Leading Growth | Tamara Laine #leadership #growth Dan Rust
Leading Growth | Tamara Laine #leadership #growth Dan Rust  
Podcast: Leadership, Disrupted
Published On: Tue Feb 17 2026
Description: In this episode of Leadership Disrupted, host Dan Rust welcomes Tamara Laine—Emmy award-winning journalist, business strategy leader, co-host of What the Frac?, and founder of EMPOWER—for a no-fluff conversation about what leadership must protect as AI becomes the default operating system at work. Learn more about EMPOWER: empowerai.com Tamara’s LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaralaine/What the Frac? Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-frac-your-fractional-executives/id1748688194Tamara makes the case that leaders need to deliberately harness critical thinking and creativity, because AI-native employees can easily accept outputs without developing the instinct to question, verify, and think hard—especially when the tool feels “good enough.” Dan brings it home with a real-world story about using ChatGPT to solve a practical problem he once figured out by hand—then realizing how easy it is to get the answer without earning the understanding. That gap isn’t just a productivity issue; it’s a leadership risk. We also dig into resilience, feedback, and the looming “productivity porn” trap: if AI saves time, do leaders give people space to think and experiment—or just cram the calendar with more work until the burnout bill shows up? Key Topics Covered:• Critical thinking in an AI-native workforce (and what gets lost) • Creativity, originality, and why “AI-beige” content is already getting ignored • Building resilience through feedback and creating space to fail • Remote work realities: what younger employees miss—and how leaders must get intentional • EMPOWER’s mission: redefining “creditworthy” for the gig economy and modern earners If this episode sparked something for you, share it with a leader who’s leaning too hard on the tools—and not enough on the thinking.Don’t forget to subscribe: /@danrustWatch our other videos: How Brave Leaders Speak Up When It’s Risky | Kimberly Davis: https://youtu.be/OBGAdY7meVU?si=3thvqBPT5sEPkIFxYour Leadership Origin Story | David Hutchens: https://youtu.be/bwdtDAeYcJo?si=ulZstaIGYt5dImz2Human-Centered Leadership | Karen Zeigler: https://youtu.be/RJ65usSrd2E?si=YCIpsXHm5yIi6-rLLeadership Beyond the Ice | Leela Bassi: https://youtu.be/KFm1coeGsJs?si=zLwVeKZeEsXtowiqHashtags:#LeadershipDisrupted #TamaraLaine #AILeadership #CriticalThinking #Creativity #Resilience #FutureOfWork #RemoteLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutivePresence #Fintech #FinancialInclusion #GigEconomyRelevant Keywords:Tamara Laine Leadership Disrupted critical thinking AI workforce creativity in the age of AIleadership resilience and feedback "productivity porn" leadership remote work leadership development EMPOWER fintech gig economy lending financial inclusion AIDisclaimer:The information shared in this video is for educational and informational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by the guest and host are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of any organization, employer, or affiliated entity.