The Chemical Coach

10/26/2026

Thomas Friedman recently described AI as the "Second Big Bang (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/25/opinion/ai-second-big-bang.html?unlocked_article_code=1.LVE.gD6n.e59xevQ6kb1p&smid=url-share)," arguing that we are entering a period of unprecedented technological acceleration.

Like many, I've been thinking about what this means for business. But I'm increasingly convinced we're asking the wrong question.

Most discussions focus on how AI will change individual jobs.

A more interesting question might be:

How will AI change teamwork?

For decades, organizations have been built around teams of people working together to solve problems, make decisions, and create value. Increasingly, those teams will not consist solely of humans.

Future teams may include: Human professionals, AI copilots, Autonomous agents,Intelligent decision-support systems

In that environment, success may no longer depend primarily on who has the smartest individual contributors. Instead, competitive advantage may come from the teams that best combine:
- Human judgment
- Creativity
- Empathy
- Strategic thinking
- Machine intelligence

As someone who teaches strategy and business fundamentals, this raises an important question for educators as well.

Are we preparing students to compete with AI? Or are we preparing them to collaborate effectively with AI and with each other?

The organizations that thrive in the coming decade may not be those with the most advanced technology. They may be the ones that learn how to integrate human and artificial intelligence into high-performing teams.

What do you think great teamwork will look like when every team member has access to powerful AI tools?

10/07/2026

𝗜𝗳 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘂𝗺, 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺?

In my Fundamentals of Business class, we’ve been discussing a critical issue facing small business owners: the structural conflict of interest built into major Big Tech platforms.

Independent sellers are currently caught in a double squeeze:

Copycat Competition: Successful products risk being replicated by platform owners using non-public seller data.

Exorbitant Advertising Rates: Skyrocketing ad costs create a pay-to-play trap, forcing merchants to spend huge portions of their revenue just to stay visible to their own customers.

This recent opinion piece highlights how these rising costs impact small businesses: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/opinion/meta-ecommerce-ad-prices.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GlE.TWLQ.W_qNka6Hao8G&smid=url-share

While policymakers debate antitrust enforcement to regulate these practices, entrepreneurs are turning toward marketplace alternatives.

Platforms like Shopify offer a strategic way forward. By acting strictly as infrastructure providers rather than marketplace operators, they enable small businesses to build direct-to-consumer storefronts, own their customer relationships, and escape the platform ad tax.

𝘋𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧-𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴?

10/06/2026

Are we spending too much energy trying to "fix" weaknesses at work? 🧠

In traditional management, we often focus on bridging performance gaps. But positive psychology pioneer Martin Seligman offered a far more powerful alternative: identify and double down on core character strengths.

During my time consulting at Evonik Industries, we found that letting team members self-elect into different work streams created incredible team buy-in and ownership. 👥

Imagine pairing that self-election approach with a strengths assessment first. When individuals understand their top character strengths (like curiosity, leadership, or perseverance), they can choose work streams where they naturally excel and feel energized. 🚀

Curious about your own top character strengths? You can take the free assessment here: https://www.viacharacter.org/

💬 To my network: Have you ever used strengths assessments to help assign roles or project streams? How did it impact team engagement?

09/29/2026

Ever notice how some teams just click while others with equal talent struggle?

In my classes at Baruch and Fordham, I assign students to random teams every semester. Some groups take off immediately; others never find their rhythm. The difference is almost never about individual ability — it's about collective confidence.

Duke Corporate Education defines it as the shared belief that a team can achieve exceptional results together. The research shows that confident teams set bolder goals, bounce back faster from setbacks, and consistently outperform teams with comparable skills but lower belief.

I've seen the same dynamic in my consulting work. The best teams aren't always the ones with the strongest resumes — they're the ones where everyone trusts the group can deliver and knows their contribution matters.

André Martin's team built a free 10-question assessment called the Collective Confidence Index. It takes about 10 minutes and tells you where your team is strong and what to fix first: https://cci.teamand.co/

Full article: https://www.dukece.com/insights/collective-confidence/

Have you been on a team that punched above its weight? What made it work?

09/26/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴

For decades, higher education relied on a "high-sticker price, high-discount" strategy. But with annual tuition touching $100,000 at top schools, that model is breaking down. As discussed in [The Wall Street Journal's report on college tuition cuts and financial aid](https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/college-tuition-cuts-costs-financial-aid-38e749df?st=XD2E2W&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink&utm), a major shift is underway—driven by economics, demographics, and student demand for clear value.

