We sat down with Melissa Davis, EVP of Operations at a digital and corporate communications firm to explore what truly drives retention from the inside out. From promoting through the lens of change management to navigating speed vs. clarity across teams, she shares grounded, thoughtful insight into what operational leadership really looks like and why influence doesn’t always require a title.

There’s a subtle illusion showing up in boardrooms, brainstorms, and brand decks everywhere right now: AI is the answer. It will fix every broken workflow, scale personalization, increase retention, and automate away every inefficiency in sight. But here’s the problem: AI doesn’t solve broken strategy. It scales it.