In 2019, a midsized company used a familiar tool: the classic 2×2 scenario matrix. They mapped two axes of uncertainty: economic stability and technological innovation. From that, they built four polished narratives of the future. At the time, it felt rigorous and strategic.
Then everything changed.
Generative AI erupted into public consciousness. With the release of GPT-3 and a cascade of tools that followed, a technological tidal wave reshaped industries, workflows, and public discourse. Billions of AI-generated images, voices, and texts flooded the digital world.
At the same time, resistance grew. Workers voiced concerns about job displacement, regulators scrambled to keep pace, and the public began questioning the speed and direction of changes ahead.
Not one of the companys four boxes accounted for this kind of multidimensional disruption.
The Future Didnt Fall Into One of Four Boxes
Why did their scenarios fall short? Because the 2×2 model, and much of traditional scenario planning, was designed for a more linear, less entangled world. It reduces complex systems into binary trade-offs and often fails to consider the social, emotional, and symbolic forces that drive real transformation.
Todays world is shaped by what we call SuperShifts, nine deep, structural transformations that are changing how we live, learn, and work. These include forces such as IntelliFusion, where human and artificial intelligence merge; Techceleration, where technology evolves faster than regulation or adaptation; and Reality Remix, where the physical and digital worlds merge.
These are not isolated trends. They are interconnected systemic changes that defy prediction and demand a more sophisticated strategic response.
In a world of SuperShifts, planning for the most probable future is no longer enough. We need approaches that embrace complexity, expand foresight, and prepare us for disruptions that do not fit neatly into grids or quadrants.
The Problem: Classic Scenarios in a Complex World
Traditional scenario planning emerged in an era that felt more stable and linear. The 2×2 model simplifies uncertainty by forcing it into four tidy boxes. For a long time, that structure helped organizations think beyond the status quo. But in todays world, it misses the mark.
Leaders now face overlapping disruptions in climate, technology, society, and geopolitics. These arent isolated variables; they are interconnected forces that influence and accelerate one another. Trying to capture this level of complexity within a binary framework reduces rich dynamics into simplistic either-or choices. The result? Shallow narratives that feel disconnected from reality.
SuperShifts expose the limits of these old tools. Consider the rise of decentralized governance, AI-human collaboration, or the fragmentation of global systems. These are not subtle evolutions; they are foundational shifts that rewrite the rules of society, economics, and identity. No quadrant can contain that.
In a world shaped by systems thinking, nonlinear change, and emotional complexity, traditional scenario methods often flatten what needs to be multidimensional. They strip away nuance, ignore lived experience, and fail to account for emerging tensions that matter most.
We need scenario tools that reflect the world we are in now: fast-moving, emotionally charged, and shaped by forces that dont sit still.
Enter the Spectrum Foresight Framework
Instead of jumping straight into scenarios, Spectrum Foresight Framework begins with what we call Spectrum Shaping, vivid, layered vignettes of possible futures. These arent just speculative stories. They are grounded in Spectrum Layer Analysis (SLA), a seven-layer method that brings emotional, systemic, and symbolic depth to each imagined world.
Each Spectrum Shaping is a microcosm, a lived moment in a future shaped by shifts that are already underway. They reflect not just what happens, but how it feels, who it impacts, and what tensions emerge.
For example, a Spectrum Shaping built around the rise of AI in mental health might feature:
Headlines about virtual therapists replacing human counselors.
Systemic drivers, such as underfunded healthcare or surges in AI investment.
Power struggles between tech firms and clinical boards.
Emotional responses range from relief to existential dread.
Cultural narratives about vulnerability and machine empathy.
Going Deeper: Spectrum Layer Analysis
Within the Spectrum Shaping stage, it utilizes Spectrum Layer Analysis to uncover the layered forces that shape how futures are experienced, not just predicted.
SLA is the deep-structure engine behind immersive futures. Rather than crafting flat narratives based on trends, SLA challenges foresight teams to analyze each Spectrum Scene across seven interlocking layers, from observable events to unconscious cultural metaphors. These layers create the world-building scaffolding that turns weak signals into richly textured future scenes.
SLA moves foresight from descriptive to dimensional. It moves beyond surface speculation to construct futures that account for identity, power, emotional context, and systemic drivers. And these layers can fall into seven categories:
Surface Events and Discourse: Observable signals like headlines, memes, or emerging technologies
Structures and Systemic Drivers: Institutional, technological, or infrastructural dynamics beneath the surface
Power and Agency: Who holds power, who is excluded, and how agency is negotiated
Cultural and Psychological Frames: Collective mindsets, fears, values, and assumptions
Conflicts and Tensions: Fractures, resistance, and ideological friction
Narratives and Beliefs: Deep-rooted stories that guide behavior and justify decisions
Archetypes and Deep Metaphors: The symbolic frameworks and recurring motifs that shape perception
By scanning each layer in tandem, organizations can trace how a surface trend, such as AI regulation, may be driven not just by policy shifts but also by deeper stories of control, freedom, fear, and trust. This layered analysis reveals not only what might happen but also why and how it could unfold differently across cultures, industries, or generations.
