14Apr2026
Leader’s Digest | April 2026
by: Nordic Business Forum
Welcome to the April 2026 edition of the Leader’s Digest, your monthly guide to business leadership. This time, we’ll continue discovering the theme of collaboration.
Contents
- Podcast: How to Use AI Without Letting It Rot Your Brain
- Video: What Is the Collaboration Edge? – Insights from NBF 2025 Speakers
- Webinar: Smarter Machines, Exhausted Humans?
- Speaker of the Month: Alison Wood Brooks
- Update: NBF 2026 Livestream Price Increase on Friday!
- Inspirational Quote by Kim Scott
New Leadership Insights
How to Use AI Without Letting It Rot Your Brain
— New NBF Podcast
“Think first, prompt second.”
We at NBF are trying something new, and it’s time to release the first episode!
Recently, we sat down to record three in-depth conversations about current leadership topics. In this first discussion, we’re joined by neuroscientist Mona Moisala and Pactum AI’s co-founder Kaspar Korjus to unpack why the “lazy” use of AI might be rotting our brains, so to speak.
How can we use AI to enhance our thinking, rather than outsource it? Both Mona and Kaspar advocate for collaboration with AI as a co-thinker, using it in a healthy and efficient way.
The discussion focuses on issues such as:
➡️ The fine line between cognitive enhancement and cognitive atrophy
➡️ The misconceptions vs. reality of current AI tools
➡️ The strategies to adopt AI at work without causing confusion and burnout
Do yourself a favor and listen to the full discussion to learn how to better collaborate with AI!
What Is the Collaboration Edge?
— Insights from NBF 2025 Speakers
In the fourth episode of our Behind the NBF 2025 Keynotes series, Peter Hinssen, April Rinne, Gianpiero Petriglieri, and Jonah Berger discuss what is the true collaboration edge for us humans. Here are a few tips from we took with us:
Enhance the human strengths: Peter Hinssen highlighted that as AI takes over more technical tasks, interpersonal skills (such as connecting, inspiring, and engaging) will become critical differentiators. He suggested that leaders rethink how they develop these capabilities to place greater emphasis on communication, empathy, and real human connection.
Focus on connection over proximity: “Remoteness doesn’t necessarily mean low trust – I think lack of connection erodes trust,” says Gianpiero Petriglieri. He emphasized that leaders should focus on connection, not necessarily distance. And to build connection to your team, start by trying to understand people’s aspirations and concerns.
Let go of having all the answers: April Rinne underlined that the expectation that leaders must always know what to do is not only unrealistic but it can actually hold teams back. Instead, she underlined that leaders need to embrace uncertainty and invite others to contribute. Then, leaders can get the benefit of collective intelligence and create space for others to step up and lead.
Watch the full 10-minute video to learn more!
Smarter Machines, Exhausted Humans?
— Webinar with NBF 2026 Speaker Rahaf Harfoush
Are we designing a future of work that humans can actually sustain?
In this timely webinar, digital anthropologist Rahaf Harfoush explores how the rise of knowledge work, constant connectivity, and AI-driven expectations are reshaping what it means to perform, create, and lead.
Want to learn more? See you on the 21st of April at 15:00 EEST!
PS. If you can’t make it live, just sign up and you get the recording!
NBF Spotlight
Speaker of the Month: Alison Wood Brooks
Alison Wood Brooks is best-known as a Harvard Professor and author of TALK. She’s a behavioral scientist and a leading expert on the science of conversation. Alison’s award-winning research has been published in top academic journals, referenced in two of the top ten most-viewed TED talks of all time, and also depicted in Pixar’s Inside Out 2 movie.
At NBF 2026, Alison gives practical insights on how to get better at high-stakes conversations.
NBF 2026 Livestream Price Increase on Friday
Nordic Business Forum 2026 in-person tickets sold out a few weeks ago, and the livestream prices are going up this Friday, 17th of April at 23:59 EEST. So, this is the perfect time to secure your livestream license!
We offer two group livestream options that give your audience access to a world-class speaker lineup at Europe’s leading business conference:
→ Remote Group Livestream: Allows your team to watch the event on your password-protected internal website with (no user limit)
→ Group Livestream: Stream the event to your selected audience in one location (office, auditorium, innovation hub)
Learn more about the options and get your license before the price jump!
Stop and Think
“We need real human relationships at work.”
Kim Scott
