Business

Bill Gates spoke at Davos in 2008, about the need for creative capitalism. Michael Porter started talking about shared value capitalism, John Mackey of Whole Foods started talking about conscious capitalism and Marc Benioff started talking about compassionate capitalism. It was the beginning of a time when everybody felt the need to put a modifier in front of the word 'capitalism,' it was clear the incumbent version wasn't working as well as it could.

Editor of Fortune Magazine & Wall Street Journal columnist

If you look at the balance sheets of Fortune 500 companies 50 years ago and today, 50 years ago, 80% of the value was physical stuff. Today, more than 85% of the value consists of intangibles. Companies must become so much more now that their value comes from their ability to inspire, drive and organise human beings.

Editor of Fortune Magazine & Wall Street Journal columnist

Instead of saying 'I'm a technology entrepreneur…' you might say, 'well, I run a technology business, but I love philosophy and playing the piano…' the person you're speaking to now has a few more dots to connect! It takes active engagement in conversation to do this – you can't be passive and on autopilot.

When we show our vulnerabilities, what we are insecure about, we are more transparent in how we lead, this is what unlocks cultures of inclusion, empowerment, agency, and psychological safety. We signal to our team members, 'you can trust me' and as a leader, it is vital we show up more authentically.

Canadian actress known for role in "Quantico" TV series

When we perform, it feels humiliating, exhausting, demoralising, exclusionary to do. When we mask, conform, and hide aspects of who we are, it actually hurts and damages us in the end. The adapted self willingly, happily chooses to adapt, to adjust our behaviour to meet our needs and the needs of others.

Canadian actress known for role in "Quantico" TV series

The contract between an employer and employee has changed quite a bit. When I first joined Adobe I was hoping that there would be a meaningful impact and that I could contribute to the purpose. I was hoping that I would have an opportunity to grow and develop. I was hoping to have some autonomy and flexibility. All of that now has become a must have, not a nice to have.

I think the silver lining of this pandemic in the last couple of years is we have realised that culture is not relegated to an office, it's agnostic of a physical office. It is how we work with each other. We have gotten a little lazy by thinking it is all these fun and games.

I believe that culture isn't a continuous act. We talk about strategizing. We don't just talk about our strategy. I believe that we also need to review our culture, maybe not as much as our strategy, but at key points of a company changing. It is essential to also look at how we are working together.

I define culture is three primary parts. The first part is behaviour. It's the behaviours of your employees that get embedded into all the processes we are already doing. The second part is processes. Think of the interview process – hiring, onboarding, recognition, promotion, feedback. All of those should have the behaviours integrated in them, ideally. The last piece is practices. These are kind of the daily, more informal ways that that we interact and connect – how we meet, how we communicate, how we make decisions and even how we learn.

Innovation is a skill, a teachable skill, just like management. If you focus on a handful of key principles, you can effectively drive innovation in any type of business. Innovative companies are not afraid of failure – they're willing to take risks, fail forward, learn from missteps, pivot, and keep going.

Former President of Nintendo of America, led iconic console era

I always tried to run my business in a humane way. I had this idea of business being tough and harsh, and thought I could build a business that was humane and kind. Performance metrics and KPIs are relatively straightforward to follow, but doing the 'right thing' is not nearly so clear cut.

Pioneering Software Engineer & Founder of Freelance Programmers Ltd

The irony is that the more passive aggressive you are, the more your relationships will get damaged, much more so than if you were just honest. Passive aggression is infuriating when you're dealing with it. It can feel like shadowboxing!

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

Remote work has turned the lights on in the room, it's allowing us to see the cracks and cobwebs, and we can never switch that light off again. If your relationships were strong to start with, remote and hybrid work has been shown to intensify those relationships. If you already had fractures and negative relationships, hybrid and remote has been shown to intensify the negativity and make those relationships worse.

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

We spend so much time at work, so we're going to have relationships with our colleagues – and those relationships may be distanced, troubled or fantastic. When they're positive, they're a source of joy, energy, productivity, and resilience. On the flip side, when those relationships are negative or stressful, they have incredible ramifications for our well-being, productivity, and creativity. Studies show that even when we cut ourselves, it takes longer to heal if we are having animosity in our close relationships!

Harvard Business Review contributor & workplace dynamics expert

I remember at Netflix, after we went public, the parking lot changed from old Volvos and station wagons to Mercedes' and BMW's. That really made me happy; not the cars per-say, but the fact that all those families could now send their kids to school and college.

Co-Founder of Netflix & Former Redbox CEO

I define disruption as being where the incumbent players and incumbents somehow deny what their customers are saying or want differently. A disruptor comes in, sees a problem more clearly, and in some cases has more freedom to attack the problem.

Co-Founder of Netflix & Former Redbox CEO