Making business strategy more flexible
SLA ensures youre not just reacting to whats visible. It helps you understand why shifts are occurring and how they might evolve differently across cultures, markets, or generations. It bridges foresight and strategy, anchoring each insight in emotional, symbolic, and structural realities.
SLA makes strategy stretchable, robust acros multiple futures, yet flexible when the unexpected hits. Its the world-building tool that prepares Spectrum Shaping for their next evolution: full-fledged Spectrum Scenarios.
Why you should look at business scenarios with layers
Spectrum Scenarios are not just upgraded narratives: theyre a sophisticated, next-generation foresight method that moves beyond the constraints of traditional scenario planning.
Each scenario reflects a different way of living, interpreting, and engaging with a future shaped by shared underlying shifts.
Unlike traditional scenarios that often rely on archetypes, quadrant-based methods (like 2×2 matrices), or linear forecasts, which produce a limited number of binary outcomes based on two critical uncertainties, Scenarios are multilayered, emotionally resonant, and systemically grounded. They reflect the contradictions, power asymmetries, and diverse worldviews that make strategic planning more human and more real.
What Makes It Different
Think of these scenarios as parallel lived realities within the same domain, sometimes in the same city, company, or policy environment, but experienced radically differently depending on power, identity, worldview, or system position.
Instead of reducing uncertainty to polar opposites like “AI will be regulated” versus “AI will not be regulated,” this approach examines the full range in between. It considers possibilities from tightly controlled AI ecosystems to completely open-source models with minimal oversight. These spectrums are not just visual enhancements. They fundamentally change how leaders think about uncertainty, complexity, and strategic risk.
Traditional Scenario MethodsSpectrum ScenariosArchetype-based (e.g. best/worst)Perspective-based (different stakeholder experiences)2×2 or Manoa GridSynthesized from multilayered Spectrum ScenesAim for distinct storiesAllow coexistence and conflict between scenariosEmphasize system-level futuresInclude lived, emotional, and symbolic dimensionsSingle lens or narrative per futureMulti-voiced: scenarios contain inner contradictions
How It Works in Practice
Organizations begin by identifying key uncertainties, trust in AI, geopolitical realignments, and data autonomy, and mapping them across spectrums, not binary opposites.
These drivers are then embedded into SLA-powered Spectrum Scenes. From these scenes, teams synthesize plural Spectrum Scenarios that reflect differing levels of disruption, adoption, identity alignment, and strategic challenge. Each scenario doesnt just describe a world; it invites stakeholders to emotionally inhabit it, question their assumptions, and prototype resilient strategies in response.
How to Apply It
Spectrum Scenario Design isnt just a thought experiment; its a practical tool set that organizations are already using to rethink strategy, stress-test innovation, and reimagine risk.
Heres how to begin putting it into practice:
Start with Spectrum Scenes: Choose a strategic domain, such as trust in AI, climate migration, or workforce automation, and build 46 potential future moments in your business using the Spectrum Layer Analysis framework. Dont aim for consensus. Aim for divergence.
Scan the seven layers: Analyze not just the surface trends, but the deep drivers: Who holds power? What beliefs shape resistance or adoption? What metaphors are unconsciously driving behavior?
Synthesize multiple perspectives: Group your Spectrum Scenes into 35 full scenarios. Each should represent a lived future experience, not an abstract trend line. Ask: Who thrives in this world? Who doesnt?
Prototype the future: Bring each scenario to life with tangible artifacts, such as mock headlines, speculative product ads, or user journey maps. These tools help stakeholders feel the future, not just imagine it.
Pressure-test your strategy: Now ask the hard questions. What breaks in this future? What thrives? Where are you resilient, and where are you exposed?
Spectrum Scenario Design is not a onetime exercise; its a mindset shift. A capability. A practice that builds organizational agility, not by narrowing focus, but by expanding awareness. In a world where change is nonlinear, emotional, and layered, this is how tomorrows leaders build foresight that aligns the future.
Scenarios in practice
A midsized health tech company specializing in AI-powered diagnostics found itself on the edge of profound disruption. Regulatory regimes were shifting. Public trust in AI was eroding. Traditional strategy tools werent keeping up.
The companys existing scenarios failed to anticipate that patients would begin withholding deeply personal data from diagnostic systems. Nor had they accounted for the convergence of conflicting global regulations, or the outright cultural rejection of AI health tech in conservative regions.
To better navigate this complexity, the company adopted Spectrum Scenario Planning, beginning with a foundational phase of Spectrum Scenes. The team generated scenes across domains: one spotlighted AI backlash in North America; another imagined spiritual resistance to synthetic diagnostics in Southeast Asia; a third depicted radical health data sovereignty movements in the EU. Each Spectrum Scene captured not just what might happen, but how it might feel, whom it might benefit, or leave behind.
Next, the team synthesized these scenes into five Spectrum Scenarios, exploring what it would mean to leverage the SuperShift BioNexus from the book, SuperShifts. These futures ranged from:
The decentralization of healthcare into local, AI-supported cooperatives
To global frameworks for ethical AI certification
To geopolitical blocs forming competing standards for biotech governance
Each scenario reflected the different experiences of various stakeholders, including patients, regulators, engineers, and investors; each was analyzed to identify emotional tensions, power dynamics, and system-level risks.
