Speakers: Julian Lute, Strategic Advisor, Great Place To Work
Julian Lute, Strategic Advisor, Great Place To Work kicks off the Great Place To Work for All Summit on For All Leadership.
Show Transcript
Julian Lute:
What's up?
Julian Lute:
What's up.
Julian Lute:
What's up?
Julian Lute:
Morning.
Julian Lute:
How are you doing? Wow, y'all look good. Y'all look good this morning. Well, thank you. On behalf of the entire Great Place To Work community, I want to welcome you to our 17th annual Great Place To Work For All Summit here in beautiful San Francisco. Give yourself a round of applause. I want to say thank you to the folks who traveled because you definitely brought the weather with you. It was not like this last week. So I know that there are some people who have come to the summit a number of times, but I really want to hear from the people that this is their first time here at A Great Place To Work Summit. So if this is your first time at A Great Place To Work For All, please make some noise.
Julian Lute:
Excuse me. All right, they're ready. They're fired up. So for those of us who have been here a couple of times, or maybe been here for the entire 17 times that we've hosted this, I want you to make some noise. All right. So we've got a lot of people here who have been here for their first time. Thank you. And for those of us who have done this before, it's our job and our responsibility to make folks feel welcome. All right, so look around. If you know people that this is their first time here, please take a take an extra second, introduce yourself because it's all about our a Great Place To Work community. Now, yesterday, we had the Culture U. If you participated in Culture U or the Ascenture Immersion Experience make some noise.
Julian Lute:
How great was that? How great was that? There was so much energy around Culture U. It's a fantastic opportunity to learn hands-on from Great Place To Work experts as well as folks in best companies who truly know what it is to create great places to work for all. So we thank all of our partners for making that happen. We made it. For real, we made it here. All right. I really want to acknowledge everyone in the midst of all the travel restrictions and also the things that we know that are happening with the virus that you still came to join this community. So please give yourself a round of applause for just being here
Julian Lute:
And we want you to know that our collective community health and wellbeing is top of mind for all of us. We've been sending out emails to everyone to make sure that you knew some of the things that you should be aware of when you joined the summit this year and I'm going to go over a few of those things so that we're all on the same page. Number one, we have a team of folks from Great Place To Work and also from our partner at Marriott who are closely monitoring the virus both locally and internationally. So we've got folks on that. Secondly, this year we've implemented much more stringent health and safety protocols. So you're going to see a lot of signage around the venue and in different focus sessions that help you understand what it is that we're trying to do to make sure that each of us home in the same condition that we left and maybe even a little bit better.
Julian Lute:
Third, it's so hard for people like us who are generally called touchy feely, who like to connect, to not touch each other. It's strange, but we do have a no hugging, no handshake policy. There are lots of other ways that we can connect this week, but that's a major one. So we want to make sure that everyone understood that as well. Couple of ways that we're going to do this. You're going to see hand sanitizer everywhere. You've got hand sanitizer in your bag. We've got it everywhere throughout the venue and the partner hall and in focus group sessions, so use your hand sanitizer as you need. We're going to have constant reminders from people like me on the main stage and all the focus sessions to practice basic hygiene. The best thing that we can do is what?
Julian Lute:
Wash our hands.
Julian Lute:
I didn't even have to say. We've got some medical professionals in the building. Wash your hands. That's the first way, the least expensive way, and the most consistent way that we can fight the virus and also keep each other and our community safe. You also have access to onsite medical staff in the venue all week long. We've also got folks that'll be here on call. So if anything happens and you need some extra assistance, we've got your back. If you're not feeling well, we're asking that you go to your room, shoot an email out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we can support you in that way. So just make sure that if you're not feeling well, you take it back to the room. If you haven't downloaded the conference app, this is going to be the place for all of the real time updates.
