Dr. Christie Smith, author of the national bestseller Essential, and founder of The Humanity Studio, brings 35+ years of experience advising Fortune 500 C-suites. A respected expert in leadership, talent management, and organizational design, she’s held global leadership roles at Deloitte, Apple, and Accenture. At Accenture, she led the Global Talent & Organization consulting practice. As Managing Principal at Deloitte Consulting, she oversaw the West Region and developed Deloitte University’s inclusion and community impact centers. Her leadership in DEI at Apple significantly impacted the growth and representation of women and underrepresented groups. A sought-after speaker on business strategy, leadership, culture, DEI, people analytics, and AI’s impact, her work has been featured in major publications like The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Forbes. A Top 50 Diversity Leader and Fast Company Queer 50 honoree, she holds a doctorate in Clinical Social Work from NYU.
In this exclusive conversation with CXO Outlook Magazine, Dr. Smith discusses the leadership flywheel approach for driving change, the evolving role of DEI in a hybrid work environment, and the importance of reskilling teams for an AI-driven future. She also explores how leaders can create cultures of psychological safety, embrace adaptability, and design organizations where both people and businesses can flourish.
What inspired you to write Essential? Was there a defining moment or personal experience that shaped your perspective on human-powered leadership in today’s tech-driven world?
The world of work has changed more in the past decade than in the last century. We’re in the middle of a supercycle of disruption—AI, distributed teams, shifting workforce demographics—and it’s exposed one fundamental truth: leadership, as we’ve known it, isn’t built for this moment.
I co-wrote Essential with Kelly Monahan because we both saw this transformation happening from different angles—me, as someone advising and working with senior executives, and Kelly, as a researcher uncovering the deeper systemic forces at play. The defining moment for me was seeing brilliant, capable leaders struggle under outdated models of management while employees became increasingly disengaged, burned out, and fed up. It was clear that what got us here won’t get us where we need to go. We needed a new playbook.
At its core, Essential is about reclaiming humanity in leadership. It’s about shifting from control to empowerment, from hierarchy to adaptability, and from efficiency to impact. Leadership today isn’t about commanding outcomes—it’s about creating the conditions where people and businesses can thrive. That’s not just a leadership imperative; it’s a business one.
The book delves into managing distributed teams and integrating generative AI. What do you see as the most critical mindset shifts leaders need to adopt to thrive in this new landscape?
The biggest shift leaders must make is letting go of their ego and control. The old command-and-control model doesn’t work in a world where teams are distributed and technology is evolving faster than organizations can keep up. Leaders who cling to micromanagement—tracking keystrokes, mandating in-office days without purpose—aren’t just frustrating their people; they’re setting themselves up to lose talent and stall innovation.
Instead, the leaders who thrive in this landscape operate from trust, adaptability, and a focus on outcomes over processes. High-performing teams—remote, hybrid, or in-person—aren’t built through surveillance. They’re built through psychological safety, autonomy, and clear expectations.
AI is another shift leaders must embrace—not as a threat but as a tool to enhance human intelligence. AI can automate tasks, analyze data, and streamline decisions, but leadership itself is still deeply human. The leaders who succeed will be the ones who use AI to amplify creativity, judgment, and innovation—not replace them.
And finally, culture must be intentional. In a distributed world, it doesn’t happen by accident or in a break room—it’s built through deliberate communication, shared purpose, and leaders who create space for connection. Those who get this right won’t just retain talent; they’ll build organizations where people and businesses thrive together.
You emphasize “human-centered leadership” in the age of technology. How can leaders balance the growing reliance on AI while preserving humanity in decision-making and organizational culture?
AI can process data, but it can’t build trust. It can automate tasks, but it can’t inspire people. Leaders who forget this are in trouble.
Balancing AI and humanity starts with making human skills the real competitive advantage—not just at the leadership level, but across teams. AI can analyze trends, but it’s humans who bring judgment, ethics, future-thinking context, and emotional intelligence to decision-making. The best leaders will be the ones who cultivate these capabilities—not only in themselves but across their workforce—ensuring that skills like empathy, creativity, and ethical reasoning remain central to how work gets done.
This also requires governance and clear boundaries around AI’s role in decision-making. Left unchecked, AI can reinforce bias rather than eliminate it. Leaders must ensure AI enhances decisions rather than replaces human responsibility and critical thinking. That means actively reskilling teams to work with AI, rather than be sidelined by it.
The future of leadership isn’t just about working alongside AI—it’s about ensuring AI serves humanity, not the other way around. The strongest organizations will be those that invest as much in human intelligence and capability as they do in technology.
