Why does it feel like everyone's working 200% in 2026? Because they are. After s
By Melissa Burdick · May 29, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Why does it feel like everyone's working 200% in 2026? Because they are.
After sitting down with women leaders across commerce, one theme dominated every conversation: teams aren't resisting AI. They're exhausted from working two full-time jobs.
Job #1: Do the work. Hit deadlines. Manage, Push, Drive.
Job #2: Learn to work in an entirely different way while the work doesn't stop. The promise is there - but we are WIP.
Laura Meyer, founder of Envision Horizons, described the impossible ask: "My team is having to adapt to these changes while also managing the day-to-day and remaining client-centric. I'm asking my team to take on two big roles and responsibilities."
When the to-do list is long, comfort wins every time (that's human nature) but take something as simple as building a quarterly business review:
Laura explained you can do it the way you've always done it. Or you can experiment with Perplexity, knowing it'll take longer at first but unlock breakthrough moments later.
Sherry Smith, President of Retail Media at Criteo: "Curiosity is going to take you far. It's not new, it's not innovative, but it's one of the most important things right now."
Zsuzsanna Leber-Kiss, who led Instant Pot Brands' turnaround, pushes her teams hard on this: "Try, maybe fail, but fail fast and move on. Today there is not a clear playbook."
No playbook means teams need permission to be slower temporarily as they test & learn.
Laura's approach: hire and retain people who can tolerate the discomfort of working two jobs until the new way becomes the only way. Sherry urges hiring curious people.
The investment compounds. But only if you create and encourage the conditions for people to learn....