To activate strategic imagination, the team created fictional news stories, speculative product packaging, and even AI ethics training modules from imagined futures. These tools allowed executives and stakeholders to connect with the worlds they might soon inhabit emotionally. Finally, the team ran premortems on each scenario, identifying strategic blind spots and stress-testing assumptions.
The result? A strategic transformation.
The company created a volatility-ready innovation road map, formed alliances based not just on tech compatibility but on shared values, and reoriented its go-to-market strategy toward emergent belief systems around health, autonomy, and trust.
They didnt just future-proof their road map. They learned to future-make.
From Future-Proofing to Future-Making
W cannot predict the future. But we can prepare ourselves to see it more clearly and design for it more confidently.
The truth is: traditional scenario planning isn’t broken. It’s just out of breath. In a world of cascading shifts and competing truths, quadrant models are too shallow and too singular. They flatten what should be felt.
The next disruption wont fit inside a box. It will emerge from a cultural ripple, a shift in trust, or a story we didnt yet know we were telling ourselves.
Scenario planning is dead. Long live Spectrum Scenarios.
Summertime is vacation season. The weather is wonderful, the warm days are conducive to taking a break and getting away for a week or two. Plus, it is often easier for families with children to get away when school is not in session.
Vacations from work are not only fun, theyre also important. They are a chance to reconnect with family or friends. Theyre also a way to get a break and reset.
Because vacations are important, it is useful to think about what youre trying to get out of them, so that you plan them appropriately.
A vacation or a trip?
I like to distinguish between two kinds of getaways: vacations and trips. A vacation is focused on relaxation. The most difficult choices on a vacation should be where to eat, and whether to read by the pool or the ocean. A trip is busy. Youre there to see new things, meet new people, and explore the world.
Both vacations and trips can be rewarding. Vacations provide a true oasis from a packed daily life. The aim is to sleep late, relax, catch up on pleasure reading, and enjoy a slower pace. Vacations are most valuable when the fast pace of life has gotten to you. If youre living a life when every minute is scheduled, then a vacation can remind you that time spent without an agenda has its benefits. It is also useful when you feel like youre always living on the edge of exhaustion.
Trips are opportunities to create memories of experiences. They require a lot of advance planning in order to decide exactly where to go and what to do. Just about every day of a trip involves an itinerary in order to maximize what you get out of the place youre visiting. Indeed, many trips are a little stressful while youre on them, but they reward you with memories that you can look back on for a lifetime.
Another value of both vacations and trips is that they can slow time down. You have probably noticed that when youre engaged in your normal routine that the days and weeks fly by. That is because your brain is able to predict what is going to happen next, so it doesnt need to store a lot of new information. As a result, the moments go quickly as they are happening, and they dont leave a lot of information behind, so they dont seem that long even when you look back on them.
When you break up your routine, the days feel like they slow down, because your brain doesnt know exactly what is going to happen next. Plus, if you are visiting a new place, you have lots of new memories to create, which makes the time feel long when you look back on it as well.
Plan to connect
Your relationships can suffer during the normal course of life. Running from one thing to the next means that you may not spend as much quality time with your partner as you should. You may miss out on time with children, parents, or friends.
As you plan a vacation, think about people you need to connect with and how to use your break to renew these connections. If you have family or friends that live far away from you, consider spending some of your vacation with them. Those moments of reconnection help to refresh relationships that are hard to maintain just with email, calls, and social media. Those visits will also help to create continuity between your life now and your past, which gives you a greater sense of coherence to your life story. That can help you to feel more grounded.
Plan to disconnect
If youre going to take a vacation, you should also use that time to disconnect from work. One question you need to ask is how long you can go away before you will feel like you need to check in on work. For example, in my role, I find it easy to disconnect from work for a week, but if I were to go away for longer than that, I would feel like I need to check in on decisions that may require my attention. As a result, I tend to go away once toward the beginning of the summer and a second time toward the end rather than taking a single two-week vacation.
It is important to really get away from your work. If you check your email every day while youre away, then part of you is being dragged into the context of work on a daily basis. You may not be physically present at work, but mentally you havent gotten the distance you need. By leaving work behind for the duration of your vacation, you create the conditions to feel refreshed and ready to return when the vacation is over.
In order to make this work, you also need to ensure that tasks that normally require your input can either be held until your return or that someone else can step in to address your responsibilities in your absence. Make sure you train people to do your job, so that you can leave without having to worry that things will fall apart while youre away. That means you may need to start getting people at work ready now for your absenceeven if your trip is weeks away.
What does it take to lead through complexity, make tough decisions and still put people first? For me, the answer became clear during a defining moment early in my careerone that changed my path entirely.
Today I am a business-school educator, but I began my career in the corporate world. I faced a challenge so intense that it motivated me to go back to school and earn a Ph.D. so I could help others lead with greater purpose and humanity.
Back then, I was working for a multinational home goods company, and I was asked to play a role in closing a U.S. factory in the Midwest and moving its operations abroad. It was, by every business metric, the right economic decision. Without it, the company couldnt stay competitive. Still, the move was fraught with emotional and ethical complexities.
Witnessing the toll on employees who lost their jobs, and the broader effects on their community, changed how I thought about business decision-making. I saw that technical skills alone arent enough. Effective leadership also requires emotional intelligence, ethical reasoning and human-centered thinking.
