culture Archives - LBZ Advisory

Are We Living in a Golden Age of Stupidity? Why AI Is Making Us Dumber and What Leaders Can Do About It

Liat Ben-Zur / November 18, 2025

New MIT research reveals a disturbing truth: when we use AI to think for us, our brains literally shut down. We’re entering a “stupidogenic society” where technology erodes our ability to think critically, remember information, and reason independently. For business leaders, the question isn’t whether to adopt AI—it’s how to deploy it without destroying your workforce’s most valuable asset: their ability to think.

AI, culture, Leadership

The Chief AI Officer Delusion: Why Your New Executive Hire Will Fail

Liat Ben-Zur / July 22, 2025

Creating a Chief AI Officer role is the fastest way to ensure AI never transforms your business. Here’s why centralizing AI ownership creates organizational silos and what distributed AI leadership looks like instead.

AI, Board of DIrectors, culture, growth, Innovation, Leadership

The Innovation Paradox: Why Organizations Resist the Future They Say They Want

Liat Ben-Zur / June 29, 2025

In conference rooms across corporate America, a peculiar ritual unfolds daily. Executives speak passionately about “digital transformation” and “AI-first strategies,” nodding earnestly as consultants present frameworks for organizational change. Then, when the PowerPoint slides fade and the real work begins, these same organizations deploy an arsenal of processes, committees, and approval workflows that make meaningful innovation nearly impossible. This isn’t hypocrisy—it’s something more interesting. It’s the institutional equivalent of a person who desperately wants to learn to swim but refuses to get in the water because it might be dangerous.

culture

The Great Hiding: When Fear Silences the Future

Liat Ben-Zur / April 13, 2025

In workplaces haunted by layoffs, fear drives a retreat into invisibility, stifling the innovation desperately needed in an era of rapid AI disruption. This essay, channeling the spirit of James Baldwin, confronts the human cost of this paralysis, the critical demands on true leadership, and the profound risk of choosing silence and safety over courage and adaptation.

coaching, culture, Leadership

Clarity Requires Subtraction, Not Addition

Liat Ben-Zur / March 24, 2025

In moments of crisis, our instinct is to add more—more meetings, more data, more voices. But true clarity comes from subtraction. By focusing on what we know for sure, identifying the biggest unknown, taking immediate action, limiting communication to essential stakeholders, and removing unnecessary complexity, leaders can navigate chaos effectively and extract meaningful clarity from it.

AI, culture

Unexpected Ways AI is Reshaping Company Culture (And Why Leaders Need to Act Now)

Liat Ben-Zur / March 7, 2025

AI’s crashing workplace hierarchies, splitting teams into allies and holdouts, and turning imposter syndrome into a full-blown epidemic. It’s not just about efficiency—company culture’s getting a wild makeover, and leaders who snooze on this quiet revolution risk losing everything. From flattened power trips to ethical hot seats, here’s how AI’s rewriting the rules—and what you can do before it’s too late.

culture

The Meritocracy Mirage

Liat Ben-Zur / February 21, 2025

They say diversity is a thief, stealing the rightful place of the qualified, handing it over to those marked by race or sex who have not earned the crown. But I wonder, as I have wondered all my life, what is this thing called merit, and who dares to weigh it?

coaching, culture, Leadership

The Hard Thing About Org Design: Stop Designing Around Personalities

Liat Ben-Zur / November 16, 2024

Designing your organization around key personalities might feel like the right move, but it can cripple your business in the long run. Learn why this approach is risky, how to recognize if you’re doing it, and how to design for purpose instead.

career growth, coaching, culture, DEI, Women in Tech

You Belong at That Table

Liat Ben-Zur / November 5, 2024

Discover the liberating truth about power and leadership: In every prestigious space, from Fortune 500 boardrooms to elite institutions, you’ll find the same pattern – 10% brilliant, 10% clueless, and 80% average. Your seat at the table isn’t reserved for the extraordinary few—it’s waiting for those brave enough to claim it. Learn why you belong there, not someday, but now.

