As more professionals turn to AI for career guidance, is human mentorship extinct? Not by a long shot, according to our experts. Mentors will continue to be critical in shaping talent, but will make their mark not by sharing expertise but by leveraging truly human skills -- by meeting changing needs in time and by being a champion that unlocks potential, not just directs it.

Key insights:
- Mentorship is moving from expertise to emotional intelligence
- The best leaders will continue to prioritize people over output alone

In this moment of change, Learn how the top minds of our time have been changed by their own mentors and how an AI era will reshape how mentors guide teams and drive potential.

Some of the leaders featured in this episode:

-Workera's founder Kian Katanforoosh - on how mentorship is changing thanks to new technologies, and what it needs to be effective
-Limak Holding's Ebru Ozdemir - on bridging gaps through her initiative Global Engineer Girls and the traits great mentors share
-Habitat for Humanity's Jonathan Reckford - on what he learned from his grandmother and godmother on setting standards for himself
-Samantha Cristoforetti, European Space Agency - on what astronaut Butch Wilhelm taught her about the experience of the workday
-Organizational Psychologist Adam Grant - on how a diving coach helped him rethink risk and the simple question that he asks himself to this day

Related episode:
Meet The Leader at 200: 20 Leaders Share Their Best Aha Moments and Lessons Learned
Read here: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/episode-200-top-tips-pivots-lessons-learned/
Listen here: https://tinyurl.com/ecye5b5v

Teamwork beats raw talent. It's a fact astronauts know well but one that Earthbound teams can sometimes overlook. European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti shares what space crews understand about building teams that work well together – and the shift that preparation undertook to make that happen. She shares what mentors taught her about being a great team member and why the 'experience' of the work day is as important as the task at hand. She also details other lessons learned from her more than 200 days in space, including:

-Why the best leaders are great followers

-Why space sovereignty will shape the next phase of space collaboration. "You want to be an equal partner—not just a customer."

-Why the gender gap in space is closing. Learn why some astronaut classes are at parity and what it teaches other sectors about talent pipelines

This interview was recorded in January 2026 at the Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

About this episode:
Read here - Transcript: https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/samantha-cristoforetti-esa-teamwork-leadership
Watch here - YouTube: https://youtu.be/AI_7QcZy5A8

About this guest:
European Space Agency: https://www.esa.int/

Related episodes:

Related Episodes:
He's building 'gas stations' in space. How it can drive the space economy - Orbit Fab
Read here - Transcript:
https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/daniel-faber-orbit-fab-space-economy
Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/2s3tscms

Meet the startup building the first commercial space station - Axiom
Read here - Transcript:https://www.weforum.org/podcasts/meet-the-leader/episodes/tejpaul-bhatia-space-economy-axiom/
Listen here - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3FjNtzxmBucpgnZ4xhagxe

Be your own role model - a female rocket scientist, pioneer and science influencer explains
Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/2aukahwy
Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/y4n9cmec

Learn when you listen. Know your strengths can be weaknesses. Take your space before someone takes it for you. This 200th 'Best of' episode collects hard-won lessons learned and one-of-a-kind moments from this podcast's past 6 years. Listen to the late Jane Goodall recall a transformative run-in with a grumpy cabbie or hear the critical question that helped AWS teams get future-ready. It's a hit parade of top names, from IKEA to Microsoft, from Misty Copeland to Matt Damon, drawing insights and turning points that have shaped CEOs, startup founders, actors, activists, fashion designers, AI pioneers, best-selling authors and more find solutions and drive meaningful change.

In this episode:

Unexpected turning points

• Jane Goodall, Jane Goodall Institute, on connecting with people you disagree with (Recorded 2021)

• Al Gore, Former US Vice President and founder of the Climate Reality Project, on his climate communication turning point (Recorded 2021)
  
  An AI Powered Future

• Swami Sivasubramanian, AWS, on the question that got teams future-ready (Recorded 2024)

• Adam Grant, organizational psychologist and Wharton professor, on how to practice the soft skills an AI era will need most (Recorded 2025)

• Suleika Jaouad, best-selling author, on thinking beyond our 'resume virtues' (Recorded 2026)
  
  Bringing people together:

• Diane von Fürstenberg, fashion designer, on a habit she swears by (Recorded 2024)

• Misty Copeland, ballerina and activist, on unlocking potential (Recorded 2025)

• Jagan Chapagain, IFRC, on why effective listeners are learners (Recorded 2024)

• Brad Smith, Microsoft, on having a personal sounding board (Recorded 2024)
  
  Seeking innovation

• Matt Damon and Gary White, founders - Water.org, on the value of experimentation and failure (Recorded 2026)

• Nela Richardson, Chief Economist - ADP, on thinking outside the box (Recorded 2024)

• Gail Whiteman, Rainn Wilson, Arctic Basecamp on rethinking communication (Recorded 2023)
  
  Advice they swear by

• Daphne Koller, AI pioneer and insitro founder, on how strengths can become weaknesses (Recorded 2024)

• Fidelma Russo, CTO - Hewlett Packard Enterprise, on knowing yourself (Recorded 2024)

• Ulrika Biesèrt, CHRO - Inkga Group / IKEA, on taking your space (Recorded 2024)
  
  Meeting the moment

• Jonathan Reckford, Habitat for Humanity, on how serving others to bridge division (Recorded 2024)

• John Amaechi, psychologist, leadership expert and author, on finding your inner giant (Recorded 2021)

• David Miliband, IRC, on how leaders can navigate an increasingly disordered world, and the change that will be needed next (Recorded 2025)

Related episodes:
Meet The Leader - Adam Grant: Future leaders won't succeed without this key trait
Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buVVIpttzUA

Meet The Leader - Ballerina Misty Copeland: Unlocking potential and a leader's most 'vital' role
Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNwmJJMRt4o&t=1s

IRC's David Miliband: How leaders can meet the moment in an increasingly disordered world
Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABadygYvsZ0&t=16s
Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/42hzpvvm
Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/3vk4723b

Matt Damon and Gary White: Why the Global Water Crisis Is Really a Finance Problem
Watch here - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d95kccQuFUk
Listen here - Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/ybwhf395
Read here - Transcript: https://tinyurl.com/b8a2sr34