That experience was a turning point, leading me to higher education. I wanted to fulfill a greater purpose by equipping future business leaders with critical human-centric skills. And to do that, I needed to learn more about these skills why they matter, how they shape outcomes, and how we can teach them more effectively.
Often called soft skills or people skills, these are also, more appropriately, referred to as power skills or durable skills. And they arent just nice to have. As my own experience shows and as research confirms, they are central to success in todays business world.
Power skills: Underappreciated, yet in demand
Research on power skills dates back to at least 1918, when the Carnegie Foundation published A Study of Engineering Education. That report concluded that 85% of engineering professionals success came from having well-developed people skills, and only 15% was attributed to hard skills. These early findings helped shape our understanding of the value of nontechnical skills and traits.
Today, employers arguably value these skills more than ever. But while demand for these skills is growing across industries, theres not enough supply. For example, nearly 7 in 10 U.S. employers plan to prioritize hiring candidates with soft or power skills, according to LinkedIns most recent Global Talent Trends report.
Yet 65% of employers cite soft skills as the top gap among new graduates, according to Courseras 2025 Micro-Credentials Impact Report. New hires are struggling in the areas of communication, active listening, resilience and adaptability, the survey found.
Power skills are transferable across roles, projects and industries, which makes them especially valuable to hiring managers. And research continues to show that these skills drive innovation, strengthen team dynamics and help organizations navigate uncertaintykey reasons why employers prioritize them.
Three power skills to prioritize
So what does it look like to lead with power skills? Here are three key areas that have shaped my own journeyand that I now help others develop:
Adaptability: Adaptability goes beyond simply accepting change. Its the ability to think, feel and act effectively when the situation changeswhich, in todays business environment, is all the time.
Consider a company expanding into a new international market. To succeed, it must invest in cultural research, adapt its operations to regional norms and align with local regulationsdemonstrating adaptability at both strategic and operational levels.
Thats why adaptability is one of the most in-demand skills among employers, according to a recent LinkedIn study. Adaptable workforces are better equipped to respond to shifting demands. And with the rise of artificial intelligence and rapid tech disruption, organizations need agile, resilient employees more than ever.
Empathy: As I learned firsthand during my time in the corporate world, empathyor the ability to understand and respond to the feelings, perspectives and needs of othersis essential.
Empathy not only fosters trust and respect, but it also helps leaders make decisions that balance organizational goals with human needs. More broadly, empathetic leaders create inclusive environments and build stronger relationships.
At Western Governors University, we have an entire course titled Empathy and Inclusive Collaboration, which teaches skills in active listening, creating culturally safe environments and cultivating an inclusive mindset.
Inclusivity: Effective communication and teamwork consistently rank high as essential workforce skills. This is because organizations that excel in communication and collaboration are more likely to innovate, adapt to change and make informed decisions.
While managing a global transition, I saw how hard and necessary it was to listen across cultural lines, to foster collaboration across borders and departments. When teams collaborate well, they bring diverse perspectives that can foster creativity and efficiency. The ability to communicate openly and work together is crucial for navigating complex problems and driving organizational success.
The business landscape is evolving rapidly, and technical expertise alone is no longer enough to drive success. Power skills like adaptability, empathy and inclusivity are crucial, as both research and my own experiences have taught me. By prioritizing power skills, educators and businesses can better prepare leaders to navigate complexity, lead with purpose and thrive in a constantly changing world.
Sandra Sjoberg is a vice president and dean of academic programs at Western Governors University School of Business.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Stephanie Mehta, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Content Officer of Mansueto Ventures, speaks with Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg as he reflects on the companys 25-year journeyfrom its groundbreaking innovations to its leadership in 5G technology. Vestberg also shares insights into the future of AI, the next phase of Verizon’s legacy, and his bold vision for the next 25 years of connectivity.
Often lost in the generally breathless coverage of generative AI, ChatGPT sports a few genuinely useful features that arent quite so obvious.
These options dont get splashy demos or make the headlines, but instead quietly make your life as a gen-AI user a bit easier.
Let’s take a quick look at some of ChatGPT’s unsung heroes.
Edit Prompts
We’ve all been there. You type out a prompt, hit enter, and immediately spot a typo that fundamentally changes the meaning. Or perhaps you realize you forgot a crucial piece of context.
But lo and behold, hover over your prompt and youll find a simple “Edit” button, which allows you to refine your input in real time. Iterate on your questions, add details, and guide the AI more effectively without losing the thread of the conversation.
Custom Instructions
A must-tweak for anyone who uses ChatGPT regularly, tucked away in the settings (click your profile photo up in the right-hand corner) is the “Custom Instructions” feature, which lets you tell ChatGPT how you want it to behave.
Want it to respond in a particular tone? Prefer bullet points over paragraphs? Want to avoid jargon? This is where you set the rules, ensuring consistency and making the whole experience feel a lot more personal.
Regenerate Responses
Whether ChatGPTs response is a total dud or simply good, but not perfect, the Try again feature is worth playing around with.
Click the recycling arrows-looking icon that appears when hovering over the AIs response and choose Try again to regenerate its response.
