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作者：Dr. Jian Zhang, DNP, FAAN 人工智能的发展速度之快，已经让几年前看起来还颇具前瞻性的讨论，迅速变成了今天领导 者必须面对的现实问题。 2021 年，基辛格Henry Kissinger、Eric Schmidt 和 Daniel Huttenlocher 出版了《The Age of AI: And Our Human Future》。这本书真正令人警醒的，并不是“人工智能会不会越来越强大 ”，而是一个更深层的问题：当 AI 可以发现人类未必能够独立发现的规律、生成复杂结论，甚至提出人类无法完全解释的答案时，我们应该如何理解“知识”本身？在那个阶段，AI 已经快速发展，但对大多数人来说仍然相对隐形。它存在于搜索引擎、推荐系统、科研平台和专业应用之中，却还没有真正成为人们日常思考和工作的“对话伙伴”。 三年后，基辛格Kissinger、Schmidt 和 Craig Mundie 出版了《Genesis: Artificial Intelligence, Hope, and the Human Spirit》。到了 2

By: Dr. Jian Zhang There comes a point in every leader’s journey when the question begins to change. Early in our careers, we ask: How can I become a better leader? As our responsibilities grow, the question becomes: How can I build a stronger team and organization? And eventually, another question emerges: Who will lead after us? I have come to believe that the greatest legacy of leadership is not simply what we accomplish during our own time, but the leaders we develop to c

By: Dr. Jian Zhang “The true measure of leadership is not only what we accomplish, but what we leave stronger—the people we develop, the institutions we build, and the possibilities that continue long after us.” — Dr. Jian Zhang Not Every Great Leader Needs to Stand in the Spotlight When we think about leadership, we are naturally drawn to dramatic stories. We remember the person who challenged the system. The person who spoke when others remained silent. The person who led a

By: Dr. Jian Zhang Innovation Is Not About Being New When we hear the word innovation today, we often think about technology. Artificial intelligence. Digital transformation. New products. New business models. But innovation is much older than technology. At its heart, innovation begins with a very human question: Why must we continue doing things this way? Among the Tang-Song Eight Great Prose Masters, Wang Anshi 王安石 has always been one of the figures I admire most. He was a

By: Dr. Jian Zhang “May we all live long and well, sharing the beauty of the same bright moon, even though we are far apart.” Every year, as summer begins to soften into autumn, the moon seems to take on a different meaning. In the garden, dahlias are still blooming. Some flowers are at their peak, others are beginning to fade, and the evening air carries the first hint of a changing season. Then, above them all, rises the autumn moon—bright, quiet, complete. For Chinese peop

Great Leadership Begins at Home: The Three Su and the Power of Lifelong Learning, Family Influence, and Different Paths to Greatness By: Dr. Jian Zhang Where Do We First Learn Leadership? When we talk about leadership development today, we often think about business schools, executive programs, mentors, coaches, and professional experience. But our earliest lessons about leadership usually begin much earlier. They begin at home. Before we ever manage a team, we learn how peo

By: Dr. Jian Zhang What Is the Greatest Measure of a Leader? Early in our careers, success is often measured by what we accomplish ourselves. We work hard. We develop expertise. We earn promotions. We solve problems and produce results. But as our leadership responsibilities grow, the definition of success should also change. At some point, the question is no longer simply: “What have I accomplished?” It becomes: “Who has grown because I was their leader?” More than nine hund

By: Dr. Jian Zhang I have always wanted to see the world. Over the years, my family took many wonderful trips together while our children were growing up. Those journeys remain some of our happiest memories—discovering new places, experiencing different cultures, and simply having uninterrupted time together as a family. I also traveled extensively throughout my career, often for conferences, meetings, speaking engagements, and professional responsibilities. Those journeys ha

By: Dr. Jian Zhang What Happens When the Path You Planned Disappears? Most of us begin our careers with an idea of where we are going. We work hard, build expertise, earn opportunities, and gradually develop an identity around what we do. Then something happens. A promotion does not come. A business fails. An organization changes direction. A reform we believe in collapses. A position disappears. A carefully planned career suddenly takes an unexpected turn. At moments like th

