If you’re a CEO, senior leader, or board member navigating the fast-evolving world of business, you’ve found your hub for actionable insights and no-nonsense discussion.
Each episode, we break down the headlines and the hidden trends shaping organizations today—blending the sharpest perspectives in law, finance, operations, and people. We tackle leadership, crisis, change, the multi-generational workforce, artificial intelligence, and more—always with a practical takeaway you can put to work immediately.
Publisher
Praxus Project - Barry Marshall, Valerie Bleza, and Marcus Wilbers
Ep013 - How to Work with Gen Z: Are WE the problem, not Gen Z?
Gen Z now outnumbers Boomers in the workforce. Seventy-two percent of high school students want to be entrepreneurs, and four out of five Gen Zers have brought a parent to a job interview.
So, are they the problem? Or have we built workflows so rigid that they are simply the first generation with the nerve to say something about it?
In this episode, Barry Marshall, Marcus, and Valerie take a hard look at what is actually going on with Gen Z at work. They dissect the delayed maturity research, the helicopter parenting effect, and why defaulting to positional authority leaves massive productivity on the table. Barry makes the case that explaining the "why" is not a productivity tax; it is an output multiplier. The group challenges leaders to rethink whether Gen Z is entitled, or whether we have simply normalized operational burnout and transactional management for so long that we forgot it is a problem.
You will also get four practical takeaways you can implement with your team this week.
In this episode:
• A young employee showed up to her first 1-on-1 with her mom live in her AirPod
• Why "26 is the new 18" changes how leaders must think about authority
• The legal and compliance landmines of parents in the workplace
• Why Gen Z may be your best AI integration bridge, and how to capture that value
• Barry's 11-month stint at a firm where people spent more time planning lunch than executing
• The concept of "discretionary impact" and why it dictates team performance
If you manage teams or design organizational structures, this one is worth 26 minutes.
Subscribe for new episodes every week.
12 May 2026
EP012 - 69% of CEOs Say AI Will Actually Increase Jobs
Are you just putting lipstick on a pig when it comes to your company's AI strategy? In this episode of the Praxus Project, we dive deep into the latest data on CEO priorities and what it actually takes to achieve real business transformation. A staggering 97% of surveyed CEOs are currently undergoing some form of business transformation. However, only 20% state that AI has significantly exceeded their expectations. We discuss why simply buying chat tool licenses isn't enough. We also explain why you cannot simply automate a broken process.Discussed E&Y Article: https://www.ey.com/en_us/ceo/ceo-outlook-global-reportKey topics covered in this episode:The Reality of AI Transformation: Redefining your business model is crucial instead of just applying AI to what you already do. Adding AI to a broken process simply means you will get bad results faster.The M&A Landscape vs. Building In-House: Currently, 53% of CEOs are planning acquisitions tied to digitalization, productivity, and growth. We debate if buying companies is still the right move when AI drastically lowers the cost to build software in-house. For instance, a software project that stalled for three years was recently coded in just seven hours using AI tools.The Future of Employment: A recent survey shows that 69% of CEOs believe AI investment will maintain or increase employment. Furthermore, only 24% of leaders now expect headcount reductions, a significant drop from last year.Unlocking Creativity and Innovation: Achieving 50% more efficiency with AI isn't about working yourself out of a job. Instead, it allows teams to invest that extra time into surprising and delighting customers with new services.Operational Speed: True confidence for leaders is no longer about predicting the future. It is about having the balance sheet and the operational speed to survive whatever future actually shows up.If you enjoyed this episode, please give us a like and subscribe below! Please share this video with other leaders who might benefit from these insights as well.#PraxusProject #AITransformation #CEOPriorities #FutureOfWork #BusinessStrategy #ArtificialIntelligence
1 May 2026
Ep011 - Why Change Feels Impossible Right Now (And What Great CEOs Do Differently)
If you’re leading through uncertainty, scaling a company, or navigating AI-driven disruption—this conversation is for you.In this episode, we break down why modern companies are stuck on a “transformation treadmill”—and what leaders must do differently.We cover: • Why employees are exhausted by constant change (and it’s NOT laziness) • The hidden gap between executive intent and employee capacity • How AI and external forces are making change harder to manage • The difference between reactive leadership vs. change-seeking cultures • Practical ways to communicate change without losing trustDiscussed HBR Article: https://hbr.org/2026/01/why-keeping-up-with-change-feels-harder-than-ever
17 Mar 2026
Ep010 - CFO Priorities for 2026
If you were the CFO of a $1BN+ company, would you have the same priorities? The Praxus Project team discusses the latest poll of 200 CFOs on their priorities for 2026 (article below) and the results may surprise you.Link to article - - https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/business-strategy-growth/4q-2025-cfo-signals-survey.html
12 Mar 2026
Ep009 - Office Romance - The Risks (and how to manage them)
Let's be real - when you spend 35+ hours/week with like-minded people, sparks are bound to fly. Office romance could pose cultural, legal, and financial (YES, financial) risks to your organization. We unpack the real risks.