Each iteration should give you a slightly different angle, new phrasing, or an updated perspective. It’s a quick way to explore variations and ensure youre getting the best output for whatever task youre working on.
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
Curious about my actual tech tool kit? I’m sharing the apps and tools that powered me through a recent morningfrom wake-up alarm to lunchtime break. This builds on my recent focusing and timeboxing posts. Id be delighted to hear about the tools youre relying on today in a comment below or an email reply.
7 a.m.: Get ready for the day
I welcome the morning by getting my body and brain moving, picking a few words of gratitude, and gauging my wellness. When Im exhausted, running late, or otherwise off-center, this gets blurred.
Oura Ring: I check my sleep quality and resilience score to calibrate my expectations for the day. Having an objective measure of how well Ive slept, my heart rate volatility, and other metrics helps me decide whether to push my exercise harder or give myself grace. It also helps motivate me on dreary days.
Brain Games: Playing The New York Times Spelling Bee, Wordle, and Connections with my wife and daughters is a fun breakfast ritual, and less stressful than scanning headlines. I also like Pointed, Bloombergs new (first) game, and various other quick thinking games.
TickTime Cube Timer: I flip this onto its 1-minute side to initiate a simple countdown. Having this nearby helps me stick to a new habit: a trio of one-minute core exercises. Doing these at the start of the day helps get my energy going. It also means a busy day later wont rupture my routine.
8 a.m.: Walk my daughter to school
No tech. No tools.
8:30 a.m.: Plan the day
While commuting to work, I listen to podcasts with Snipd. If my subway isnt too crowded for me to lift my arms to read, I use Readwise Reader to catch up on articles Ive saved for later. I also use Superhumans email app to check for work emergencies.
When I get to work, I map out what’s ahead with a digital/analog mix.
Google Calendar: I check GCal for meetings. I experiment with other calendarsincluding Vimcal, Akiflow, Fantastical, and Notion Calendarbut on this day, the simple and free GCal is sufficient.
Apple Reminders: I keep at most three priority tasks at the top of my list. I only add to that top tier when Ive completed one. I adopted that tactic from Oliver Burkemans excellent Four Thousand Weeks.
ReMarkable Paper Pro: I timebox my day hour by hour, based on priorities, energy level, and scheduled meetings. Having a detailed plan helps me avoid decision fatigue later. And when I lose focus, it pulls me back on track.
Sometimes I use Sunsama, a digital planner. I like varying my routine, so I rotate between planning there or on my Remarkable tablet [heres why I use it], my office whiteboard, a Rocketbook erasable notebook, or paper.
9 a.m.: Writing
I tackle creative work early when my focus is freshest. Tools help minimize distractions and friction so I can concentrate and think.
Letterly: I dictate my thoughts into this app, which cleans up filler words and formats my dictation into an outline, summary, or series of questions to explore. It’s good for getting ideas flowing before more detailed thinking and editing. When I want an AI assistant to challenge my ideas, I use ChatGPTs Advanced Voice Mode, but Letterly is great for bionic dictation.
Lex: This writing tool provides a simple interface plus an AI editor that lets me check grammar, spelling, syntax, repetition, and more.
Google Docs/iA Writer: Reliable blank canvases with minimal friction.
Raycast: Without switching apps, I can quickly add items to my Reminders or Calendar, maintaining my writing flow.
Headspace: Focus music without lyrics helps with concentration and blocks out city noise around my Times Square office.
10 a.m.: Wrangle Email
I set up periodic sprints to process email so it wont consume my day.
Superhuman: I use keyboard shortcuts to move through routine emails quickly. Superhuman also has helpful tags and filters so I dont drown in messages. The automated reminders ensure I follow up on open threads. Boomerang is a great alternative for follow-ups if you use Outlook or Gmail.
Shortwave: I like this AIpowered email app for easily finding, organizing, and summarizing messages.
Lazy: I use a quick keyboard shortcut to clip and file important info from an email into Lazy, my notes app, with contextual info automatically included (sender, date, subject line) without having to switch out of my email app.
Flow: Dictating messages saves my hands from typing fatigue. Its remarkably accurate compared with old-fashioned dictation software. Unlike Letterly, this plugs text directly into whatever app Im working with.
11 a.m.: Break
Wakeout: This app features GIFs of ordinary people doing stretching and cardio. I can imitate their movements for a variety of one-minute exercises. The exercise is minimal, but at least my brain briefly pauses and my body moves. These breaks help clear my head three times a day.
11:05 a.m.: Craft a presentation
When preparing workshops or classes, these tools help me craft engaging visual materials. I like app-smashingusing multiple apps together to benefit from their best features.
ChatGPT-4o Image Generation and Ideogram: These help me generate custom images for slides when needed.
Beautiful.ai: Slides automatically adjust as I add content, saving design time.
Keynote: This reliable Mac presentation software works offline, supports in-person plus remote presentations, and offers slick moving slide backgrounds.
iA Presenter: I use this to create a visual presentation out of an outline. When Im turning text materials into visuals, I import my words into this (non-AI) app, which displays markdown text as visuals alongside presenter notes.
Claude Projects and NotebookLM: These AI tools help me find common themes, key ideas, and examples in prior materials Ive created, so I can build on my own past work.
