Speaking of which, diversity, equity and inclusion gaps will widen without purposeful attention by companies in managing hybrid and remote work.
When it comes to designing the future of work, one size fits none. Discovering success isn’t about a hybrid model or offering remote work options. Individuals and organizations are looking for more freedom. The freedom to choose the work model that makes the most sense. The freedom to choose their own values. And the freedom to pursue what matters most. We reached out to successful leaders and thought leaders across all industries to glean their insights and predictions about how to create a future that works.
As a part of our interview series called “How Employers and Employees are Reworking Work Together,” we had the pleasure to interview Katie Anderson.
Katie Anderson is an internationally recognized leadership coach, consultant, bestselling author and professional speaker, best known for inspiring individuals and organizations to lead with intention and increase their personal and professional impact. For over 25 years, Katie has partnered with organizations across the globe to create intentional learning cultures that foster innovation, engagement, and continuous improvement. By connecting purpose, aligning processes, and supporting practice, Katie helps leaders and organizations achieve higher levels of performance and create a meaningful legacy. Her bestselling book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning is available in four languages and has received multiple awards including the International Impact Award 2021 and is a Eric Hoffer Montaigne Medal Finalist. Learn more about Katie on her website: www.kbjanderson.com.
Thank you for making time to visit with us about the topic of our time. Our readers would like to get to know you a bit better. Can you please tell us about one or two life experiences that most shaped who you are today.
Absolutely! And thank you for the opportunity to share my insights and my stories about this important transition in our global history.
I’ve always had a passion for learning and immersing myself in different cultures. I graduated from Stanford University with honors. I’ve studied and lived overseas in seven countries, starting with being an American Field Service exchange student in the Dominican Republic when I was 16 years old, being a Fulbright Scholar to Australia in my 20s — where I received my Masters degree from the University of Sydney and worked for several years — and, more recently, living in Japan, which ultimately resulted in writing my award-winning book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning. These intertwined themes of learning and global experiences have shaped the fabric of my purpose and are the foundation of how I help leaders around the world create learning cultures.
My career began in healthcare research, consulting, and operations, and my degrees are in health policy and public health. In 2013, I felt called to make a larger impact globally, and embarked on the path of entrepreneurship by starting my consulting and coaching business. Making the choice to leave the traditional career path I’d been on was not easy. I was growing and being promoted into higher leadership positions and I loved making an impact on improving healthcare. But I knew I could have a broader impact — across industries and geography.
Entrepreneurship is not always an easy journey — and I’ve had to live the Japanese proverb “Fall down seven times, get up eight” — yet it’s been an incredibly rewarding one.
Since founding my company nearly a decade ago, I’ve had the privilege of inspiring and empowering tens of thousands of leaders — and hundreds of organizations — globally to lead with intention and become better learners and leaders. I founded a publishing company and published (and wrote!) two bestselling books, I’ve graced the main stages of global conferences, and facilitated “ah ha” moments for thousands of individuals.
In 2015, my family had the unique opportunity to move to Japan for 18 months. I knew that this experience would be an incredible learning and cultural experience personally, but I couldn’t have expected the degree to which it would shape the fabric of my professional career.
As with all of my abroad experiences, my years in Japan were filled with intention. I learned about Japanese culture, language, and management system practices — and I started a blog to share my learnings with others around the world. I created relationships with Japanese leaders and companies, paving the way for my popular week-long executive learning trips to Japan (in non-pandemic times). And through a serendipitous meeting with Toyota leader Isao Yoshino at a conference in the U.S. prior to our move to Japan, a new friendship and professional partnership was formed … one which later, after years of conversations, sparked the idea that became the award-winning book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: Lessons from Toyota Leader Isao Yoshino on a Lifetime of Continuous Learning.
Let’s zoom out. What do you predict will be the same about work, the workforce and the workplace 10–15 years from now? What do you predict will be different?
No matter what our workforce will look like 10–15 years from now — or what people will be working on, for that matter — there is one underlying constant that will remain. We will still be working together, collectively toward a common cause, as human beings.
I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with leaders of various industries and who hold different leadership positions, and I’ve realized that leaders who inspire people to follow them are ones who hold precious that which is most human. They deeply respect the humanity in each of us. Connection is critical — and connecting individuals to purpose is where impact is made. At the heart of every person is the desire for real connections with others and to know that our work is part of something meaningful.