By: Dr. Jian Zhang I am delighted to share an important milestone: my new book, Pressure and Possibility: How Difference Becomes a Source of Strength in Leadership, is now available for pre-order. Published by Forbes Books and scheduled for release on January 12, 2027, this book has been years in the making. But in many ways, the story began decades ago. It began in a small rural village in China, where I grew up during a time of scarcity and uncertainty. It continued when I

By Dr. Jian Zhang This weekend, I had the privilege of attending the 2026 Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) Conference and Gala at Stanford University. For three inspiring days, Nobel laureates, pioneering scientists, AI visionaries, entrepreneurs, educators, physicians, and public leaders gathered to discuss some of the most important questions of our time—from artificial intelligence and scientific discovery to energy, education, and the future of humanity. Among them wer

Tang-Song Eight Great Prose Masters — #1: Courage of Conviction By Dr. Jian Zhang Every Leader Has a Defining Moment Every leader eventually faces a defining moment. It is rarely the day they receive a promotion or an award. Instead, it is the moment when doing the right thing comes at a personal cost. Should you speak up, knowing it may damage your career? Should you remain silent to protect your position? Leadership is rarely tested by competence alone. It is tested by char

From a Supermarket Bulb to an Unexpected Summer Bloom By Dr. Jian Zhang Some of the most joyful surprises in Jian’s Garden do not begin in a nursery. This one began in the produce section of an Asian supermarket. A few months ago, I bought fresh lily bulbs for cooking. Each bulb was made of many overlapping white scales, almost like flower petals hidden beneath the soil. I removed and cooked the outer layers, but instead of throwing away the small central cores, I planted the

为什么今天还要读唐宋八大家？ 从八位古人的人生，重新理解成功、失败与领导力 By Dr. Jian Zhang What does success really mean? Is it power, wealth, reputation, or recognition? Or is success something much deeper—the ability to remain true to our values, continue growing through adversity, and leave a lasting impact on others? More than a thousand years ago, the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties explored these same questions—not through theories, but through their own lives. Like many Chinese

One Yellow Flower, A Lifetime of Joy By Dr. Jian Zhang Every garden has a beginning. Mine began with a single yellow dahlia. When I was a junior high school student living in the school dormitory in rural Guangdong, one of our teachers planted several dahlias in the schoolyard. It was the first time I had ever seen them. Standing by the dormitory window, I couldn't help but say, "The flowers are so beautiful!" The teacher smiled, cut one yellow dahlia, and handed it to me. It

By Dr. Jian Zhang Zeng Guofan is one of the best historical figures from China in Qing Dynasty. Not because he lived a life of uninterrupted success, but because he experienced repeated failures without ever giving up on growth. Most people remember Zeng Guofan as the statesman who helped suppress the Taiping Rebellion, founded the Xiang Army, and rose to the highest ranks of the Qing government. Yet I believe his greatest legacy is not his military victories or political ach

六韬与组织领导力：建设能够永续发展的组织 By Dr. Jian Zhang Building Organizations, Not Just Winning Battles Among China’s ancient classics, The Art of War is perhaps the best known around the world. Yet another remarkable work, The Six Secret Teachings (六韜), traditionally attributed to Jiang Ziya（姜子牙), offers a broader vision of leadership. While The Art of War focuses on achieving victory, The Six Secret Teachings explores how leaders build organizations, cultivate talent, establish governance,

By Dr. Jian Zhang This morning, I read an article in The Atlantic that questioned one of the most enduring assumptions in higher education—that the world's most prestigious universities will always remain the most influential. The article argued that demographic shifts, rising tuition, artificial intelligence, changing workforce expectations, and growing public scrutiny are forcing higher education into a period of profound transformation. As I finished reading, I found mysel

Ancient Wisdom for Leading With Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, and Human Connection By Dr. Jian Zhang “The poems express what is deeply felt in the heart.” — Confucian tradition Introduction: Leadership Begins With Understanding People Leadership is often associated with vision, strategy, decision-making, and execution. Yet the greatest leaders understand something even more fundamental: Leadership is about people. Organizations do not innovate. People do. Hospitals do not

By Dr. Jian Zhang Standing beneath the orange tree in our front yard, I am often reminded that nature is far more creative than we can imagine. This tree has been part of our home for many years. A few years ago, I noticed a new branch emerging from the lower part of the trunk. It grew much faster than the rest of the tree and quickly became one of its dominant branches. Soon, it began producing fruit. What caught my attention was that the fruit looked slightly different from