About this episode

Carol Cone interviews Alan Murray about the challenges CEOs face in a rapidly changing world, emphasizing the importance of culture and human connection over technology.

In a moment defined by disruption and accelerating change, Carol Cone sits down with one of the world’s most seasoned CEO observers to decode what’s really keeping leaders up at night. Alan Murray, journalist, former CEO of Fortune, and now Founding President of the WSJ Leadership Institute, has spent decades in candid conversation with the heads of the world’s largest organizations. What emerges from this exchange is a rare, behind-the-scenes look at how today’s CEOs are navigating geopolitical instability, AI transformation, cultural division, and fragile trust. Drawing on insights from hundreds of top executives, Murray makes a compelling case: the greatest challenges facing CEOs are no longer purely strategic or technological but are profoundly human. At the heart of the discussion is a powerful tension shaping the C-suite: while AI dominates boardroom agendas, the real work lies in culture, trust, and human alignment. Murray also shares why empathy has emerged as a defining leadership competency, how purpose and moral clarity are becoming competitive differentiators, and why organizations that successfully engage and inspire their people will outpace those that rely solely…

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