Speakers

Monday, January 23

When Heather McGowan and her co-author sat down to write The Adaptation Advantage: Let Go, Learn Fast, and Thrive in the Future of Work, which was published in 2020, they didn’t realize just how quickly their predictions would come to pass. The global pandemic led to the transformation of work occurring over not three to five years but three to five weeks.

Whether a change sprang up almost instantly or evolved more slowly, the new ways of working, learning and leading are already here. Beyond buzzwords and memes, people are simply putting a greater emphasis on culture and trust. Today’s employees and job candidates want to understand the “why” behind the firm and their role. In turn, firms are rethinking how they structure and run their businesses, especially how they attract and retain talent.

McGowan will point the way to moving past “skill sets,” some of which can be “replaced” by technology, and toward transformation that develops uniquely human skills and motivates human potential.

McGowan is an internationally known speaker, writer and Future of Work Strategist. She prepares leaders to effectively react to rapid and disruptive changes in education, work and society. She posits that in the Third Industrial Revolution (late 18th century), we learned in order to work and now, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we will work in order to learn continuously. 

Tuesday, January 24

1:30 – 2:30 pm

CEO Panel: Re-energizing for the Long Run