Perplexity: Provides thorough, citation-backed search results powered by AI models that understand my detailed queries. The helpful search summary ensures Im not left with hundreds of raw (Google) links to sort through.
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
Summer is here, and “workcations,” a blend of business and personal travel, are on the rise.
According to data from Engine, a group travel startup, nearly two-thirds (65%) of full-time employed Gen Z workers say theyre likely to combine business travel with leisure travel. Also known as bleisure, this trend sees Gen Zers consistently adding extra nights to their work trips.
Why? For many, it feels like a free trip. Others say it gives them a chance to visit cities they wouldnt normally travel to (35%), helps them maintain work-life balance (33%), and allows them to recharge and reduce stress (33%).
If workcations are here to stay, what makes them successful for both employers and employees? In this article, we share expert and employer insights on how to make workcations work.
Be transparent
Ive combined business travel with family adventures across 60-plus countries, working during the mornings and exploring in the afternoons. My best tip? Be open with your company.
I chose roles at global companies because I wanted my family to see the world with me. I told each company up front: “My kids will travel with me, but it wont conflict with my work.” They were always super supportive.
In the end, blending work and travel not only sustained my careerit raised my kids to be fearless, adaptable global citizens.
Jenny Dearborn, Chief People Strategy Officer and Talent Insights Practice Leader, BTS
Companies may need to establish a formal program
Prudentials Work From Anywhere program allows employees to work fully remotely for up to four weeks in the U.S. Recently, three employees utilized our Work From Anywhere program to work from San Diego for two weeks. They stayed together in a short-term rental, connected and collaborated in person, took time off to explore the city, and even used our volunteer PTO to volunteer with a local nonprofit.
This is an example of our commitment to flexibility and employee well-being, which is supported through comprehensive benefits and programs. Im glad that this approach continues to help our people drive great outcomes for our business.
Robert Gulliver, Chief Talent & Diversity Officer at Prudential Financial
Time-box to make progress
My wife and I have been living the nomadic lifestyle for about 10 years now. If you’re traveling every few days, it’s almost impossible to be truly productive. We stay in each place for at least two weeks, but ideally for one to three months.
While it’s possible to respond to emails and chats and do other busy work while in transit, I’ve found that it’s crucial to build in workdays while traveling.
These are days with zero plans other than work. Or at least, mornings with zero plans. If we’re going to explore in the afternoon, I’ll block about four hours in the morning to get some work done. I’ll spend the first hour responding to emails and any unanswered support questions. Then I’ll have three hours to focus on one or more larger projects.
Time-boxing allows me to make significant progress in a short amount of time. I know I’ve only got a few hours, so I work quickly and efficiently. I’m far more productive when I know time is limited, and I use that time much more effectively.
Ryan Desmond, CEO & Co-founder of CodingNomads
Address resources, needs, and unhook
The secret to recharging your batteries is ensuring that you fill three specific buckets, referred to as the ReNU buckets. The “Re” in ReNU stands for resources. To refresh yourself in your leisure time, you need to ensure that you replenish the resources that get depleted at work.
The “N” stands for needs. To get a boost in your leisure time, you need to satisfy your physical need for sleep and your psychological needs, such as the need for autonomy.
The “U” stands for unhooking, which involves psychologically detaching from work. It’s not enough to physically leave the office; you must mentally leave the office.
Workcations won’t be recharging because they don’t allow you to fill the ReNU buckets. By continuing to work, you fail to replenish depleted work resources, and are likely to feel just as run down after a workcation as you felt before it.
Jamie Gruman, PhD, Professor and Senior Research Fellow, Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, University of Guelph
Consider embracing a workcation lifestyle
Back in 2020, I was seeing my coaching and therapy clients in person, rushing between meetings, navigating packed sidewalks. It was a life I had carefully built. But when the world changed, I realized I was ready for something different.
So I packed my laptop and headed west to Utah. Between client sessions, I explored hiking trails instead of crowded streets, soaking in the fresh air and wide-open views. After nine weeks, I decided to sell most of my belongings, let go of my office lease, and drive cross-country. I was thinking, “Why wait until retirement to live in the places I love?”
For the past four years, I’ve embraced a flexible, minimalist lifestyle while working with clients online. Do I still miss in-person sessions sometimes? Absolutely. But being able to show up fully for my clients and live a life aligned with my values has been an incredible gift.
Caitlin Magidson, NCC, LCPC, Coach and Psychotherapist, The Coaching & Counseling Company
Find accommodations with strong Wi-Fi
I help travelers experience both remote adventure and refined comfort across Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet. As someone who manages international clients year-round, I find that picking accommodations that are more than just Wi-Fi friendly is essential to a successful workcation.
Youll need space, quiet, and reliable backup if youre on video calls when blending work and travel. My top tip for balancing work and exploration is to find a strong hotel Wi-Fi connection.
Naresh Dahal, Operations Manager, Everest Luxury Holidays
Treat workcations like a rhythm
My family and I just returned from two months at seaall while working remotely and world-schooling our then-6-year-old daughter.
My top tip? Having set “office hours” on sea days helped us maintain structure while still leaving room for the spontaneity and joy of travel. Even better, not having to manage the daily demands of our at-home lifestylecooking, cleaning, and laundry, all of which were taken care of on boardgave us a surprising amount of extra free ime we hadnt anticipated.
