AI (Artificial Intelligence), Developing, High-trust leadership, Leadership & Management
Over 1,600 attendees joined the second day of the For All Summit to explore how the workplace is changing and what strategies build much-needed resilience.
What is the common denominator among the highest achievers in our society?
Angela Duckworth, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and bestselling author of 鈥淕rit,鈥� has studied Olympic athletes, West Point cadets, spelling bee competitors, and more. In remarks from the mainstage of the For All Summit hosted by 逸遊娛樂城庐, she explained how performance and talent is misunderstood.
In her research, high achievement isn鈥檛 correlated with IQ, or innate ability. Instead, it鈥檚 grit 鈥� a combination of passion and perseverance 鈥� that predicts future success.
10,000 hours of deliberate practice
Duckworth says that the 鈥�10,000 hour rule,鈥� which was developed by Anders Ericsson, has been largely misunderstood.
The difference between a learning curve where one achieves mastery, and a curve where development plateaus isn鈥檛 the quantity of time spent, she says. It鈥檚 the quality of the time spent, what she calls 鈥渄eliberate practice.鈥�
鈥淭he brain is use it or lose it,鈥� she says. To know if you are engaging in high-quality learning and development, she identifies three rules:
- Decide on a small sub-skill to practice. The highest achievers break things down into small skills, and make relentless efforts to improve. One tip: 鈥淚t is nearly impossible to set that goal without a mentor,鈥� Duckworth says.
- Practice with 100% focus. It鈥檚 hard to develop expertise when being constantly distracted by email, or phone messages, Duckworth says.
- Get feedback and reflect. This is the hardest element of deliberate practice, Duckworth says, but is crucial for making progress. 鈥淧aragons of grit ask for feedback,鈥� she explains. 鈥淭hey reflect on that feedback and that gives them a new goal to start the cycle all over again.鈥�
How to build grit
Grit isn鈥檛 an innate set of traits, though it can come more easily to some than others. Duckworth shares four tips for anyone to build grit:
- Develop your interests.
- Practice like an expert.
- Cultivate purpose.
- Adopt a growth mindset.
Relationships and workplace culture are also crucial for supporting individuals to become more gritty.
鈥淚t鈥檚 forged through relationships,鈥� Duckworth says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you can express or develop grit if you don鈥檛 have a great place to work.鈥�
Getting ready for AI
Resilience is top of mind for many business leaders as the workplace faces the rapid change promised by the AI revolution.
Allie K. Miller, AI entrepreneur and investor, made the case that AI represents a unique tipping point, not just for business leaders but for the world. To get ready, Miller made the case for creating an AI-first business.
Allie K. MIller speaks from the mainstage at the For All Summit.
That doesn鈥檛 mean replacing people with machines, she says. 鈥淚t starts and ends with humans,鈥� she explains and offered three P鈥檚 for embedding AI into every aspect of your company:
1. People. AI can reduce manual and repetitive tasks, improve productivity and boost engagement, Miller says. When done the right way, AI doesn鈥檛 just save time. It can also boost morale as workers free up time to work on the more meaningful parts of their roles.
2. Process. Miller shared a case study from Walmart where vendors who had a hard time getting the attention of procurement professionals could engage with an AI tool to negotiate and close deals to provide Walmart with their services. Both vendors and Walmart reported high levels of satisfaction with the process, revealing an opportunity to improve efficiency.
3. Product. This is the highest risk category, Miller warns, but many companies are seeing opportunities to offer a highly personalized experience to customers using AI to scale content and digital experiences.
Above all, start with a culture of trust, Miller says. 鈥淎I is a tool, not a magic silver bullet.鈥� By starting with a problem to be solved and keeping humans at the center of your strategy, companies will find a path forward as new technology changes the way the world works.
A universal design for great workplaces
To seize the opportunities that new technology brings, embracing neurodiversity and being a workplace for all has never been more important.
Dr. Daniel Wendler, clinical psychologist and bestselling author of 鈥淣eurodiversity and the Myth of Normal鈥� shared his inspiring personal story as a neurodivergent individual and was joined by Accenture leaders Ellyn Shook, chief leadership and human resources officer and Paul Daugherty, chief technology and innovation officer to discuss how organizations can unlock the potential of people who think in different ways.
鈥淐reating a neuroinclusive workplace is not uncharted territory,鈥� Wendler says. 鈥淭here are proven steps.鈥�
Both Shook and Wendler spoke about the value of friendship. 鈥淭hrough a simple decision to be a friend, you can change someone鈥檚 life,鈥� Wendler says.
Shook shared early lessons from Accenture鈥檚 journey to become more neuroinclusive, including four actions that leaders take to make an immediate impact:
1. Educate yourself. 鈥淪tart to understand neurodivergent profiles,鈥� Shook says. At Accenture, a training platform called Uptimize has been used by over 16,000 employees to increase awareness and knowledge about neurodiversity in the workplace.
2. Talk to your people. Experts estimate that 20% of people worldwide are neurodivergent, which suggests you have employees in your organization who are neurodivergent, and talking to them could surface valuable insights. Shook recommends listening to understand people鈥檚 strengths and build trust. 鈥淭hose have to be trusting conversations that an individual can have with their colleague or leader,鈥� she says.
3. Accept differences. This starts with creating an environment where neurodivergent individuals feel safe and comfortable sharing their unique experiences and needs. Shook shared an important reminder from a colleague: 鈥淲hen you鈥檝e met one autistic person, you鈥檝e met one autistic person.鈥�
4. Provide flexibility. Changes to the physical environment and offering flexibility in how people do their work can make a big difference in helping neurodiverse employees thrive. 鈥淔ocus on outcomes,鈥� Shook advises, as well as looking at tech solutions. AI tools can be a great aid.
鈥淕en AI is gaining more human-like capabilities and other emerging technologies are helping us learn more about ourselves,鈥� Daugherty says. Technology can have a transformative impact on unlocking people鈥檚 potential, which is he illustrated with a story about Todd Lukesh, a digital twin architect at Accenture. Lukesh has a digital twin of his brain which provides data to understand and help control his seizures.
The beauty of inclusion is that improving the lives of one group often improves the lives of everyone else, too. 鈥淲hen you design with everyone in mind, it makes it better for everybody,鈥� Wendler says.
鈥淲hat more can I do?鈥�
Changing the world starts with changing yourself.
Of the many stories shared over the course of the For All Summit, almost all focused on transformation. How can good workplaces become great workplaces? How can great workplaces go from changing their business to changing the world?
All the leaders who spoke echoed how hard the work of changing a culture can be. The closing keynote from John O鈥橪eary, author and motivational speaker, was a reminder of the power that every person has to make a difference.
John O'Leary speaks from the mainstage at the 2024 For All Summit.
鈥淲hen we struggle and we choose to give up our power, I find there are three questions we ask,鈥� O鈥橪eary says.
- Why me?
- Who cares?
- What more can I do?
As a nine-year-old boy, O鈥橪eary suffered catastrophic burns to 100% of his body. His story of resilience is about how those three questions can be transformed, and how people who choose to serve are the reason he beat the odds to survive.
鈥淭he manner in which you choose to ask the question will change how you feel, what you dream about 鈥� and the results you get,鈥� he says.
His three questions become a rallying call to service, and a challenge to all: What more can you do to create a great place to work for all?
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