologies is pushing us further than external experts ever could. Our mentors are emerging as leaders, armed with new courage and bold ideas. We endeavor to empower our people and build a culture where learning drives innovation forward and grows innovators from within.
EMBED INNOVATION INTO CULTURE
We also created an AI Incubator to drive technology forward and a Responsible AI Governance Committee to ensure guardrails are in place to safeguard our company and clients.
Nearly 50% of our workforce participates in the incubator, with active workstreams exploring real-world applications of AI: code review, test automation, developer productivity, and data enablement.
AI experimentation is embedded into the daily flow of work on all our teams, from engineering to operations. Our CEO hosts training sessions, leads open discussions, and reinforces the expectation that everyone experiments with AI, every day.
This is what transformation looks like: Its fueled by inspiration, grounded in discipline, and powered by people.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Theres no app for transformation. Theres something better: culture. Thats what powers our AI strategy and our people are leading the way.
To transform your AI strategy into culture, make it:
Inclusive: Invite every employee to contribute and celebrate progress.
A habit: Bring change into the daily rhythm of work.
A growth engine: Teach, mentor, and invest in skills development across the organization.
Repeatable: Build systems that last.
If your people arent part of your AI strategy, you dont have one.
Lara Shewchuk is COO and CFO of Architech.
Artist Edel Rodriguez is famous for his satirical images of Donald Trump. Since 2016, hes produced dozens of images of the president in an ultra-simple, pop-art style. But for Rodriguezs new cover of The New Yorker commemorating Zohran Mamdanis victory in the New York City mayoral race, he threw that signature look out the window.
The illustration, which will run on the November 17 issue of The New Yorker, shows Mamdani smiling broadly as he holds onto the handrail on an M train headed to Queens. Around him, New Yorkers of all walks of lifeincluding a young woman with a dog in her bag, a child with her mother, and an elderly gentleman in a fedorajostle to board and deboard the car. The whole picture is made in expressive, sketch-like lines and depicted in toasty hues of brown and rust orange. It has a hand-drawn, humanistic quality that none of Rodriguezs illustrations of Trump possess.
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With the Trump stuff, I wanted to create imagery that was so visually basic and a bit dumbfor it to not have any gesture, or line, or anything soft, he says. The images are meant to be a bit like traffic signs: all symbols and conceptual shapes, intended to get the viewer to pay attention, but not to attract real visual interest. I actually want you to be repelled by it, he says.
Looking beyond Trump
During Trumps first term in office, Rodriguez published over 125 satirical illustrations and 25 magazine covers depicting the president as everything from a massive wrecking ball to a flaming trash can, always in a bright orange hue and typically with an angry-looking, wide-open mouth.
As an immigrant born in authoritarian Cuba, Rodriguezs personal history is deeply tied to his work. Back in 2018, he compared Trumps rhetoric to that of Fidel Castros. At that time, he saw his satirical Trump art as a warning of what was to come. Now, he says, those warnings have come to fruition.
The frustration with the second Trump term is, like, I already warned you everything I could warn you about and you still voted for this guy, Rodriguez says. You’re Latino, and you still voted for this guy. What can I do now? I’m able to find a few ways to tell the story in a different manner, but the purpose of it is different in the second term.
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Most recently, Rodriguez created an image of Trump using the Burger King logo that reads No King, an image that was widely used throughout the national “No Kings” protests. But while hes continuing to work on imagery of the president, hes now looking to branch out into other projects that center on less negativity, he says. When The New Yorker selected him to illustrate its cover of Mamdani, he saw it as an opportunity to work on something more uplifting.
The difference is night and day. I mean, it’s so much more enjoyable, Rodriguez says. When you have an opportunity to do something more positive, it feels good. What I like about [Mayor Mamdani] is that it’s positive, but it doesn’t feel like propaganda. It is just showing a scene. I don’t generally like to do anything that says, Vote for this guy.
What makes Zohran Mamdani different
Like many of Mamdanis supporters, Rodriguez first learned about Mamdani through his social media content. Mamdanis campaign team posted videos of him walking through New York City, speaking casually to viewers about his vision for an affordable NYC for all. In one series of videos, Mamdani tried to pitch himself to all New Yorkers by speaking in fluent Bangla and Urdu, as well as in Spanish, a language that hes still working on. Rodriguez was struck by Mamdanis willingness to leave clips of his own Spanish-speaking errors in the final videoa move that, he says, was a rare choice from a politician that showed Mamdani is fallible, and not perfect.
What’s made him so popular is that he’s very relatable in many ways, Rodriguez says. I think it was that idea of just riding the subway with everyone else and not taking an Uber or a black car around town, or the way he just showed up in bodegas and would do a little video.
The week before the mayoral election, that idea of Mamdani as a regular New Yorker inspired Rodriguez to reach out to The New Yorkers longtime art editor, Françoise Mouly, with a few sketches for a potential cover. Having worked with Mouly in the past, Rodriguez says he occasionally sends her ideas “as they pop into my head,” to get her feedback and workshop together.
His rough sketch first ideas included images of Mamdani subway surfing with the New York City skyline behind him; driving a cab across different boroughs; conducting the M train; and riding inside the M train as a passenger. Mouly, and The New Yorkers editor-in-chief David Remnick, liked the last concept the best.
I have been talking to artists about the mayoral election for a while, Mouly says. Of course it’s a good topic for The New Yorker. Last week, Edel sent a flurry of sketches, anticipating a victory by Mamdani. All of Edel’s ideas showed Mamdani connecting with people everywhere in the five boroughs. The most succinct way to show that was the idea we went with: simply showing him with his bright and winning smile in the melting pot of the subway.
With Moulys final approval, Rodriguez had less than a day to finalize his illustration ahead of the November 4 election. While Rodriguez lives in New Jersey with his wife today, he previously lived in Brooklyn while attending Pratt Institute and later while serving as an art director at Time magazine. During that era, Rodriguez was a frequent subway riderand, like most art students, had often used the commute to sketch fellow passengers. He used those memories of fellow subway passengers to fill out the scene around Mamdani.
If you’ve ridden the subway, that’s how it is, Rodriguez says. It’s always like, the girl with the bag and the little puppy, and maybe a punk rock kid, and maybe a Hasidic Jew, and then a mom with a kid, and a guy in a hoodie. Whatever character popped into my head as I was drawing, that’s what I drew, pretty much until I filled the page. I probably could have drawn 20 more characters.
Ultimately, Rodriguezs work captures a quality Mamdani has managed to convey that most politicians cant even come close to: relatability.
Weve all been on the trainits totally packed, its not pleasant, he says. But if your politician or your mayor is there with you, it just makes him more relatable. I wouldn’t show Andrew Cuomo or Trump that way.