While we know this, it’s challenging to always implement, which is why another constant that will remain is that every leader — established or emerging — will have opportunities to improve their leadership skills. An attitude towards learning is an essential part of every great leader, and every opportunity in life — personally and professionally — is a gift of learning.
Leadership is both an art and a science. Understanding the needs of an organization and your customers is essential as a business leader, but understanding the needs of your people and your teams is paramount. Your people, and their collective creativity and contribution, are important now, and they will be in the future as well.
If we want to achieve our organization’s goals while developing a culture where team members are engaged and contributing towards innovation and problem-solving, as well as create a meaningful legacy along the way, a leader must be intentional. I believe that a leader’s role is threefold:
1) Set the direction: create alignment and give clarity of what must be achieved.
2) Provide support: create conditions for people to learn by cultivating their creativity, capability, and confidence, and removing barriers; and.
3) Develop themselves: constantly look within and continuously develop their leadership capabilities.
I call this “leading to learn” — it’s about leading with curiosity, caring, and courage to foster learning in ourselves, for others, and within our organizations.
Unfortunately, many leaders primarily focus on outcomes, without looking at processes and people as the strategy that will enable them to get to the outcomes, and I suspect that will remain the same in decades to come. Yet, hopefully, with a focus of learning and growth at the heart of what we’re doing, leaders will move towards a more people-centered learning approach — because that is the secret to success.
As for your question on what will be different? That’s a challenge to answer because the future is difficult to predict. I mean, who would have predicted we’d experience a global pandemic that has shaped what we do and how we do it? None of us knew that was possible — and yet, we found our way around it. We innovated. We adjusted. We created. We moved from “we can’t” to “we must and we can.” For example, for decades, healthcare systems told us that telehealth was impossible or too challenging to make widely available. Yet within a few months into the pandemic, telehealth systems were set up and are now the norm.
People … and intentional leaders with a focus on learning and experimentation, especially … are resilient.
We will never “go back” to our pre-2020 construct of how we accomplish our work. Employees and leaders alike have learned that remote work is possible, that we can stay connected without physically being in the same room, and progress towards important goals can be made. Innovation and creativity can thrive when there is alignment between the values of employees and the value of the companies they support. And speaking of values, people have realized what is most important to them, and are aligning their personal and professional lives accordingly.
Life is a journey of learning. And while many constants will always remain — including the importance of prioritizing people and connection — we will continuously be given opportunities to learn from any and all situations we are faced with.
What advice would you offer to employers who want to future-proof their organizations?
As with most things in life, it’s important to focus on what you can control, and identify — and accept — the things that you can’t. Attempting to “future-proof” your organization from change is a worthy effort, but not one that will ever be accomplished fully. Change is inevitable, especially when you are working with people.
With that sentiment in mind, let’s focus on what is within your span of control … and that is you — how you treat others, and the culture you create within your organization. Every leader in every organization is trying to do more, to achieve more, to accomplish more. That tends to be the equation for success that many seek to leverage: doing more with less equals greater margins.
But I believe in a different equation. And, in my opinion, it’s the one that helps leaders and organizations achieve more without doing more. This equation: 1 + 1 = way more than 2. While my math professors might disagree with this from a pure mathematical standpoint, I can guarantee you that when you embrace the essence of this equation when it comes to people, you are setting up your team and your organization to be as “future-proof” as possible.
Intentional leaders know that their people matter … not just because they produce outputs; but because they are at the heart of the organization. When I was living in Japan, learning with Mr. Yoshino, he shared with me a phrase that, I believe, is what sets Toyota apart from others. “We make people while we make cars” is embodied throughout their company philosophy because they realize that the best way to develop their product or service is by developing people first. As another Toyota motto goes: “Good thinking; good product.”, or as Mr. Yoshino admitted to me, and is the opening quote to my book, “The only secret to Toyota is its attitude towards learning.”
Curiosity for learning and caring for people is the heart of intentional leadership. And when you do, the basic principles of math that tell us 1 + 1 = 2 just don’t work anymore. When people are empowered, inspired, cared for and seen, they will produce more than could be imagined.
If you want to “future-proof” your organization, invest in your people. Support their learning. Ask for their input. Listen to their ideas. Your people will help take your organization to places you haven’t even thought possible. I promise.
What do you predict will be the biggest gaps between what employers are willing to offer and what employees expect as we move forward? And what strategies would you offer about how to reconcile those gaps?
If organizations want to survive, and thrive, it’s imperative that they take a moment to pause, to go see, and to listen.