Treat workcations like a rhythm, and be willing to make adjustments. By clearly separating time for work, time for exploration, and planning ahead with your clients or team, you can be both present and productive.
Christianne Klein, Founder, FoodFamilyTravel.com
Want more housing market stories from Lance Lamberts ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter.
A few days after I launched ResiClub in October 2023, I wrote an article titled The key housing market metric heading into 2024. In it, I reaffirmed a point I had also made at Fortune in 2022: that some traditional rules of thumbi.e., months-of-supply thresholds for what constitutes a buyers market versus a sellers marketcould struggle in this postPandemic Housing Boom environment, where theres downward pressure on prices.
For the time being, I suggested that an easy-to-create and useful metric for housing stakeholders to followone that helps gauge short-term pricing momentum and whether downside risk might manifestis a local markets level of active inventory compared to that same markets inventory level in the same month of pre-pandemic 2019.
The thinking was that markets where active inventory remains well below 2019 levels would still exhibit some tightness, while those where inventory has surged back to or above pre-pandemic 2019 levels would experience a shift in the supply-demand equilibrium more in favor of homebuyers.
Heading into 2025, I recreated that analysis showing the dynamic was still holding true.
Fast-forward to today, and this particular data cut still proves useful (overtime ResiClub believes its usefulness will diminishjust not right now).
Generally speaking, housing markets where active housing inventory for sale has surged above pre-pandemic 2019 levels have experienced weaker or softer home price growth (or even outright home price declines) over the past 36 months. Conversely, housing markets where active housing inventory for sale remains far below pre-pandemic 2019 levels have, generally speaking, experienced more resilient home price growth over the past 36 months.
Indeed, just look at the scatter plot below showing Shift in home prices since their local 2022 peak Vs. active inventory for sale now compared to the same month in 2019 for the nations 250 largest metro area housing markets.
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Below is the same scatter plot as the one above, only its color scheme is adjusted to show which markets have LESS active inventory now than in 2019 (BROWN) and which markets have MORE active inventory right now than in 2019 (GREEN).
Click here for an interactive version of the scatter plot below.
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To see if this data cut still proves useful, lets swap out home price since their local 2022 peak for year-over-year home price shift.
The answer is yesthe trend still holds. (Recently, both the Wall Street Journal and John Burns Research and Consulting created their own versions of this longtime ResiClub scatter plot.)
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Below is the same scatter plot as the one above, only its color scheme is adjusted to show which markets have LESS active inventory now than in 2019 (BROWN) and which markets have MORE active inventory right now than in 2019 (GREEN).
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The current regional bifurcationgreater weakness in Sun Belt and Mountain West boomtowns and greater resiliency in the Northeast and Midwestshouldnt be surprising to ResiClub readers. Given that we cover that regional bifurcation frequently, were not going to spend time in this piece discussing whats driving that bifurcation.
Instead, lets discuss why this particular data cut is useful right now, and why overtime it could become less useful.
The entire month of June is dedicated to celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and its many accomplishments and contributions to society. It is also important to take a moment to reflect on the struggles faced by this community and the work still left to be done against intolerance.
Since Pride can directly trace its origins back to New York City, it is only fitting that the Big Apple hold a big parade. This years march takes place today (Sunday, June 29, 2025) at 11 a.m. ET
Although some companies have scaled back their fanfare due to an anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) climate, one could argue that makes this year all the more important. Let’s take a look at the beginnings of pride, this years focus, and how to catch the parade both in person and on television.
A brief history of the NYC Pride March
While many call the festivities a parade, Heritage of Pride, the nonprofit behind Pride events in New York City, prefers the moniker march.
That’s because of the activist roots of the event. The march specifically honors the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. During the 1960s, same-sex public displays of affection such as kissing, holding hands, or even dancing were illegal, so bars owned by organized crime groups became places of refuge for the community where they could express themselves freely with out fear.
When police raided the Stonewall Inn on the morning of June 28, it angered bar patrons and those who witnessed the police harassment. A weeklong protest helped invigorate the modern gay rights movement.
The following year, a march from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park was held to commemorate the event. In 1999, President Bill Clinton made the first official presidential proclamation declaring June Pride Month. In 2016, President Barack Obama made the Stonewall Inn a national monument.
The anti-DEI movement and Prides response
President Donald Trump’s second administration has rolled back many DEI initiatives, causing a ripple effect.
As a result, many corporations have not been as enthusiastic in their allyship the year. A Gravity Research survey of more than 200 corporate executives found 39% are scaling back in 2025, with zero individuals reporting an increase. Sixty-one percent cited the Trump administration, conservative forces, and Republican policymakers as the reason for this shift.
“Rise up: Pride in Protest,” this years theme, appears to be a defiant reaction to the current political climate. If those in power wont recognize the community, the people must step up.
We must support one another, because when the most marginalized among us are granted their rights, all of us benefit, Kazz Alexander, NYC Pride co-chair, said in a statement. Pride is not merely a celebration of identityit is a powerful statement of resistance, affirming that justice and equity will ultimately prevail for those who live and love on the margins.
What is the route for the NYC Pride march?