Julian Lute:
So as things come up, whether it's changes in the summit, changes in rooms, all that stuff is going to come through the conference app, but also any real time information that we have around health and wellness is also going to come from the conference app. So you should make sure that you download that. I put the QR code up now, so if you haven't downloaded it, you can download it. I've been here since Sunday and I've seen people that I haven't seen for two or three years and my first instinct was just to grab them and hug them just like Michael in The Office. But we had to step back. So this year, of course, no hugging. Okay, no hugs. But you can do the Garfield long distance hug. We've practiced that. I'm actually going to do a long distance hug for each of you. That's the long distance hug. The fist bump. I've seen CEOs and leaders of major, major nations doing the fist bump. Over the last 10 years it's very, very popular. Don't fist bump this week. Okay, no fist bump in this week.
Julian Lute:
But you can do what the nine time world champion Oakland Athletics do, which is the forearm bash. Use your forearms. Use your elbows. I've seen people take it to the extreme. I've seen some of you take it to the extreme. They do this touching thing. It's called the Tate-a-Tate. Has anybody heard of this? Okay, I've seen some of you do this. You may not want to admit it live and in person, but I've seen you do this. Don't do this, this week, okay? No head touching, whether it's lovingly or otherwise. But if you were raised in the 80s and 90s, the Kid 'n Play is a perfectly acceptable way to let someone know that you're there and that you care. You can also namaste or you can go full Wakanda. It depends on you, all right? But we wanted to get that out of the way and make sure that everyone knew that we're here to take care of each other and that while you're with us and we practice all the protocols that we've got, we're going to be safe and we're going to go back home the same way we came.
Julian Lute:
You guys with me on that? All right. The purpose and the power of this gathering is in the connections. When I look around this room and I see every single one of you representing different states, different countries, we know that the only reason this work moves forward is because each and every one of us brings something different to the table and we're willing to connect with those around us. The job that we're asking you to do, one of the jobs and roles we're asking you to do, is to meet folks around you and also pay attention to what it is that folks are doing in their organizations to create great workplaces for all. It is our job as cultural leaders to help problem solve and also share best practices. Each organization has their own set of best practices. So don't be afraid if you're an organization that has 10 people or you're an organization that has 500,000 people, just share what it is that you're doing to create a great workplace experience for your people.
Julian Lute:
The second thing we're asking folks to do this week is to innovate. And when we say innovate, we're thinking about how can we better use our people to achieve our strategic goals? We want to bring out the best in every one of us and it's our job while we're here to be thinking about what we can do differently and what we can bring into the organization or accentuate in our organizations to actually make that real. We want to maximize the potential of everyone because we all come to work every single day wanting to bring out our best, and as leaders, it's our role to make sure that happens. And the last thing I'm asking and that we're asking you to do this week is to lead. Now, leading is a very, very personal thing. What it means to be a leader in this Great Place To Work movement is that sometimes you're the person that's advocating for doing right in the organization when other people might not see things the same way.
Julian Lute:
Leading is very, very personal. We want you to challenge yourself this week to figure what you can do to help continue to create high trust experiences for your people. This Great Place To Work For All movement doesn't happen just because there's a lot of people who want it to happen. It happens because there's a lot of us out here that are willing to take risks, be vulnerable, and lead in the ways that we know are necessary to create this experience for everyone. I truly believe that this is a movement. If you believe this is a movement, make some noise.
Julian Lute:
Woo!
Julian Lute:
Good. God. This is a very special week for the Great Place To Work For All movement. We come and we host these events, not just for our sanity because it makes us insane, but it's actually because we know the power of each and every one of you. This is a brand new decade. We have a mission at Great Place To Work to make sure that everyone has access to a Great Place To Work-certified workplace by 2030. So we've got 10 more years to go in this new decade. We want this week to be educational, we want this week to be inspirational, and we want this week to be transformational. And why this is very, very important to me, about two years ago, there was a woman here who was working at a financial services firm who as a part of a small group of folks in HR really wanted to be a great place to work. They knew that they had the leadership, they knew they had the right people, but the perspectives in the organization still needed to shift.