The book provides actionable techniques for immediate, impactful change. Could you share one or two key strategies from the book that leaders can implement right away to address workforce transformation?
The hardest part of transformation isn’t understanding what needs to change—it’s knowing where to start. Too many leaders believe change has to be massive, immediate, and all-encompassing. But real, lasting transformation happens in small, intentional shifts that build momentum over time.
That’s why Essential introduces the concept of the leadership flywheel—a model for stacking small wins to create big impact. The idea is simple: instead of overhauling everything at once, focus on one high-impact area—whether it’s building psychological safety, redesigning work for flexibility, or making meetings more effective—and commit to consistent, incremental improvements. Over time, these small shifts compound, creating a ripple effect that transforms not just teams, but entire organizations.
Another critical shift is moving from rigid roles to dynamic skills. The workforce is evolving too fast for traditional job descriptions to keep up. The best leaders aren’t just filling positions—they’re matching people’s skills to real-time business needs. Instead of asking, Who can fill this job? they’re asking, What skills are required to solve this problem? This mindset shift unlocks hidden talent, makes teams more adaptable, and ensures organizations stay ahead of disruption rather than being overtaken by it.
At its core, leadership today is about creating the right conditions for people to thrive. If leaders focus on trust, adaptability, and momentum, the rest will follow.
With your extensive experience in DEI, how do you see diversity, equity, and inclusion evolving in distributed work environments? What role does leadership play in ensuring DEI remains a priority in these settings?
Leaders play a critical role in ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion don’t get lost in the shift to distributed work. DEI isn’t just an initiative—it’s a competitive advantage and a leadership responsibility. If leaders don’t make it a priority, the system won’t support it.
That means embedding DEI into the fabric of digital culture—not as a side effort, but as an intentional business strategy. Leaders must audit how opportunities are distributed—ensuring remote employees receive the same mentorship, promotions, and visibility as their in-office counterparts. They must also hold themselves and their teams accountable for inclusion, not just representation. Hiring diverse talent is easy. The real challenge is creating a culture where all employees are seen, heard, and valued equitably.
Remote work has the potential to build more equitable workplaces—especially for women, caregivers, people with disabilities, and others historically excluded from traditional office settings. It expands access to talent, allows for more flexible work arrangements, and removes geographic barriers that have long favored a privileged few. But that potential is meaningless unless leaders design for inclusion.
It also requires embedding equity into technology. Leaders must ensure that AI-driven hiring tools, performance evaluations, and decision-making systems are built to reduce bias, not perpetuate it—working alongside HR and technology teams to embed fairness into digital processes.
At the end of the day, leaders set the tone. DEI isn’t just about doing the right thing—it’s a proven driver of innovation, engagement, and business growth. Remote work isn’t just a shift in where we work—it’s an opportunity to build workplaces that work for more people. Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident; it happens by choice. And that choice starts with leadership.
Collaboration between co-authors is vital for a book’s success. How did you and Kelly Monahan bring your unique perspectives together to create such a comprehensive and cohesive narrative?
Collaboration was at the heart of Essential. Kelly and I come from different worlds—she’s a researcher focused on workforce trends, and I’m a practitioner advising senior leaders—but we also represent two different generations navigating the same leadership challenges. That’s exactly what made this book work. We combined data-driven insights with real-world experience to create a playbook that is both practical and deeply informed.
Kelly’s research provided a systemic lens on the forces reshaping work, while my experience in leadership and talent strategy ensured the ideas were actionable. Coming from different perspectives, we challenged each other throughout the process, refining our insights to be both research-backed and immediately applicable for leaders.
What made our collaboration successful was a shared belief: leadership is at an inflection point, and the old models no longer work. We weren’t just writing a book; we were building a roadmap for leaders navigating AI, distributed teams, global shifts, and evolving workforce expectations.
The result is a book that speaks to both the why and the how—giving leaders the clarity to rethink leadership and the tools to take action.
As a thought leader who has shaped countless leaders and organizations, what advice would you give to aspiring leaders navigating their journey in an increasingly complex and interconnected world?
Leadership today isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about knowing how to adapt. The world is shifting fast, and the leaders who thrive will be the ones who stay curious, embrace discomfort, and build trust as their foundation.
The best leaders don’t operate from fear; they operate from purpose. They create environments where people feel safe to take risks, share ideas, and bring their full selves to work. They understand that leadership isn’t about power—it’s about impact.
This moment demands bold, emotionally mature leadership. Those who step up will shape the future of work. Those who don’t will be left behind.