May Culturati Magazine
by Eugene Sepulveda, co-founder & CEO, Culturati
Leadership & the value of Social Capital in the workplace became the predominant through lines during our April Culturati Summit. Attendees rated these sessions as well as keynotes and breakouts — the CEO as Chief Communicator, the Mental Health Crisis & Belonging in DEI, the Great Resignation, the Future of Work & Civil Discourse — very favorably. You can see our program schedule here. Attendees rated this Summit (our 7th) the best yet.
Few companies are as focused on researching the Future of Work as is Microsoft — the geography & physicality and our effective & productive connectedness in a hybrid world. Their keynote and breakout sessions explored innovation in powering employee experience; new ways of setting, communicating & monitoring purpose driven goals; and, how flexibility works in our hybrid world, how we empower managers as conduits for employee wellbeing, productivity and talent retention. Matthew Duncan, their head of Thought Leadership for the Future of Work, shared results of a survey of 31,000 employees in 31 countries along with analysis of trillions of productivity signals in Microsoft 365 and Linkedin in arriving at Five Critical Findings Business Leaders Need to Know.
McKinsey & Company performed a survey of more than 5,000 individuals from over 2,000 companies on the importance of Social Capital in the Workplace in preparation for this Summit. While I’ve agreed not to report the results until they are published, I will note the extraordinary chasm between executives, middle management & front line workers — and between women in each of these categories. Especially male executives must be careful not to extrapolate our experiences during the pandemic on any other groups.
Andrea Alexander, Chief People Officer of Rent The Runway, joined our McKinsey partners on stage reinforcing the power of our social networks and the importance of helping mentees & employees establish quantifiable goals . . . even suggesting we expand our productivity measures to encourage and include employee connectedness.
We also began addressing the topic of Civil Discourse in the workplace and in our board rooms. New York Times columnist David Brooks gave our closing keynote address, How to Build Trust, which is included in Virtual Culturati Summit. Professor Steven Tomlinson’s breakout session workshopped how to manage civil discourse in the workplace (including our board rooms) to achieve fundamentally superior business and organizational results.
Indeed’s CEO, Chris Hyams and Fortune Senior Editor, Ellen McGirt had an insightful fireside conversation on Transforming Hiring Amidst the Great Resignation. Chris notes that trends — especially the use of technology in hiring—that were already underway got accelerated very quickly during the pandemic. He also noted how 85% of those looking for work were now looking outside of their industry, and that 97% want to work somewhere that reflects their values.
CEOs, CHROs, investors and scholars from 4 countries, 38 states, 28 industries and 93 companies came together in Austin on April 3 & 4, 2022 for Culturati Summit 2022. Speakers additionally included c-suite leaders such as Cynt Marshall (Dallas Mavericks), Jim Breyer (Breyer Capital), Amy Coleman (Microsoft), Tom Meredith (Brightstar Capital Partners), Chris Gagnon, Bill Schaninger & Brooke Weddle (McKinsey & Company) presented in keynotes and breakouts. These will be broadcast during our Virtual Culturati Summit on June 6 & 7, 2022.
Scilla Andreen, Executive Producer and CEO/Co-founder of IndieFlix Group, Inc. shared a special viewing of Angst, designed to raise awareness around anxiety, help people understand and manage their symptoms, and to know when to reach out for help.
As previewed in our breakout on the Youth Mental Health Crisis, the film has helped over 2 million people around the world, weaving in the personal stories of those suffering with expert advice. Michael Phelps shares his own anxiety story, proving that anxiety can affect everyone and there is no shame in asking for help.
Lots of other great sessions and themes — Carin Taylor shared her evolutionary thinking about belonging, that employees own most of this and must be proactive. Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, was candid and enthusiastic on the importance of culture in turning the Mavericks into an exceptionally valuable & winning team. She turned around the NBA franchise by developing a culture strategy that focused on values, on people — how they treat and how they serve them. She developed a strategy which she named My New Dot Com. It’s included in the article on Cynt in this issue.
Our list of speakers included:
All of these sessions will be available to watch during our Virtual Culturati Summit on June 6 & 7, 2022. You can register at https://virtualculturati22.com/register
p.s., Culturati, of course, stands for inclusion & belonging, for companies taking a stand against hate, for public policies that promote great workplaces and communities where we collaborate, celebrate and thrive. We are heartbroken by this weekend’s mass shootings in Buffalo, NY and Laguna Woods, CA. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of all the victims.
Eugene Sepulveda is the co-founder of Culturati as well as the CEO of the Entrepreneurs Foundation, an advisor at 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.
