Culturati: Magazine
By Eugene Sepulveda, Co-Founder, Culturati
We’ve rebranded In Practice to Culturati: Magazine. It’s not just a new look; it’s expanding the Culturati™ platform, better connecting our members, and further distributing our content beyond the 200 who attend our annual Summit, even beyond the several hundred more invited to our Culturati: Connect events held across the country.
If corporations are citizens, they are the most influential citizens in the United States today, and we must tackle human, social and civic issues, not waiting for governments to do so.
Josh Jones-Dilworth (our co-founder) and I have been hosting conversations on the purpose of Culturati — why prioritize the time we and so many volunteers spend on Culturati rather than electing better leaders, defeating bad ones, even launching new businesses. We’ve recommitted — if corporations are citizens (a premise I reject but the current law of the land), they are the most influential citizens in the United States today, and we must tackle human, social and civic issues, not waiting for governments to do so. The demands on our organizations and their values and their cultures are expanding.
Blackrock’s Laurence Fink’s (at $6 trillion, the largest private investor in the world) 2018 letter to CEOs stated that they must be able to articulate their social purpose.
. . . We also see many governments failing to prepare for the future, on issues ranging from retirement and infrastructure to automation and worker retraining. As a result, society increasingly is turning to the private sector and asking that companies respond to broader societal challenges. Indeed, the public expectations of your company have never been greater. Society is demanding that companies, both public and private, serve a social purpose. To prosper over time, every company must not only deliver financial performance, but also show how it makes a positive contribution to society. Companies must benefit all of their stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, customers, and the communities in which they operate. . .
In this issue, we share highlights of Spencer Rice’s & Doug Ulman’s keynote at the last Culturati Summit™. Spencer and Julie Rice founded SoulCycle intending to build community and values not only among their team but among and for their members. Unfortunately, a business emergency interrupted Julie’s attendance at the Summit, but Spencer shared stories from the front line of building an iconic, culture forward business. See the video footage in this month’s issue.
We’re launching our monthly interview series with Dustin Wells, CEO of Headspring. Dustin shares his insights on culture building. I should have asked Dustin to share the connection between off-road cycling and culture building. He’s really really good at both in addition to being an accomplished, degreed musician. I’m convinced they are all connected.
Several friends offered words to share about the 2018 Summit — we’ve included some of these in this issue. I’ll add mine: the Summit offered opportunities to share, learn, and reflect over presentations, meals and walks. You rated it well (4.3 out of 5); we over programmed. We‘ll expand opportunities for dialogue, sharing, questions and recommendations between members in 2019. In the interim, we’re expanding Culturati platforms through which members can share & learn their challenges and their play books.
Notley Fellows, a program for young professionals who are hungry to elevate their impact in the community.
Culturati member Jane Claire Hervey interviews former Airbnb and Kickstarter executive, Claire Lew, for Forbes — Claire presented at the last Culturati Summit. Austin (via Hong Kong) PR executive Kathleen Lucent writes about Culture As An Attitude, Not A Perk — also in Forbes.
Sara Holoubek, CEO of Luminary Labs is a seasoned strategy and innovation consultant for Fortune 500 companies. She is also a Culturati National Advisory Board Member, and she shares her own challenge with inclusion in the workplace in her essay, Inclusivity: Moving from value to priority (how can a woman, or a minority, be challenged with inclusion you ask?).
If you haven’t already started reading The Culture Book, Vol I: When Culture Clicks, I hope you will soon.
Thirty-two leaders from organizations including Southwest Airlines, Netflix, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, IDEO, Navy SEALs, DLA Piper, WP Engine and many others share their thoughts on the challenges and nuances of building successful corporate cultures. If you attended the 2018 Summit, you should have received your copy in the mail. If not, you can purchase a copy at http://gettheculturebook.com.
In the most recent On Culture, we posted Notley’s announcement of its first Fellowship Class. Dan Graham, a founding Culturati member and dear friend, is launching this program for young professionals who are hungry to elevate their impact in the community. We’re always excited by Dan’s initiatives — Notley’s Philanthropitch raised over $200k for competing Austin nonprofits just this week.
Finally, Edleman’s 2018 Trust Barometer noted the deterioration of trust for government and the media; however, businesses in the US enjoyed the public’s trust — 52% of the general public, 64% of the informed public. Investors, employees and customers expect CEOs to take the lead on societal changes rather than waiting for government to impose it.
May 10, 2018
Eugene Sepulveda is the co-founder of Culturati as well as the CEO of the Entrepreneurs Foundation, a director & partner in Capital Factory, and a senior advisor & treasurer for Austin Mayor Steve Adler. Eugene’s played at the intersection of business, politics and community in Austin and nationally for nearly 30 years — as Austin’s first tech banker, the CFO for a semiconductor startup, teaching at The University of Texas’ McCombs School of Business, as a co-chair of President Obama’s LGBTQ leadership council, and as President & CEO of Marfa Public Radio. He can be reached at Eugene@ABPorter.org.
