The Strait has been contested since February, and the workarounds holding it together are finite. Four Stern advisors on what boards should be debating now.
Dan Wang’s Breakneck was featured in both The New Yorker and the Financial Times this week. Here’s what the two pieces mean for leadership teams navigating the U.S.–China technology contest.
Five new books from Stern Strategy Group speakers including Sunstein, Stokes, Turkle, Gutierrez, and Howard; tackle AI, energy transition, and decision-making for 2026 planning.
The evidence that changed the conversation The AI governance framework your board adopts this year is the one your general counsel and risk committee will be defending for the next decade. The conversation shifted from what AI might do to who is accountable when AI acts, and the question facing every GC, CRO, and audit…
Healthcare is the fastest-growing cost line in most corporate budgets, and the standard playbook (better plan design, narrower networks, higher deductibles) has delivered diminishing returns. Meanwhile, a different conversation is happening in laboratories and longitudinal studies: what if the root variable is not claims management but biological aging itself?
Nir Barzilai, Eric Verdin, and Murali Doraiswamy are building the evidence base for that shift and working with leadership teams to act on it.
A few months ago, AI and white-collar work was a forecast. This spring it became a contest over payroll data. For the leaders setting 2026 hiring plans now, the question has changed, and the answer will shape what their organization looks like in the fourth quarter and which leadership bench they hold in five years….
Recognized for innovation, disruption, courage, and a new way to think about success Each year, Thinkers50, described by the Financial Times as the “Oscars of management thinking”, names the books most worth reading by leaders trying to make sense of the moment. The 2026 list, announced on May 4, 2026, recognizes titles that combine readability,…
What does it take to build a culture where people have the courage to speak up and feel safe doing it? Top experts in leadership, organizational behavior and workplace psychology are urging organizations to pay closer attention to courageous conversations. More than feel-good moments, they’re key to trust, innovation and sustained success. The research, books…
As a public relations professional, one of the most effective ways to elevate your client’s expertise and visibility is through podcasts. Podcasts have a dedicated and engaged audience and provide the opportunity for in-depth, authentic conversations delivered directly to the listener. They allow your client to offer a more personalized experience for listeners while sharing…
An Interview with Susan Stern, Founder of Stern Strategy Group Susan Stern shares how she made her dream of an honest, respectful and responsive client services agency a reality. Starting a business is a great endeavor but leading a successful business for nearly 40 years is even better. When Susan founded Stern Strategy Group in…
The business community generally, and auditing and corporate governance functions especially, are in the grip of a worldwide trust crisis. That’s a particularly perverse position to be in, given audit’s central role in fostering trust in markets, says Karthik Ramanna, an Oxford professor, author and authority on rebuilding stakeholder and shareholder trust in organizations. But he…
In 2021, marketers in the U.S. are expected to spend more than $20 billion on social media advertising. But social media success can’t hinge on sponsored posts and paid ads alone. Four secrets to ensure our clients’ social media strategies work smarter—not harder—than their competitors’ Create content with a purpose. Content may be king, but…
Writing (and writing well) is everyone’s job. Some of us must do more of it than others, but no one – especially in the fields of PR and marketing – is exempt. How many emails do you draft and send every day? How about social posts? Web copy? Blogs, articles or presentations? Regardless of the…
An ineffective communications strategy is what nightmares are made of. A smart, strategic communications plan is critical for every B2B business. But not all plans work; they add little value to the organization, lack clear focus and direction, and simply miss the mark when it comes to ROI. Make sure your 2022 communications planning hits…
Accountants and financial professionals know the danger of competing on price. The “race to the bottom” is a perilous road. Lower profit means less cash on hand, so your business is more vulnerable to any externality. Having been through just about the most disruptive externality in recent memory – a global pandemic – accounting firms…
This is a catalytic moment in the evolution of health care. Driven by necessity during the pandemic, the industry has changed more in the past year than at any other time in modern history. COVID-19 hastened the arrival of the future of medicine, creating a powerful opportunity to rethink and redefine how health care works….
If you have been in marketing or communications for almost any amount of time, you have undoubtedly been asked, “How can we generate more awareness?” To answer that question, one could rattle off any number of traditional PR tactics. That is enough for some companies, but it shouldn’t be. After all, more awareness for awareness’ sake will…
By Stern Strategy Group August 19, 2021 While we grow eager for a “return to normal” – which for some may include going back to a shared office space – the collective trauma we’ve experienced this past year demands a fresh approach. How should a pandemic era workplace be designed? Will that model set a precedent…
