Islands for us is to maximize resiliency inventiveness inspiration accountability
and that means we have to fundamentally rethink how we manage organisations how
we define leadership how we design work and how we measure value I would argue
that we're at a real inflection point when it comes to how do we inspire an
organized human effort there's this whole collective experiment going on in
the world around what gets people out of bed in the morning and what fires up
their imagination their initiative and their full passion now I would argue
that experiment is not an optional activity in fact it goes to the very
heart of your project of advancing diversity and inclusion it really
doesn't matter what business you're in today it matters how you go about your
business how you conduct yourselves as leaders every single day the values that
rule your organizations and the people you populate your organizations within
the contribution they make that's what gives you the real edge today now I'm
here to tell you that there are so many intrepid innovators and bold thinkers
out there in the trenches of every kind of organization who are experimenting
with the how who are exploring new approaches new answers to the question
how do we make our organizations more resilient more inventive and more
inspiring going forward and in the time that I have with you today I want to
share a lot of those stories but more importantly I want to unpack three
questions that I think go to the heart of your challenge that go to the heart
of that big mega challenge of how do we create organizations that are fit for
the future and hopefully I'll leave you with a set of productive and provocative
questions that inspire conversations inside your own organizations and among
you this group is peers so let me just lay out those three questions and we'll
dive right into it in the very short time we have today so first what ideas
are worth fighting for the value you create
more than ever is dependent on the values you assert as an organization
companies that are animated by a deep and profound sense of purpose are
breeding grounds for passion and what's passion but the ultimate multiplier of
human effort the ultimate attractive force second question what does it mean
to build organizations that are as human as the human beings who work within them
how do we unleash and mobilize every person's best gifts every single day how
do we build environments and systems that ignite and invite that human
passion imagination initiative energy those qualities that cannot be commanded
or demanded but only can show up if they're inspired and invited third
question what does it mean to build a genuine culture of innovation you know
this as well as I do we live in a world that is all punctuation and no
equilibrium change comes at us so quickly innovation happens at hyper
speed and the onus is on all of us to figure out how to build organizations
capable of changing as fast as the world is changing and what that means is how
do you build innovation that capacity to change that ability to bounce forward
not bounce back into every single person's job every single day I spent
the last 15 years exploring sort of the far front end of the world of
organizations work in leadership trying to find the most progressive companies
the most progressive leaders and what I found is that the most compelling
thrilling alive and awake organizations have a striking clarity about who they
are now a lot of people talk about purpose and mission in business we'd be
hard-pressed to find an organization that doesn't have their mission
statement emblazoned on their wall or on their website but we'd be equally hard
pressed to find many organizations that really mean it and when you really mean
it when you stand for something different when you're not just going
through the motions purpose is an utterly distinct and deeply felt point
of view it's a set of ideas that fundamentally shape the sense of what's
possible for your people for your customers for the wider world and as
important as it is to build a high performing organization today and as
hard as it is that's just table stakes you have to advance a cause you have to
imagine and advocate for a better future not just for your company but for your
whole profession for your whole industry and you have to pull people along toward
that vision leadership is a conversation so much about action exerting influence
making decisions and I would just submit a little mind flip what if we spent just
as much time cultivating a successful inner life what if we spend it just as
much time being really sure about what our true values and purpose were
developing emotional resilience and equanimity to deal with all the change
in turbulence in the world now that's not what success looks like on CNBC but
I would argue it's a real source of advantage and more importantly a real
source of fulfillment second point it's increasingly important to develop the
disciplines and the habits of mind of artists even if you don't think you're
an artist or close to an artist why is that well I talked to Dan Wyden who's
the co-founder wieden kennedy the guy who wrote just do it and I said what
does it mean to be a leader of a creative thriving organization today and
he thought about it for a minute and he said you know what I think my job is to
walk in stupid everyday walking stupid why well something overnight no matter
what industry you're in has changed and it's your job to forget everything that
made you successful to forget that experience curve and to cultivate the
inexperienced curve to walk in without all the
assumptions and with the fresh eyes required to attack a new day final point
probably the most important point I've ever learned about leadership 15 years
ago when we are starting fast company magazine my co-founder Alan Webber would
always say you know a good question beats a great answer and that just got
seared into my brain funny thing happens when you go around the world listening
for questions instead of answers you realize actually that a lot of people
are much more interested in giving you answers and asserting their opinion
especially business people then asking questions but why does inquiry beat
certainty well questions are a powerful antidote to hubris asking genuine
questions immediately opens up curiosity humility even vulnerability and in this
world of expanding complexity and constant change it offers a real
advantage if you're the kind of open person who's going around asking
questions you attract more perspectives you surface more possibilities you
engage more people to your cause now venetan ir has a CEO of HCL technologies
the huge indian outsourcing company carries around with him a list of 20
questions i asked myself every day and he really does look at it every day
their questions like what if my company or no company in the world had a CEO
what if we threw out the rulebook is my company the kind of company I want my
kids to work at my employees kids to work at he doesn't claim to have the
answers to any of these questions but they're important to ask they are the
bedrock of all creativity all curiosity and the great thing about questions is
anyone can ask them anyone who spent any time with a three-year-old knows it's
really easy to ask why why not what if just start asking those questions every
single day and if i leave you with anything i would ask you when you go
back to your organization's after this incredible three-day event try to walk
in a little bit more stupid and with a lot more questions thank you so much