From Toyota and Mr. Yoshino, I learned the importance of having a “go to gemba” (or “go to the place the work happens”) attitude, which means you can’t know what is actually happening until you go and see for yourself. This requires you to get out of your office, out from behind the reports and data, and to go to the shop floor or the office (or if virtual — use video conferencing and other technologies to “see”). Go with an attitude of caring and curiosity. Ask your employees about their experiences, and spend time listening to really hear what they have to say, with open ears, an open mind, and an open heart.
The pandemic changed the way that work is being accomplished. It also changed how people view their work, and it’s requiring employers to be open-minded to actively seek out and listen to the needs of their employees in ways that they might not have felt compelled to do before. There are new requirements employees expect (such as flexibility in working hours and location), and I think the biggest gap between employers and employees is taking time to listen to these needs and consider ways to work a bit differently to accommodate.
Today’s workforce isn’t limited by geographical barriers or time-zones. In global organizations, people are working all over the world at various times, and are still achieving goals! While some employers may see this as a challenge, the ones who bridge this gap the fastest are the ones who see this new workforce as an exciting breeding ground for innovation and collaboration.
The pandemic introduced the reality that remote working is absolutely possible. While a lot of employers resisted the belief that this was possible, employees have proven that people do not have to be in the same physical location to achieve goals. With this in mind, however, if leaders don’t take the time to “go see” they could be creating false assumptions on how employees feel about remote work. Without asking — and definitely without listening — this gap expands.
There is an overarching belief that many employees prefer working from home instead of working in a physical office setting. And while that may be true for some, the reality is more complicated. Some employees love their new work environment, while others couldn’t wait for the opportunity to pivot away from it and return to the office. It’s imperative that leaders and employers find ways to continue to accurately assess and respond to the needs of their people in the context of what is happening in their organization, however and wherever their employees work. And they must create systems and structures that allow remote working to happen if that’s the desire of their team and in alignment with their line of business, while keeping people connected at the same time
This is nothing short of complicated, but when you are intentional with your actions, care about your people, and take time to listen, it can be done. And it is being done within successful teams and organizations across the globe daily.
We simultaneously joined a global experiment together last year called “Working From Home.” How will this experience influence the future of work?
Ah yes, the “Working From Home” experiment was a fun one, wasn’t it? As I shared in my response to the previous question, working from home began as a necessity — to keep everyone safe — and has evolved into a normalcy — a requirement for some employees to consider who they work for.
At first, the working from home experience was trying. Employees and leaders were simultaneously faced with unique challenges and many that overlapped:
- How to create connections amongst teams that were virtual?
- How to know what people are doing without physically seeing them?
- How to leverage team member’s strengths?
- How to know what your team needs when everyone is dealing with their own unique needs?
- And how to support their employees who were simultaneously trying to work while supporting their kids and other family members who were also suddenly and unexpectedly at home?
These were questions leaders faced in organizations across the globe. And over the course of more months of the working-from-home experiment than we’d like to remember, knee-deep in the thick of the pandemic, we have learned a lot from this experience. And those key learnings absolutely influence the future of work (and of work today).
- We now are charged with considering a hybrid working environment to meet the needs of all employees (both those that enjoyed and thrived working from home, and those that wish to never go back to it).
- We have learned new systems and processes for accomplishing priorities, and those may have made us more nimble and possibly more innovative.
- We have uncovered that connection can happen in more ways than we thought possible, and virtual teams can and will create connection, too.
- We’ve been reminded that first and foremost, we are all people before we are employees. Remembering this will allow us to always focus on what matters most, first.
We’ve all read the headlines about how the pandemic reshaped the workforce. What societal changes do you foresee as necessary to support a future of work that works for everyone?
The pandemic highlighted disparities that we knew existed but that most organizations didn’t put focused energy in breaking through. Many families were forced to make extremely challenging — and, if I’m being honest, unfair — decisions to navigate caring for their children while bringing in an income to support their loved ones and families.
I believe that the pandemic shed light on the need for greater focus on supporting both men and women in raising children, supporting elderly parents, and for their own personal mental and physical health. This is not just a women’s issue — though women are disproportionately impacted — but an issue for men too to “lean out” and have the support at work to take time off. It should be equitable and acceptable.
It’s also not enough to just provide employees time off, but leaders need to model the way on how to actually take it! Balance was required in the thick of the pandemic, and better balance is something employees are now consistently seeking.
