Harvard Business Review

The story of overwork is literally a story of diminishing returns—keep overworking, and you’ll do more work on tasks that are increasingly meaningless. https://s.hbr.org/4fBxFNS

How companies can create a more integrated customer journey.

Work/life balance is an elusive ideal at best. Leaders must make deliberate choices about where to contribute and where to step out—or they'll be spread much too thin. https://s.hbr.org/4t7KROy

Many companies have been able to experiment with AI without fully confronting what it will cost at scale. That may be about to change. Some enterprise software companies are starting to charge more as customers use more advanced AI features. As adoption grows, AI bills could rise quickly. For leaders, AI is no longer a simple software purchase; as companies redesign work around AI agents, decisions about AI spending become decisions about how work gets done—and who does it. Leaders should measure the value their AI tools produce, protect human expertise in critical functions, and factor AI costs into workforce planning. Here’s a three-step framework for preparing for that shift: https://s.hbr.org/4yoYtHJ

Finish one small task before you leave the office, write a to-do list for the next day, tidy your desk, and start your personal time in the evening on a positive note with the right sort of friend or family engagement. https://s.hbr.org/49bzJZa

Howard Stevenson transformed entrepreneurship from a study of founders’ personalities and business formation into a way of managing. His approach emphasized testing ideas, committing resources in stages, assembling teams, and rewarding value creation—practices that can benefit organizations of any size. This week, in honor of his life and passing, HBR reshares his ideas that reshaped business education and influenced generations of entrepreneurs and managers around the world. https://s.hbr.org/4rGtLHy

AI is making cyberattacks faster and more sophisticated. But it’s also making cybersecurity stronger and more accessible to smaller companies. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have historically been at a cybersecurity disadvantage, without the budgets, technical expertise, or staff available to larger enterprises. At the same time, they’re increasingly exposed to evolving threats; in Verizon’s 2026 cybersecurity report, breaches appeared to disproportionately affect businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees. If you’re an organizational leader, the answer isn’t necessarily to spend more on sophisticated new security tools. Start with the basics instead: strengthen cyber hygiene, remove outdated software and forgotten assets, and make better use of security features already built into the tools your company pays for. From there, AI can help test resilience and provide access to capabilities that once required much larger security teams. Here are five ways SMBs can strengthen their cybersecurity in the AI era: https://s.hbr.org/4hronor

What story is your organization telling employees about AI? The answer to this question varies considerably by industry. New research finds that employees in technology and financial services are more likely to hear messages connecting AI to productivity, growth, and better work. In government and nonprofits, education, and manufacturing, more than half of employees report unclear communication about AI or no communication at all. That matters because unclear messaging is associated with lower AI use, while clear expectations and growth-oriented messages are associated with greater adoption. For leaders, the chart offers a useful benchmark: See how your industry is talking about AI, and where your organization’s message may need to become clearer. Read the full article: https://s.hbr.org/4yu8cfS

Move from ideas to execution with HBR Executive tools and guided experiences. Learn more. https://s.hbr.org/4qMlvEq

CEOs are constantly sending signals about speed: how quickly decisions should be made, how often progress should be measured, and how urgently people should respond. But moving faster won’t necessarily get the organization where it needs to go. In this HBR Executive Masterclass, Harvard Business School professor and former dean Nitin Nohria explains five different tempos CEOs can set—and how to recognize when your organization needs to accelerate, slow down, or change pace entirely. Subscribe to HBR Executive to watch: https://s.hbr.org/4hrtzIW