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The Edge of Now

Episode 1: When Work Outgrows the Organization

Friday · 49 min · Episode 1 · 35.9 MB
0:00-49:51

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AI is changing what work is, but most organizations still rely on job descriptions, structures, and leadership practices built for a less fluid world.

In the first episode of The Edge of Now, Jason Averbook and Jess Von Bank examine why people increasingly contribute across functions while organizations continue to keep them in boxes. They discuss the growing value of organizational context, the difference between routine and frontier problems, and what happens when companies invest in AI without redesigning the work around it.

The capabilities already exist. The harder question is whether leaders are prepared to organize around outcomes, expand human potential, and build organizations that learn as quickly as work changes.

Listen to the conversation and consider what your organization may already have outgrown.


Highlights:

  • Why “What do you want to do next?” may be more useful than asking what someone wants to be
  • What cross-functional AI use reveals about the changing nature of work
  • Why broad learning may be becoming more valuable than narrow expertise
  • How outdated job descriptions quietly constrain organizational value
  • Why organizational context may matter more than model selection
  • What companies should document before introducing agentic workflows
  • The difference between routine, complex, and frontier problems
  • Why advanced AI should be reserved for questions requiring genuine discovery
  • What separates AI investment from meaningful work redesign
  • Why leadership may be the greatest barrier to becoming AI-native

About the Hosts

Jason Averbook

Jason Averbook has spent more than 30 years shaping HR technology and workforce transformation. His career includes leadership roles at PeopleSoft and Ceridian, co-founding and leading Knowledge Infusion from 2005 to 2012, serving as CEO of The Marcus Buckingham Company, and co-founding and leading Leapgen from 2018 to 2023. After serving as Mercer’s Global HR Transformation Leader, he co-founded Now to Next to help leaders prepare people and organizations for an AI-shaped world


Jess Von Bank
Jess Von Bank brings more than 20 years of experience across recruiting, talent strategy, employer branding, HR technology, and workforce transformation. She began as a recruiting practitioner before moving into leadership roles focused on bringing workforce solutions to market, including global HR transformation and technology advisory work at Mercer. She is now co-founder of Now to Next, where she combines industry expertise, community building, storytelling, and a human-centered perspective on change.

Stay Connected:

Jason Averbook
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook/
X: https://x.com/jasonaverbook
Substack: https://jasonaverbook.substack.com/

Jess Von Bank
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessvonbank/
X: https://x.com/jessvonbank
Substack: https://jessvonbank.substack.com/

Now to Next
Website: https://nowtonext.ai/