Business Strategy, culture, Innovation

The Scalability Trap: How Companies Lose Innovation and How to Avoid It

Liat Ben-Zur / October 19, 2024

As companies scale, they often face a critical shift: moving from a focus on innovation and differentiation to prioritizing scalability and automation. This transition, while necessary for growth, can stifle the very creativity that made them successful. Learn how to avoid the dangers of scaling too quickly, maintain your innovative edge, and build a long-term competitive moat.

coaching, culture, Leadership

The Rebels Inside: Unleashing Change in Large Organizations

Liat Ben-Zur / September 29, 2024

Why do some teams spark transformative change while others remain comfortably stagnant? In the vast landscape of corporate giants, rebel talent teams emerge as catalysts, defying conventions and pushing boundaries. They’re not just high performers; they’re innovators who challenge the status quo to drive meaningful progress. Discovering what sets these teams apart could unlock unprecedented growth within any organization.

Board of DIrectors, Business Strategy, culture

Embracing Nonconformity in the Corporate World: Insights from Paul Graham’s Framework

Liat Ben-Zur / June 5, 2024

Paul Graham’s framework on attitudes towards societal norms offers valuable insights for independent thinkers navigating the complex corporate landscape. Effective leaders must foster environments that leverage the strengths of both conformists and nonconformists to drive innovation and build enduring organizations.

career growth, coaching, culture, Leadership

Building Strong Teams Isn’t About Making Everyone Feel Comfortable All the Time

Liat Ben-Zur / May 15, 2024

Leaders can strategically use controlled discomfort to build stronger, more resilient teams. By fostering psychological friction, assigning challenging projects, delivering constructive feedback, and creating opportunities for vulnerability, leaders can help their teams grow and bond in powerful ways. The key is finding the right balance and framing discomfort as a catalyst for growth in service of a shared purpose.

career growth, coaching, culture, Leadership

The Emperor’s New Clothes: Why Green Dashboards in Tech Spell Danger

Liat Ben-Zur / April 23, 2024

In the high-stakes world of tech, consistently green dashboards and progress reports are a red flag, not a cause for celebration. Leaders must actively seek out the red metrics, the missed targets, and the harsh realities to navigate their organizations to success

career growth, coaching, culture, Leadership

Can I Give You Some Feedback? How Managers Can Deliver Difficult Feedback

Liat Ben-Zur / March 18, 2024

Giving feedback, especially the difficult kind, is an art. It’s a crucial skill for managers aiming to foster a culture of transparency and growth within their teams. This blog post delves into strategies and insights, offering a guide for managers on how to navigate…

coaching, culture, Leadership, Product Management

When Teams Get Too Fat

Liat Ben-Zur / March 11, 2024

Feeling stuck in slow-moving meetings? Your team might be bloated! Discover the warning signs, why data is key, and how to create a lean, productive team that gets results.

culture, Go-to-Market Strategy, Product-led Growth

What differentiates Product Led Growth Cultures from Enterprise Sales Led Companies?

Liat Ben-Zur / March 10, 2024

Imagine enterprise software designed for real users, not committees! This post explores the growing trend of Product-Led Growth (PLG) in enterprise SaaS. We’ll uncover the key differences between PLG companies and traditional players, revealing why PLG is becoming crucial for success.

Business Strategy, culture, Data Strategy, Growth Hacking, Leadership, marketing, Product Management, Startup Success

Operational Excellence with OKRs: A Step-by-Step Approach to Achieving Business Goals

Liat Ben-Zur / February 13, 2024

Mastering the art of OKR implementation is crucial for business success. Discover the gap between planning and execution, and learn how to effectively align, embed, and operationalize Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) into your corporate culture. From aligning OKRs with company vision to fostering a culture of accountability and flexibility, this blog dives into the essential steps and strategies for transforming well-intentioned goals into real-world triumphs.

coaching, culture, DEI, Leadership, Women in Tech

From Canine Odors to Corporate Power Plays: Unveiling the Subtle Territory Marking in the Office

Liat Ben-Zur / February 3, 2024

Discover the hidden dynamics of power and dominance in the workplace through “From Canine Odors to Corporate Power Plays: Unveiling the Subtle Territory Marking in the Office.” Explore how natural instincts manifest in modern corporate environments, from information hoarding to subtle power plays, and learn strategies to navigate these complex social hierarchies effectively.

Board of DIrectors, coaching, culture, Leadership, Startup Success, Startups

Indecisive Leadership is a Silent Killer – How to Recognize and Resolve It

Liat Ben-Zur / January 9, 2024

Discover the hidden impact of an indecisive CEO on organizational growth and success. This blog explores the signs of indecision in leadership, its consequences, and practical strategies for CEOs to overcome hesitation and make effective decisions.