Our workforce is changed by the pandemic, but so are we as people. We received a painful reminder of how precious life is, how short our time here is, and how, in an instant, everything can change. We were faced with hard decisions, challenging times, and unforeseen expectations of us. And we learned through them all. While I know that the pandemic has negatively impacted the lives of many, I believe that it did provide us all the opportunity to reset how we see our work and how we see ourselves. And that, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing at all.
What is your greatest source of optimism about the future of work?
Many call the pandemic the “great pause.” We literally had to pause our daily lives … and the busyness that we had become accustomed to. No longer were we aimlessly moving through the hustle and bustle of life and work. The pandemic ceased all unnecessary activities, forced us to remain in one place, and it pushed us to become extremely intentional. And, I believe, that intention is where we find happiness, success, and accomplishment.
I remember navigating running a business, supporting my clients, and helping my two early elementary school-aged children navigate their online learning at the same time. It was a lot to juggle, but I wasn’t alone. Parents across the globe were in the same boat. While I learned a lot during this time, what I learned most was the importance of being intentional with everything I did. When I was supporting my kids with their school requirements, I was extremely present in that moment. And the same was true when I would prioritize my work and the needs of those I support. Time looked different and while the great pause gifted us with more unstructured time, we were also charged with looking at time through a different, albeit more intentional, lens.
Intentionality seeped into how we tackled work, how we collaborated, and how we saw our roles in the world at large. And while, for some, that has pushed major career shifts and stressors on employers, I am optimistic in this shift because I know that the importance of intention goes both ways. Employees are finding companies that have a strong value alignment important to them, and I think this could lead to new levels of innovation and productivity than ever before.
The pandemic reconnected us with our sense of humanity. Priorities shifted and we had to evaluate what was most important to us. And, for most, when life began to “get back to normal,” we didn’t give up this important key learning. That, to me, brings a great sense of optimism!
The use of zoom and other video platforms allowed us to see each other’s lives and we all became more people-centered and human. If this continues, we will engage with teams in a more relational way versus a transactional one. We can all provide meaningful work, but we are all more than any job. People-centered leaders know this, and intentional leaders embrace it.
Our collective mental health and wellbeing are now considered collateral as we consider the future of work. What innovative strategies do you see employers offering to help improve and optimize their employee’s mental health and wellbeing?
Each person is multi-faceted, and now that is celebrated. Organizations and leaders are now looking at the whole person — beyond just the employee side of them — and realizing that no one is merely a “human resource” that shows up for 8–10 hours (or more) at work each day.
Employers and leaders are having to adapt to the needs of the whole person, and they are being required to foster greater physical and mental health by providing opportunities throughout the day to care for that whole person. While every company tackles this differently, it could include time for breaks to take a walk, take a yoga class, or have some cognitive downtime.
There are many innovative ways companies can accomplish this. They could consider offering resources such as mental health services, if that isn’t something already provided. Starbucks did this in 2020 for their employees. They committed to breaking the stigma around mental health by providing their employees access to therapy sessions and membership to a mental health wellbeing app to seek evidence-based treatment. Many other companies have provided similar benefits. Some companies are adapting their time-off restrictions, providing greater flexibility for the needs of their employees.
I think the important thing to remember is that innovative strategies can fall flat if they are developed in a vacuum and are not what employees really are seeking. Organizational leaders must ask and listen to their employees’ needs first. They must “go to gemba” and see what their employees want most, and consider developing innovative strategies from that point.
It seems like there’s a new headline every day. ‘The Great Resignation’. ‘The Great Reconfiguration’. And now the ‘Great Reevaluation’. What are the most important messages leaders need to hear from these headlines? How do company cultures need to evolve?
When it comes to your organization and your leadership team, my message for you is quite simple. Put people first. When you do, you and your organization will always win. Your products or services are a result of the work of your people, and you are only as good as the work that your people do. This was important before, but it’s even more important now because people see their work differently, and they seek to align their limited hours intentionally. They want to be a part of more heart-centered, people-centered organizations, and they want to feel heard, be seen, and know that they are making a contribution.
Today, even more than ever, people want a connection to purpose, and they want to feel like they are contributing to the purpose of their organization. They want to be developed and they want to grow, and they want space to learn without fear of failure or judgment.
How are you supporting your people? How are you meeting their needs? How are you assessing where they’re at and what they want?
Company culture is set by leaders’ words and actions. How are your leaders showing that they care about their people? How are you showing you care? How are you providing your people opportunities for growth, development, and responsibility? And, how are you and your team, yourselves, committing to continuously learning as well?
