Solve This (Maybe Not Real) Crisis!
Most bosses know they’ve got sizable long-term challenges to tackle, whether it’s AI or a lack of organic sales growth. They also know that about two-thirds of their employees aren’t particularly engaged at work. So perhaps it wasn’t surprising when a top tech leader recently proposed a drastic measure to motivate employees: manufacture a short-term crisis. Korn Ferry’s experts examine the debate that has ensued about the line between productivity and burnout. Plus, who should control the time that AI saves at work—employees or employers? It’s becoming a big question, even as a new study reports that AI can save employees an average of 7.5 hours per week. Then we look at how to pitch your ideas at work so that they get considered and, hopefully, accepted.
1) The Boss’s Urge to Create a Crisis
The manager had read that employees often work best under pressure—not exactly a controversial idea. His next idea, however, was: If no crisis exists to motivate employees, then a boss should create one.
This idea—mentioned recently by a top CEO and covered widely in the media—has spawned an intense debate in corporate-management circles. And it may not go away. Facing increasing pressure to grow their companies or to justify pricey AI budgets, many leaders find themselves wondering if creating a crisis—whether it’s setting early deadlines on a project, or repeatedly shifting plans—could help. They also know it’s a measure that can easily backfire. “I don’t think you need to find more drama,” says Ron Seifert, a Korn Ferry senior client partner and leader of the firm’s North America Workplace Reward and Benefits business.
2) AI Saves Time: Do You Work More—or Take Fridays Off?
If you had one extra day per week, what would you do with it? Or—perhaps more accurately—what would your boss want you to do with it?
It’s not just a theoretical question, but one that more firms are confronting, thanks to AI. A new study from the London School of Economics finds that employees who use AI for work tasks save an average of 7.5 hours per week. The problem is that few firms have decided how, exactly, to use and track that time. And then there is the question, mostly from workers, on whether the extra time could help alleviate burnout: Nearly half of employees in one recent survey said the time savings belongs to them, not their employers.
3) 5 Ways to Pitch Innovative Ideas
Everyone asks for fresh ideas: Job recruiters. Mid-level managers. The CEO. But time and again, people find the ideas they’ve pitched being shot down. It certainly can get frustrating. Only one in four employees strongly agree that their opinions count at work, according to a Gallup poll.
It’s important not to take it personally when your ideas aren’t picked up, experts say. “The instinct to immediately shut down ideas comes from the amygdala, the part of the brain whose job is to keep us safe from perceived threats,” says Val Olson, a career and leadership coach at Korn Ferry Advance. Your manager may be overwhelmed with work, incentivized to keep the status quo and achieve short-term results, or hesitant to sell a new idea to upper leadership. Or the company culture may simply be less innovative. But that doesn’t make rejection any less frustrating. Here, Korn Ferry’s experts suggest five approaches to overcoming it.
Other Must-Reads from Korn Ferry
- The New Way to Get Hired: Be Smart - Drive and attitude used to matter, but experts say today’s job hunters should show off special smarts that AI can’t provide.
- Briefings Podcast: AI—The Recruiter’s Best Friend? - In a special “on the road” edition, three experts discuss the minefield and marvel of AI in recruiting.
- What Type of Job Huggers Do You Have? - Best-selling author Dan Goleman explains why leaders need to suss out the reasons workers cling to jobs.
Check out Briefings, our bimonthly national magazine, for in-depth and unusual looks at critical leadership issues.
HR Manager | ICF Certified Coach | Aygaz A.Ş. - Koç Holding
1dThese leadership collections are inspiring. From my perspective, handling an artificial crisis is not an achievement in itself. I felt it was like pushing your counterparts off a hill; no one can perform at their best under survival conditions. Indeed, people need balanced airtime to rejuvenate. In these circumstances, AI can act as a valuable ally. Needless to say, someone who can effectively manage AI tools would likely also value productivity. Therefore, I hope such individuals discover more ways to be recognized, feel genuinely effective, and add value to their careers.
▪️Accountant and administrative employee. ▪️Master in International Strategic Studies.
4d“When everything is a crisis, nothing is a crisis.” True leadership doesn’t fuel confusion; instead, it must creates clarity, priorities, and trust. AI can save time, but it shouldn’t become a tool for cutting staff. The goal isn’t to reduce the workforce, but to free up energy and give people what they truly want: more flexibility. The real value is in reinvesting those hours into growth, quality, and well-being. Finally, for me it’s essential to find an alternative space — a hobby, a personal project — where having ideas and let them grow. Three different insights, one direction: a more human workplace, more conscious leadership, and a new way of valuing time and ideas.
Operations and Technology Executive | Driving Digital Transformation, Human Capital Innovation, and Sustainable Growth | Bridge Between People, Process, and Technology
4dReally interesting read. I get why some leaders fall into the trap of creating urgency, but manufacturing a crisis rarely drives the kind of performance or trust that organizations actually need. If anything, it wears people out and distracts from real priorities. There is usually far more energy inside a team than leaders realize. Instead of raising alarms, a better move is to bring employees in early, ask what they are seeing, and invite ideas on how to move the work forward. People will surprise you if you give them ownership and a clear purpose. Real momentum comes from clarity, alignment, and shared problem solving. You can absolutely create urgency without creating panic. That is how teams stay engaged and how meaningful progress actually sticks.
Senior Human Resources Leader | Policy, Planning & Development | T Institutional Reform | Talent Management | Total Rewards
5dGood ''leadership'' guidance. However, creating crisis may reduce trust by employees. Therefore, the technique should be used carefully to avoid losing credibility by manager.
To "solve this crisis" and stop the fire from spreading to all the matches, you need to break the chain reaction. The simplest solution is to remove the match immediately adjacent to the burning match. Action: Slide the unlit match closest to the flame out of the line. Result: The flame will burn out the first match, but it will not be able to jump the gap to the next match, and the remaining matches will be safe.