| Dear Friends, Last month in Austin, CEOs from around the world gathered for the Conscious Capitalism 2022 CEO Summit, the premier forum for purpose driven leaders. Since 2008, it’s been the place for the world’s most inspiring organizations to gather and meet the challenge of both doing good and doing well. We welcomed participants from companies of all sizes—from those working to achieve scale to global brands striving to activate their purpose across diverse stakeholders—to connect, listen, learn, and share. At the end of the week, we returned to our companies, communities, and families inspired and energized by what is possible when ignited by the wisdom and strength of an incredible and generous community of CEOs. For those in attendance, there was no mistaking that Conscious Leadership was our central theme. The speakers on stage provided the jumping-off point for an experience that was co-created by every participant through one-on-one and group conversations that provided depth and perspective to important issues. Here are just a few of the highlights from the leaders who sparked those interactions: We started, as is our way, with a look of Higher Purpose from Brooks Running CEO Jim Weber. In his sweeping story about implementing the Conscious Capitalism management philosophy and inspiring his teams while transforming Brooks into a billion dollar brand he noted the secret to their success “is the constancy of purpose.” As we later explored Stakeholder Orientation, Victor Cho, Board Member and former CEO of Evite, invited us to think about Society as a fourth stakeholder and delivered a compelling framework through which a business can directly attach social impact to its business model. Melanie Dulbecco, CEO of ToraniDiana Propper de Callejon, Managing Director of Cranemere, and Sarah Slusser, CEO of Cypress Creek Renewables, considered the financial and emotional impact of income inequality and how wealth creation should be a priority across all stakeholders of our businesses and in our communities. Chip Wade, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, reinforced that Conscious Cultures must embrace opportunities to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion at every turn and to do so through open and vulnerable conversations. That same unguarded approach to tough conversation was seen in Dan Simons’, Co-Founder of Founding Farmers Restaurant Group, call to do better in developing a playbook to address mental health in our workplaces. Conscious Culture, after all, only happens when team members feel safe, heard, and cared for. The conversation on Conscious Leadership was front and center as Rand Stagen, CEO, Stagen Leadership Academy, showed us a path toward higher ground thinking where diversity of thought creates winning solutions for all. Tony Schwartz, Founder & CEO of The Energy Project, premiered his latest thinking around how leadership is an inside job and that we must become bigger human beings who are conscious of more within and without ourselves to truly be servant leaders. Stay tuned as we share these and other stories from the Summit stage and photos from the event on our website and social media channels and look for tactical take-aways and continued conversations throughout 2023 with our Senior Leader Network, Virtual Gatherings, and Local Chapter events. More on what to expect in 2023 in our next update. As we spend time this week gathering and reflecting with our loved ones, I am filled with joy that I am able to serve our Higher Purpose of elevating humanity through business and I am so grateful to the thousands of leaders who choose to prioritize purpose and travel this path with our community. With gratitude, |
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| Karen Sammon CEO, Conscious Capitalism, Inc. |