5 Mar 2026
Ep008 - Selecting Leaders is like Dating
Let's plot out what kind of leaders you need to hire or avoid.
26 Feb 2026
Ep007 - How to Lead Like a Puppet
Three and a half leadership lessons from our favorite puppet growing up.
20 Feb 2026
Ep006 - AWS CEO Matt Garman bets THIS will be bigger than the internet
Matt Garman bets AI agents will be the next internet. Is he right? #AWS #mattgarman #agenticai #ceotraining
9 Jan 2026
Ep004 - PIPs Do Not Work
Performance improvement plans (PIPs) don't have to just be a cost-cutting measure in disguise. They can actually maximize employee performance. Here’s how.
0:00 - 2:47 Ice Breaker - what's the weirdest job you've ever had2:47 - 3:26 Reality of how companies use PIPs3:26 - 4:40 Real cost of replacing employees4:40 - 09:59 What really caused poor performance09:59 - 10:45 Who survives PIPs?10:45 - 15:51 How to rethink the whole process
https://hbr.org/2025/11/case-study-should-a-chro-abandon-performance-improvement-plans
23 Dec 2025
Ep003 - Verizon Lays Off 13,000 Employees and Here's Why
Barely two months into his new role as CEO of Verizon, Dan Schulman did the unthinkable a week before Thanksgiving.
9 Dec 2025
Ep002 - Can AI Board Outperform Human Ones?
Would you replace a Board Member with an AI Board Member? You will be blown away by this incredible research (and shocking findings) from this recent Harvard Business Review article: https://bit.ly/4oDAdvL (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbnlXSWMwVjAycmFYaGRUVHY1UV9iVncxUFV2Z3xBQ3Jtc0tuMzVQRklJYzVUYU5mcXEyekpPenFoOFZqVWxDZjgzcEtqbXVHZEt3Z2sxSGR0U1E1dUsxc2hMTEZ2T0M4MDdqSVExMmtOQmxFLUYwU1dfOEZONUlsZ2ZlRFhuRF9UeWRwaFNlU0VXN0VCRUhiS3h0cw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F4oDAdvL&v=L0zYT7sIJUA)
2 Dec 2025
Ep001 - The "Jenga Tower" of Corporate Leadership: AI vs. Human Skills
In this episode of Praxis Project, Barry Marshall, Valerie Bleza, and Marcus Wilburs dive into a controversial take from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky: the need to hire Gen Z even if AI can do their work.As companies integrate AI to eliminate rote, mundane tasks for financial efficiency , we face a critical question: If we automate entry-level work, how will the next generation learn the business?
In this episode, we discuss:
The Financial Reality: Why it is practically "negligent" not to utilize AI for automating administrative tasks.
The Learning Curve Gap: If interns don't scrub data or handle basic AP tasks, will they develop the "human intelligence" required for senior roles?.
The "Jenga Tower" Effect: Marcus shares a powerful analogy on how removing too many lower-level structural pieces might cause the organizational tower to fall.
The Leadership Pipeline: Barry explores the risk of shrinking the capacity for people to learn, grow, and mature into leaders who can manage humans.
Actionable Advice: How to balance AI efficiency while maintaining a robust pipeline of future human leaders.
Join the conversation: Are we flattening the organizational structure too much? Is the future still "very, very human"?. Let us know in the comments!Fortune Article: https://fortune.com/2025/10/30/airbnb... (https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbUNxZlBIZms0OGJfSVppSmFfS3ZtWnhTdnhaUXxBQ3Jtc0ttX0ppVzRiVGJpNURTZ05TbnNDN3VJdUk1cE5vMFBxZXpteXVhNVpQeUt2dUoyM1BseS1PRFZFM0xYM1JZdTR3TWNRWDA5YWFQZWpJXzhfZEtwdnJ3eUNhaE1RdEdpbG9aaER3TlpIWkJETlJMaTMyTQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Ffortune.com%2F2025%2F10%2F30%2Fairbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-ai-can-do-intern-work-bosses-should-hire-gen-z-lose-management-automation-employment-hiring-advice%2F&v=p80cWbFM0jc)
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