Julian Lute:
She came to the conference and I remember talking to her and she said, "You know what? I feel like I'm only doing this by myself. I feel like there's not a lot of people and we're like the little engine that could, but we felt like the little engine that couldn't." So when she had an opportunity to be around all of you, to hear people's stories and what they were doing in their organizations and how their organizations were changing, the Thursday that we were leaving, I saw her as she was walking out. She literally had tears in her eyes. She was crying because she said, "I did not realize that there were this many people working in their organizations doing the same thing that I'm trying to do in mine." And so she said that carried her through the next year. When I saw her in 2018, she ran up to me, she could give me a hug, then she gave me a hug and let me know that they had just become Great Place To Work-certified.
Julian Lute:
And she said the only thing that got her through those days was knowing that there were a bunch of people just like you that are doing this work right alongside of her. So it's very important that you show up and show out while you're here. All right? So give yourself a round of applause for showing up and showing out. we do this because it's better. We know it's better. It's better for business, it's better for people, and it's better for the world. That is why we do this work.
What's up?
Julian Lute:
What's up.
Julian Lute:
What's up?
Julian Lute:
Morning.
Julian Lute:
How are you doing? Wow, y'all look good. Y'all look good this morning. Well, thank you. On behalf of the entire Great Place To Work community, I want to welcome you to our 17th annual Great Place To Work For All Summit here in beautiful San Francisco. Give yourself a round of applause. I want to say thank you to the folks who traveled because you definitely brought the weather with you. It was not like this last week. So I know that there are some people who have come to the summit a number of times, but I really want to hear from the people that this is their first time here at A Great Place To Work Summit. So if this is your first time at A Great Place To Work For All, please make some noise.
Julian Lute:
Excuse me. All right, they're ready. They're fired up. So for those of us who have been here a couple of times, or maybe been here for the entire 17 times that we've hosted this, I want you to make some noise. All right. So we've got a lot of people here who have been here for their first time. Thank you. And for those of us who have done this before, it's our job and our responsibility to make folks feel welcome. All right, so look around. If you know people that this is their first time here, please take a take an extra second, introduce yourself because it's all about our a Great Place To Work community. Now, yesterday, we had the Culture U. If you participated in Culture U or the Ascenture Immersion Experience make some noise.
Julian Lute:
How great was that? How great was that? There was so much energy around Culture U. It's a fantastic opportunity to learn hands-on from Great Place To Work experts as well as folks in best companies who truly know what it is to create great places to work for all. So we thank all of our partners for making that happen. We made it. For real, we made it here. All right. I really want to acknowledge everyone in the midst of all the travel restrictions and also the things that we know that are happening with the virus that you still came to join this community. So please give yourself a round of applause for just being here
Julian Lute:
And we want you to know that our collective community health and wellbeing is top of mind for all of us. We've been sending out emails to everyone to make sure that you knew some of the things that you should be aware of when you joined the summit this year and I'm going to go over a few of those things so that we're all on the same page. Number one, we have a team of folks from Great Place To Work and also from our partner at Marriott who are closely monitoring the virus both locally and internationally. So we've got folks on that. Secondly, this year we've implemented much more stringent health and safety protocols. So you're going to see a lot of signage around the venue and in different focus sessions that help you understand what it is that we're trying to do to make sure that each of us home in the same condition that we left and maybe even a little bit better.
Julian Lute:
Third, it's so hard for people like us who are generally called touchy feely, who like to connect, to not touch each other. It's strange, but we do have a no hugging, no handshake policy. There are lots of other ways that we can connect this week, but that's a major one. So we want to make sure that everyone understood that as well. Couple of ways that we're going to do this. You're going to see hand sanitizer everywhere. You've got hand sanitizer in your bag. We've got it everywhere throughout the venue and the partner hall and in focus group sessions, so use your hand sanitizer as you need. We're going to have constant reminders from people like me on the main stage and all the focus sessions to practice basic hygiene. The best thing that we can do is what?
Julian Lute:
Wash our hands.
