CHICAGO, Aug. 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leadership communication expert David Grossman, founder and CEO of The Grossman Group and author of The Heart Work of Modern Leadership, is available for interviews following The Wall Street Journal’s report that EY is committing $100 million in bonuses to encourage employees to develop critical thinking, judgment and other “human” skills needed in the AI era.
Grossman believes EY is right about the importance of these skills — but a financial incentive alone risks treating the wrong problem.
“A bonus assumes a motivation gap. The real gap is permission and practice,” Grossman says. “Leaders need permission to lead with heart, and they need practice using the skills AI can’t replicate.”
Research from The Grossman Group and The Harris Poll found that nine of the top 10 attributes differentiating exceptional leaders are heart-centered behaviors. Yet only 30% of employees say they work for an exceptional leader.
Grossman can discuss:
- Why AI is making human leadership more valuable: Employees facing uncertainty need leaders who can listen, show gratitude, explain what is happening and have credible conversations about the future.
- The danger of paying for authenticity: “What gets a bonus gets performed.” Incentivizing behaviors such as gratitude and empathy can make them feel transactional - undermining the trust they are intended to build.
- Why capable leaders freeze during uncertainty: Many managers were developed for relatively stable environments and learned that professionalism meant restraint. AI is now testing leadership behaviors they were never encouraged or trained to use.
- The hidden cost of merely good leadership: Under merely good leaders, only 16% of employees feel what matters to them is valued, 19% feel heard and 14% feel they are reaching their full potential.
“Leaders can’t lower the uncertainty AI creates,” Grossman says. “What they can do is build their people’s capacity to carry it. The leader’s job is to be the steady thing inside the chaos.”
ABOUT DAVID GROSSMAN
David Grossman is founder and CEO of The Grossman Group, a Chicago-based leadership communications consultancy serving Fortune 500 companies. He is a six-time author whose latest book, The Heart Work of Modern Leadership: 6 Differentiators of Exceptional Leaders, is an Amazon #1 Best Seller.
To schedule an interview with David Grossman or request additional commentary:
Hugh Moore
hugh@broadsheetcomms.com
202-471-0661
To schedule an interview with David Grossman or request additional commentary: Hugh Moore hugh@broadsheetcomms.com 202-471-0661
