Laura Gassner Otting 
Before I became a speaker, I spent 20 years in executive search. And executive search and the speaking business are basically the same business: A company needs an extraordinary person for a very specific moment. There are thousands of plausible choices. The stakes are high. The person making the decision probably doesn’t make this particular … Read more
“Customers don’t buy your process or your product. They buy your promise — and your ability to deliver it under pressure.” If you lead a sales team right now, you’re living in a paradox. You’ve got smart people, solid products, a great tech stack, and clear quotas. On paper, everything looks right. And yet… something’s … Read more
“AI can read résumés faster than ever — and it still can’t tell you who will change the game.” Every CEO I talk to says the same thing: “We have more data than ever, but I still can’t find the right people.” They’re not wrong. AI is reshaping everything: faster sourcing, automated screening, predictive analytics. … Read more
“The moment your people succeed is also the moment they’re most likely to struggle.” Let’s start with that paradox. You push your team to stretch, they hit the target, and instead of basking in confidence and getting excited for the next challenge… they flinch. Why, in the wake of success, are they slowing down, stepping … Read more
“You can fill every box and still feel empty.” In my 20 years as a recruiter, it was my job to call the most successful people on the planet. …to tell them about a job they didn’t know was available…to tell them about a company they didn’t know was looking…to tell them about a search … Read more
“You can’t spreadsheet your way to loyalty.” Every leader knows the sting. You find someone brilliant. You invest in them. They do great work. Then one day, they leave — not for more money, not for a better title, but because, as they put it, “it just doesn’t feel right anymore.” It’s easy to assume … Read more
Thank God for evolution. I mean, seriously—without it, we’d still be licking light sockets and chasing saber-toothed tigers off cliffs. Jump off that bridge? Nope, instincts say hell no.Stick your head in a lion’s mouth? Probably not ideal.Eat day-old gas station sushi? Well, I *was* pretty hungry… Our instincts are built to keep us safe. … Read more
It’s Day One of my doctoral program. YEAR NINETEEN, if we’re counting. (Of course we’re counting. Also, you know I took a First Day of School photo like a damn proud kindergartener.) But, between us, even now, with a couple of bestselling books, a thriving speaking career, and a few decades of professional experience under my belt, I still … Read more
Me: “Hey, August, love you. Glad you are always a slow month.”August: “Hahahahahahaha.” August was anything but slow.So, I am taking time to smell the flowers. Last week alone? Ten days straight on the road. San Antonio. LA. NYC. Keynotes, media hits, and yes—shout-out to the unsung heroes of every damn event: the A/V guys. I … Read more
I don’t know about you, but my social media feed right now is filled with two things — Taylor Swift’s new album tease, and those perfect first day of school photos. It’s honestly hard to know which of the two is more manufactured. I’ll leave Taylor alone. I’m a Swiftie. I’m cool with that sort … Read more