Company cultures must evolve to see that their purpose is more than just providing a service or product — it’s also about developing their people. Outcomes are important but it’s about people first. And this means asking questions about what employees value, what they want to contribute, and what their challenges are. And listening — not just with open ears, but also an open mind and an open heart.
Let’s get more specific. What are your “Top 5 Trends To Track In the Future of Work?”
We are shaped by our experience — and our challenges — and the pandemic has pushed us to reevaluate and realign how we can and will make an impact. Here are my top 5 trends to track in the future of work:
1. Everyone — at any and all levels of an organization — must have a clear connection to purpose.
Gone are the days where people are staying within a job for merely stability. Work that isn’t clearly aligned to purpose doesn’t feel, well, intentional. And employees just aren’t tolerating that anymore. People have always wanted to feel that their contributions matter and that their efforts have meaning. The best way to guarantee that happens is to ensure that every person within an organization understands how their work is important and purposeful.
Leaders are charged with articulating this purpose — both for themselves and their employees — and how this purpose is intimately connected with the organization’s purpose. For example, Autoliv is a company that makes seatbelts. But their purpose is to “save lives.” And every employee … from the cleaners to the senior managers … know this. They live this. They breathe this. And they see how their work is meaningful to saving lives each and every day. That’s having a clear connection to purpose. One that is beyond making a product, but creating meaningful value.
2. Leaders must be intentional about building a strong connection and rapport with their team (and vice versa).
Companies with healthy, people-centered learning cultures have always known and embraced the importance of the connection and relationship between leaders and their team members. Effective connection is built, however, not by the number of calls or touch-points these individuals have; but rather by the humanness that is seen and cared for.
Authentic connection requires leaders to “go to gemba” and see for themselves the challenges that their team members face (as well as the amazing accomplishments that they celebrate). This connection is a two-way street built from active listening, true caring, genuine curiosity, and mutual respect. However, while this connection is impacted by both the leader and the team member, it’s the responsibility of the leader to set the stage and remain consistent. Leaders need to evaluate ways to remove barriers, ask questions, and listen.
This may be hard for some in a virtual world, but it’s not impossible. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Intentional leaders know it’s very possible, and they embrace the opportunity to learn along the way.
3. There is an increased (and continued) desire for flexibility in working structure, and the organizations that are succeeding are those that are adapting.
From hours to location, employees have discovered the value of flexibility in their schedules and they aren’t always willing to give that flexibility back. And, in many cases, there isn’t a need to remove it!
Offering employees the flexibility to work remotely or in a hybrid setting — or the opportunity to set their own schedules altogether — will continue to be an increasing need and a valued offering.
I have the pleasure of coaching various cohorts of leaders from around the world and I’ve seen firsthand the importance of flexibility both in being a leader and in desiring that trait within a leader. It’s amazing to have participants from literally all corners of the globe participate in an interactive learning experience together, at the same time.
No matter where you live, what role you have, what you do for a living, or what you aspire to achieve, the one commonality is that we all want to feel valued and know that the people we work with and the company we work for sees us and sees our value.
Flexibility doesn’t have to be anything more than seeing and caring for your team members and listening to their needs and accommodating where possible. For some, that’s their working hours. Could they adapt their schedule to allow for family requirements? Possibly. For others, it’s the flexibility in where they work or how they tackle their work.
As a working mother who — in my own business — has been able to set my hours based on my family’s needs and my clients’ needs, not set to fit work only between 9–5, flexing on the day and the needs, I’ve long appreciated the ability for flexibility. It is one of the reasons I left a traditional job nearly a decade ago. I work “full-time”, just not set times in eight hour blocks each day. Many other women I know left their 9–5 jobs before the pandemic because traditional expectations of working hours didn’t work for them, removing themselves completely from the workforce. Now employers have the opportunity to leverage a brain trust that has opted out because traditional work structures didn’t work for them, and tap into the tremendous creativity and capabilities that can empower and enable their success.
My recommendation is to focus on the things that do matter — and allow for flexibility in the things that may not. Where you can offer flexibility, don’t hold back.
4. More asynchronous working will require innovation in tools and collaboration products.
Zoom and other video streaming services weren’t what they are today before the pandemic. Their capabilities evolved, as did our capabilities in using them, and many other tools to inspire innovation have and will continue to as well. As teams are dispersed around the globe and working more flexible hours, we won’t have the same expectation of everyone being available at the same time, yet we can utilize ways to coordinate through project management apps, communication tools like Loom, and scheduling specific times in advance for live communication.