The march will begin at 26th Street and 5th Avenue and conclude at 15th Street and 7th Avenue in Manhattan.
How much does it cost to attend the Pride march?
The event is free to attend.
How can I watch or stream the NYC Pride march?
If you can’t attend in person, join this years grand marshals Karine Jean-Pierre, Marti Gould Cummings, DJ Lina, Elisa Crespo and Trans formative Schools on television.
Those watching from their homes can tune into WABC-TV, aka ABC-7, or wherever you live-stream abc7NY at 12 p.m. ET.
Adding the word voluntary in front of separation, retirement, and severance packages seem to be the new, empathetic way for companies to handle layoffs whether it’s the tech industry or higher education.
These programs, also broadly known as voluntary incentive separation programs, have been around for decades. They first gained traction in the ’80s and ’90s and saw a resurgence of popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Voluntary layoffs are programs that offer employees incentives to leave. These incentives may include extra pay for a few months, healthcare coverage, and other employment services such as career counseling.
Why is this beneficial for employers?
Typically, voluntary programs are offered in order to avoid involuntary layoffs down the line.They allow for employees to retire early or make a career change. Christopher Nickson, vice president and senior consultant for HR firm Segal, explains that voluntary layoffs are often beneficial for companies looking to downsize their highest paid employees.
Oftentimes you are taking somebody who has worked for the organization for many years, and as time has gone on, their wages have gone up steadily as a factor of increased experience, Nickson said. He points out theyll typically be replaced by someone with less experience. The result is they come in, typically at a [lower] compensation rate that’s beneficial to the company, Nickson said.
Essentially, companies view the voluntary programs as a more empathetic and transparent approach to cost savings than layoffs where employees are given no choice.
But not all who are offered these programs agree.
In April, Duke University announced a voluntary layoff program in order to cut 10% of the universitys costs, or roughly $350 million. The offer included compensation for one week of regular pay multiplied by years of service, maxing out at 26 weeks.
In response members of the Duke community wrote a letter entitled Duke, Dont DOGE to the universitys administration and president, Vincent E. Price, pointing out that cuts could be made elsewhere.
The letter calls the voluntary layoffs institutional hoarding. It notes that some of the highest paid members of the institution (those making over $1 million), including Price, could take a 25% pay decrease, and those earning $500,000 to $1 million, could take a 10% decrease voluntarily and save Duke $6.6 million.
Duke is one of the first major universities in the country to enact sweeping layoffs across its workforce. This is a historic and devastating move, the letter states. And while workers are losing their jobs, housing, healthcare, and immigration status, Dukes top administrators and athletics personnel continue to pull six-and seven-figure salaries. There are no cuts at the top. Theres no shared sacrifice. Just more for themand less for everyone else.
Nickson argues that universities like Duke are in a tight spot since enrollment rates are dropping, and universities are seeing grant and funding cuts. Overall, Nickson believes these programs are a good way to minimize or avoid involuntary layoffs later on. It’s a win for both the institution and for the individual,” he said.
What to consider when offered a voluntary layoff
It can be difficult to decide whether or not you should take part in a voluntary layoff or buyout. Here are some factors to consider:
Your likelihood of being laid off.
Ask yourselfhow likely is my position to be impacted later on? And, how strong is the current job market for someone with my experience and skills?
If you feel like you’re going to get laid off if you don’t take the severance, you may as well do it, career coach and founder of Life after Layoff Bryan Creely said. The voluntary severance is generally going to be more attractive because they’re trying to incentivize people. If you don’t take the voluntary severance and they move to eliminate your job anyway, it’s likely not going to be as attractive of a package.
Where you are in your career and what you want next
Taking a voluntary leave could open the doors for a career change, offering an exit from an unwanted job, or a ramp into retirement. Consider how easy will it be for you to pivot. Are you looking to switch industries entirely, which may take longer to find a job or gain additional certification? Or are you mid-level, at your career prime with a niche or specialized background where there’s demand for your skills? Are you close to retirement? Would taking a voluntary layoff allow you to financially and emotionally move on comfortably without having to find a new position?
Hypothetically, if you’re close to retirement and you have the option to take part in a voluntary layoff for one year’s payment, this is a great opportunity for you, said Micah Alpern, senior managing director at CEO global advisory firm Teneo. But, if you’re a young person, like a newer, tenured employee, this might be very negative to you if you receive four months severance but have to find a new job.
What is being offered and what are your rights?
It may be helpful to enlist the help of a financial adviser, career coach, or legal counsel to understand the full scope of your needs and rights. As each program has different incentives and financial offerings, it is important to fully understand your offer before accepting or declining it, as each program varies with their incentives and financial offerings.
Typically, taking a voluntary layoff means you still qualify for unemployment in most states. But, you should get a written statement from your employer, stating the reasons for the layoff.
For better or for worse, theres a good chance these programs will continue, as general rates of layoffs have remained consistent over the past few years in the U.S.
The layoff cycle is getting shorter and shorter. It used to be that there would be a layoff cycle that would happen once a decade, Creely said. Then COVID-19 hit, and now the layoff cycles have now gone from roughly every 8 to 10 years down to two years, or even shorter than that. I think they’re becoming a much more prevalent part of corporate culture unfortnately.
