Charter

When people thrive, our society is better off and our organizations are more successful. Charter gathered over 1,000 people in-person and virtually on Oct. 8 for the 2024 Charter Workplace Summit with the goal of together exploring a new playbook for leadership in alignment with that approach. Today, we released our playbook from the event, "The New Leadership Playbook," with insights from our co-chairs, Edith Cooper and Katy George, as well as all of our speakers. Download it here: https://lnkd.in/gAzWrSSi Thank you to all of our sponsors for making the summit possible: LinkedIn, AARP, Justworks, The Preston Associates, Understood.org, Carta, Ethena, LifeLabs Learning, OpenWater Group, Tough Day.

During last week's Charter Workplace Summit, Dr. Manuela Veloso, head of AI research at JPMorganChase and professor emerita at Carnegie Mellon University, shared her praise for Charter's newsletters: "I love the Charter newsletters. Last one, I don't know if everybody received [it], but this analysis about what genAI can do for work was quite well done. And I can't wait to read more of these newsletters because somehow as a technologist you lack to analyze. So when someone analyzes you are like, 'Oh my gosh, I never thought about this.' So that was very nice." Sign up for Pro to receive our Pro Digest and the latest in AI and work reporting directly to your inbox: charterworks.com/pro

🏆 Exciting news! Daron Acemoglu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology economics professor, just won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, along with Simon Johnson and James Robinson, for their work on institutions and economic prosperity. I recently had the opportunity to interview Daron at Charter about his work on AI, productivity, and jobs. If readers walk away with one idea from the interview, I hope it's that the impact of AI on jobs and society isn't predetermined—that the decisions *people* make have a role in how this plays out. To quote Daron: "I don't think AI is like the weather. It's not something we should just forecast, because it's partly determined by our own choices—for example, whether business managers are going to excessively invest right away or take a more deliberative approach. It is determined by the choices of tech companies of what type of AI to develop, unions’ choices of how to work with the tech industry, and the government’s choices on regulation." [Find the link to the interview in the comments.] #NobelPrize #AI #FutureOfWork

Before closing out the week I have to take a moment to reflect on the impact and energy of Charter Workplace Summit 2024! The insights and learnings shared were truly transformative. Here are some highlights that left a lasting impression: 💡 Paul Griggs, senior partner at PwC US, talked about vulnerable curiosity and the need to continuously be asking “what have I missed?". 💡 The panel on hybrid and flexible work featuring Brian Elliott, Laura Watt, and Prithwiraj Choudhury got to the root of why flexible work, despite clear data and evidence, is suffering and the importance of prioritizing employees holistically. 💡 Manuela Veloso's session on human-AI collaboration was fun and eye-opening. When thinking about how we navigate the next era, she advised "keep being human". 💡 The discussion on navigating politics and societal issues in the workplace with Richard Edelman couldn't have been more timely as we approach a contentious election. There is a real battle for both trust and truth! 💡 Daisy Auger-Domínguez (she/her/ella) discussed how we were missing joy and awe at work and how to combat that. Read her book! 💡 The boardroom perspective shared by Edith Cooper, Grace Zuncic, and Lauren M. Tyler reinforced the critical link between people strategy and business success and how your board can help you win that battle. 💡 The session on women's sports leadership with Sarah Jones Simmer and Amy Scheer, moderated by Sara Haines, highlighted the unique advantages athletes and women bring to the C-suite and the workplace in general. Did you know that 94% of women in the c-suite have played sports? 💡 Deb Roy's insights on constructive communication in a polarized work climate emphasized the importance of hearing the humanity in others in order to have a functioning workplace, let alone democracy. The lineup of speakers, from top executives to renowned researchers, provided a 360-degree view of the challenges and opportunities shaping our workplaces. But this is just the beginning! The conversations started at #CWS will undoubtedly continue to evolve and I can tell you that team Charter is already looking forward to CWS 2025 (after a restful weekend). I’ll reach my tagging limit, so just know, whether you joined us IRL or virtually, we’re so grateful! Team Charter: Erin Grau, Kevin Delaney, Jay Lauf, Sarah Janowsky, Michelle Peng, Jacob Clemente, Cari Nazeer, Jenna F., Daniel Lee, Sam Williams, Emily Goligoski, Alisha Patel I love doing this work with all of you. The future of work is bright. #CharterSummit

One highlight from the Charter Workplace Summit this week was Carnegie Hall head Clive Gillinson's examples of how asking the right questions is so powerful. ❓ He explained how early on in his tenure at Carnegie Hall, there was an initiative he thought was terrible but was being backed by a powerful trustee. Gillinson assembled the questions they would have to answer to do it, and that led the chairman of the board to oppose the project. "I didn't actually have to tell him anything. The questions had done it," Gillinson explained. ❓ Gillinson recounted: "When I arrived at Carnegie Hall, almost the first question that people would ask at some point in every single meeting was, 'What is best for Carnegie Hall?' And I always said, it's the wrong question. There's only one question, which is how does Carnegie Hall serve people through music? If we answer that question, we will ultimately do what is best for Carnegie Hall." ❓ "If you first ask the right question, you will define a completely different path," said Gillinson. Gillinson is not the only person to highlight how essential asking questions is for leadership (see also Albert Einstein and Muhammad Yunus, who Gillinson cited.) But his own examples at the #CharterSummit, in conversation with Katy George of Microsoftand Kurt Strovink of McKinsey & Company, were especially powerful. Also, it was cool that Gillinson joined us just hours before the opening night of Carnegie Hall's new season!

The #CharterSummit exceeded my (high) expectations yesterday, with such an engaged group of people and speakers who showed up with energy and intention, making the work we put into crafting the day totally worth it. The biggest highlight for me was working with the Summit co-chairs Edith Cooper and Katy George, two executives who I greatly admire and respect. When Charter hosted our first Workplace Summit several years ago, Edith was at the top of the list of people we wanted to learn from and whose voices we wanted to amplify. She and her Medley business partner Jordan Taylor were the co-chairs of that first summit. Edith is someone so professionally successful and wise, but who hasn’t lost her curiosity. A lot of leaders lead like they already know—whereas Edith’s posture is how can we figure out together how to make things better? I first met Katy in a coffee shop by South Street Seaport that was closing—it was hard for either of us to take ourselves too seriously as they kept trying to kick us out, and I learned to appreciate just how undaunted Katy is. Like Edith, she’s curious and open-minded and her consulting background includes manufacturing, which gives her a grounded view of work. She’s one of the new models of people executives who bring systems thinking and strategy to the role. Both Edith and Katy were exceptional thought partners, speakers, and moderators yesterday. Those of you who know them won't be surprised.

I’m grateful to be building Charter with so many talented people—like our AI & work senior reporter Jacob Clemente. Yesterday at the #CharterSummit, Jacob not only introduced several sessions on stage, but he also led a one-of-a-kind stretch break: tap dancing. He’s no stranger to the spotlight; before becoming a journalist, Jacob was an actor and dancer (you might have seen him in Billy Elliot on Broadway!). So many things I loved about this moment at the Summit: 💙 highlighting the many and diverse talents of our team 💙 celebrating non-linear career paths 💙 hearing 200 people laughing together 💙 reimagining the way things have always been done

Love this quote from Edith Cooper at today's #CharterSummit

A great line from Emma Goldberg to close out the last session at today's #CharterSummit

Deb Roy, head of MIT Center for Constructive Communication, argues that the ability to listen well is among the most vital workplace skills: "Hearing the humanity in others is necessary for democracy, schools, workplaces to function." #CharterSummit