Within my own team here at Katie Anderson Consulting, I have the pleasure of working with amazing team members in various locations across the globe and yet, together, we have created a culture that is innovative and forward-thinking. We have learned that synchronous meetings aren’t required to accomplish work, but they are celebrated when possible as they can build connections when executed intentionally. Each person knows how they play a meaningful role in our overarching work, and together we make things happen!
My team is living proof that innovation is possible within a diverse team dynamic dispersed around the world.
5. Speaking of which, diversity, equity and inclusion gaps will widen without purposeful attention by companies in managing hybrid and remote work.
While the pandemic positively impacted greater flexibility and connection to work-life balance for many employees due to reduced commute times and more flexible working hours, for others it exacerbated DEI gaps that already existed. For example, many of us have experienced first hand that women were disproportionately impacted with childcare and homeschooling responsibilities. And for those who do not have high speed internet access or quiet spaces at their home, it was challenging to have productive working days.
A 2021 HBR study noted that women and people of color disproportionately preferred remote work, while white men preferred returning to the office. If companies reward in person work more than remote work, this could exacerbate DEI pay and promotion issues.
Employers and leaders must be aware of this gap and be intentional about managing it in ways that create inclusive environments which foster creative thought and respected opinions of all people.
I keep quotes on my desk and on scraps of paper to stay inspired. What’s your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? And how has this quote shaped your perspective?
“Today’s a great day!” was my father’s motto and that simple quote has shaped who I am. It inspires me each and every day to live with positive intention, to get up when I fall down, and to embrace life with gusto.
My dad was my greatest and most exuberant supporter, who used his focus on the positive as a way to navigate through life’s challenges. While he was a gifted surgeon and artist, a dedicated father, husband and friend, and someone who found joy in every day, he also experienced significant adversity throughout his life. He was an undiagnosed dyslexic until he was in his teens, not able to read until middle school. He was in a terrible accident a month before graduating from college, leaving his lower body disabled with limited mobility. And in 2015 he was diagnosed with ALS, while my family and I were living in Japan.
Even with his many physical limitations from his injuries, and as he became increasingly paralyzed and unable to breathe due to ALS, he would look up and beam about something that made a particular moment special. It could be as simple as “the sun is shining” or “I get to see you.” He had a twinkle in his eye until the very end knowing that there was and always will be good in each day.
My father’s outlook that “today is a great day” is not to say that he didn’t face adversity or challenging days and moments, but it was his intention to find the good in some part of the day as a way to connect to the positive in life.
I also found a kindred spirit in Isao Yoshino, the subject of my book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn. Mr. Yoshino always talks about how we can focus on the good and he challenges everyone (myself included) to find the good in people and in situations.
As I wrote in my book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn: “You have a choice, in work and in life, about how you respond to your circumstances. While you may not always have control over your conditions, you have control over your mindset and your reactions. Indeed, your happiness, your growth, and your experience, is what you make of it.”
And, like my dad, I choose to see that “Today is a great day.” This is how we live with intention.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He, she, or they might just see this if we tag them.
There are so many inspirational people that come to mind that I would love to spend some time with in private conversation. The one that keeps coming to me is Hillary Clinton. I admire her greatly for her courage in paving the way for women in leadership positions, for her passionate advocacy for equity in health and education, and much more.
In college, I studied the first attempt at universal healthcare and was impressed with Hillary Clinton’s role in helping shape and drive this. Later, she broke the glass ceiling with her own leadership in the Senate and other roles, and of course by running for President of the United States.
I would love the opportunity to sit down with her and reflect on her life’s journey to inspire and shape change in so many ways!
Our readers often like to continue the conversation with our featured interviewees. How can they best connect with you and stay current on what you’re discovering?
I love and value connection, and I would encourage anyone interested in connecting with me to do so! It would make my day, actually.
The best way to learn about how I can help empower you and your teams to create the culture and impact you want as we navigate the future of work, is by visiting www.kbjanderson.com. Through my website, you can also access resources to support your leadership impact, join my newsletter, find my bestselling book, and much more.
You can also follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, where I share all of my collaborations, events, insights, and reshares from people I admire. And feel free to also reach out to me with specific questions at: [email protected]
Thank you for sharing your insights and predictions. We appreciate the gift of your time and wish you continued success and good health.