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Recent Articles from Jaime Raul Zepeda
Are your best people leaving over money — or this?
COVID did something to us that a decade of wellness programs never could. It forced us to look directly at our own mortality and ask with unusual honesty, is this how I want to spend my time? That question did not stay at the dinner table. It followed people into their offices, their Zoom calls […]
The choice we’re making about AI
AI can improve productivity if implemented with training and human connection. Poor rollouts cause frustration and workplace loneliness, warns Best Companies Group.
Millennials burn out while holding it all together
The other day I was sitting in back-to-back meetings when two notifications hit at once. My son’s school called — he’d fallen and needed to be picked up from school immediately. At the same time, an email from my mom popped up asking for help with her prescriptions. Work was on fire. And I was […]
The December question every leader should anticipate
As the year winds down, our calendars fill with two things: out-of-office replies and existential dread. December has a funny way of putting a mirror in front of us. In the quiet between deadlines and family gatherings, a perennial set of questions shows up: What am I doing with my life? Do I still want […]
Beyond burnout: the case for workplaces where people thrive
In my last column, I wrote about the lesson of 996 culture, an overwork philosophy that destroys value. Now, the next question is obvious: What actually creates it? The answer isn’t complicated, but it does require courage. Sustainable business success comes from workplaces where people feel valued, fulfilled and empowered. When employees feel their contributions […]
Don’t import 996: Why America should reject overwork culture
China’s 996 model — 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., six days a week — was sold as a path to speed, discipline, and dominance. In reality, it became a case study in how overwork corrodes the very foundation of business success. People can push themselves for a while, but there’s a ceiling. Past a certain […]
The People Paradox: Why ‘Soft’ Skills Deliver the Hardest Numbers
Honestly, this job would be a breeze if it weren’t for the people part.” A regional sales director said that after recounting missed targets, two resignations and a turf war between product and marketing. The room laughed — tired laughter, the kind that comes when you recognize a hard truth. Plans obey Gantt charts; people […]
The Manager Multiplier: How Engagement Turns Into Margin
You don’t need a billion-dollar strategy to boost your bottom line. You need a manager who gets it. Here’s the math: move a team from meh to energized, and you’ll see profits rise 23%, sales climb 18%, quality jump 14%. No new software. No flashy rebrand. Just people doing their best work. Yet most executives […]
Bad managers drive away talent
When you manage people, you don’t just oversee productivity — you hold careers, livelihoods and psychological well-being in your hands. The data doesn’t lie, and neither do the millions who’ve weighed in on what constitutes leadership worth following. Fact: 69% of U.S. workers would rather clean toilets at a bus station than report to a […]
Elon Musk’s memo exposes a trust crisis in leadership
Musk’s memo sparked debate, but the real issue isn’t accountability — it’s a lack of trust, clarity, and communication in modern workplace culture.