Here is what the future of higher education looks like:

**The Demographic Squeeze**: The "Enrollment Cliff" (a nationwide drop in college-aged young adults stemming from birth rate declines during the 2008 recession) means fewer prospective students overall. Outside of ultra-elite schools, universities are forced to rethink high sticker prices to compete for applicants.
**Proof of ROI over Prestige**: High school seniors are approaching college choices like financial investments. Institutions are shifting toward explicit tuition resets (cutting published prices) and direct career-linked pipelines (internships, co-ops, and corporate partnerships) to guarantee outcomes after graduation.
**The Power of the Hybrid Model**: Technical and business training help graduates land their first job, but soft skills—critical thinking, communication, and adaptability from the liberal arts—fuel long-term career advancement. Schools combining both will have a distinct competitive edge.

**𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘮 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘦**: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘨𝘶𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.

09/22/2026

For decades, career success was about knowing more than the person next to you. In the age of AI, that formula is changing fast.

As Adam Grant pointed out in a recent WSJ article (https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/careers/the-new-ways-to-thrive-at-work-now-according-to-adam-grant-4d3ad022?st=2j7Sph&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink), the "currency of success" is shifting. When answers become instantly accessible, value isn't about hoarding knowledge—it's about how quickly and openly we learn, adapt, and experiment.

Whether in the lab, the corporate office, or the classroom, the teams thriving today treat AI as a continuous experiment, not a threat to their expertise.

Are you or your team running any small experiments with AI tools right now? What's one new tool or workflow you've tested recently?

09/07/2026

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.

Despite what we often hear, opportunity still exists for people willing to work hard, keep learning, and create value. A recent Wall Street Journal article https://www.wsj.com/business/entrepreneurship/the-american-dream-is-alive-and-its-minting-millionaires-3903775b?st=qrNrPq&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink profiles entrepreneurs who have built remarkable success—not because they found a shortcut, but because they recognized opportunities, took risks, and stayed persistent.

As a business professor, I see students wondering whether they can still build a successful future. My answer is an emphatic **yes**.

The American Dream has always required more than hope. It requires action:

* Develop skills that others value.
* Think like an entrepreneur, even if you work for someone else.
* Solve real problems.
* Take calculated risks.
* Learn from setbacks instead of being defined by them.
* Stay resilient when success doesn't come overnight.

None of this guarantees success, and everyone starts from a different place. But the opportunity to build something meaningful through hard work, innovation, and perseverance is still one of America's greatest strengths.

The American Dream isn't a myth. It's alive—and every day people are proving it.

What qualities do you believe are most important for achieving the American Dream today?

09/04/2026

Watching Joe Whale's TED Talk on creativity https://youtu.be/rIRon8zJyps?si=P9EQONJZHQfUx85Q got me thinking about something we don't talk about enough:

We often become so focused on reaching the end result that we forget the value of the creative journey itself.

With AI always just a prompt away, it's easy to skip the exploration phase—to ask for ideas before we've wrestled with the problem ourselves. But creativity isn't just about producing an answer. It's about observing, experimenting, making connections, and trusting the process.

AI is an incredible thought partner, but I wonder if we sometimes ask it to do the very work that helps us become more creative thinkers.

As someone who teaches business students, I believe one of our biggest challenges is helping students know when to use AI—and when to sit with the blank page a little longer.

What practices help you strengthen your own creative thinking before turning to AI?

Artist Joe Whale used to get in trouble for doodling in class, unti...

08/31/2026

As university business professors, my colleagues and I have been wrestling with an important question:

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 *𝗮𝗻𝗱* 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆?

A recent Wall Street Journal article, "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘈𝘐 𝘊𝘢𝘯'𝘵—𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵—𝘋𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘠𝘰𝘶," (https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/when-ai-more-harm-than-good-519a83e7?st=BhRVT3&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink) offers a perspective that resonated with me. Its central message isn't that AI is good or bad—it's that **wisdom lies in knowing where AI belongs and where human judgment must remain in charge.**

Our students should absolutely learn to use AI to:
✅ Brainstorm ideas
✅ Analyze data
✅ Organize information
✅ Draft and refine their thinking

But they also need to develop the uniquely human capabilities that AI cannot replace:
• Critical thinking
• Ethical judgment
• Empathy
• Creativity
• Leadership
• The ability to ask the *right* questions

In my classes, I'm becoming less interested in whether students used AI and more interested in **how** they used it.

Did AI replace their thinking—or did it amplify it?

The graduates who thrive won't be the ones who know the most prompts. They'll be the ones who combine AI's speed with human wisdom, curiosity, and sound judgment.

That's not just an AI skill. That's a leadership skill.

What do students think, are your professors moving you in the right direction?

08/27/2026

Back on campus at Fordham, and there is nothing quite like the energy of a new semester.

Looking at the word cloud from my students' first-day responses, two words tell the whole story: excited and nervous.

​That mix of eagerness and apprehension is completely natural—whether you're stepping into a classroom, starting a new role, or navigating today's shifting job market. The secret isn't eliminating the nerves; it's using that curious energy to fuel your growth.

​My goal this fall: turn that nervous energy into practical confidence and career-ready skills. It will happen and what a feeling for both the students and their professors.

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