Julian Lute:
I didn't even have to say. We've got some medical professionals in the building. Wash your hands. That's the first way, the least expensive way, and the most consistent way that we can fight the virus and also keep each other and our community safe. You also have access to onsite medical staff in the venue all week long. We've also got folks that'll be here on call. So if anything happens and you need some extra assistance, we've got your back. If you're not feeling well, we're asking that you go to your room, shoot an email out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we can support you in that way. So just make sure that if you're not feeling well, you take it back to the room. If you haven't downloaded the conference app, this is going to be the place for all of the real time updates.
Julian Lute:
So as things come up, whether it's changes in the summit, changes in rooms, all that stuff is going to come through the conference app, but also any real time information that we have around health and wellness is also going to come from the conference app. So you should make sure that you download that. I put the QR code up now, so if you haven't downloaded it, you can download it. I've been here since Sunday and I've seen people that I haven't seen for two or three years and my first instinct was just to grab them and hug them just like Michael in The Office. But we had to step back. So this year, of course, no hugging. Okay, no hugs. But you can do the Garfield long distance hug. We've practiced that. I'm actually going to do a long distance hug for each of you. That's the long distance hug. The fist bump. I've seen CEOs and leaders of major, major nations doing the fist bump. Over the last 10 years it's very, very popular. Don't fist bump this week. Okay, no fist bump in this week.
Julian Lute:
But you can do what the nine time world champion Oakland Athletics do, which is the forearm bash. Use your forearms. Use your elbows. I've seen people take it to the extreme. I've seen some of you take it to the extreme. They do this touching thing. It's called the Tate-a-Tate. Has anybody heard of this? Okay, I've seen some of you do this. You may not want to admit it live and in person, but I've seen you do this. Don't do this, this week, okay? No head touching, whether it's lovingly or otherwise. But if you were raised in the 80s and 90s, the Kid 'n Play is a perfectly acceptable way to let someone know that you're there and that you care. You can also namaste or you can go full Wakanda. It depends on you, all right? But we wanted to get that out of the way and make sure that everyone knew that we're here to take care of each other and that while you're with us and we practice all the protocols that we've got, we're going to be safe and we're going to go back home the same way we came.
Julian Lute:
You guys with me on that? All right. The purpose and the power of this gathering is in the connections. When I look around this room and I see every single one of you representing different states, different countries, we know that the only reason this work moves forward is because each and every one of us brings something different to the table and we're willing to connect with those around us. The job that we're asking you to do, one of the jobs and roles we're asking you to do, is to meet folks around you and also pay attention to what it is that folks are doing in their organizations to create great workplaces for all. It is our job as cultural leaders to help problem solve and also share best practices. Each organization has their own set of best practices. So don't be afraid if you're an organization that has 10 people or you're an organization that has 500,000 people, just share what it is that you're doing to create a great workplace experience for your people.
Julian Lute:
The second thing we're asking folks to do this week is to innovate. And when we say innovate, we're thinking about how can we better use our people to achieve our strategic goals? We want to bring out the best in every one of us and it's our job while we're here to be thinking about what we can do differently and what we can bring into the organization or accentuate in our organizations to actually make that real. We want to maximize the potential of everyone because we all come to work every single day wanting to bring out our best, and as leaders, it's our role to make sure that happens. And the last thing I'm asking and that we're asking you to do this week is to lead. Now, leading is a very, very personal thing. What it means to be a leader in this Great Place To Work movement is that sometimes you're the person that's advocating for doing right in the organization when other people might not see things the same way.
Julian Lute:
Leading is very, very personal. We want you to challenge yourself this week to figure what you can do to help continue to create high trust experiences for your people. This Great Place To Work For All movement doesn't happen just because there's a lot of people who want it to happen. It happens because there's a lot of us out here that are willing to take risks, be vulnerable, and lead in the ways that we know are necessary to create this experience for everyone. I truly believe that this is a movement. If you believe this is a movement, make some noise.
Julian Lute:
Woo!
Julian Lute:
Good. God. This is a very special week for the Great Place To Work For All movement. We come and we host these events, not just for our sanity because it makes us insane, but it's actually because we know the power of each and every one of you. This is a brand new decade. We have a mission at Great Place To Work to make sure that everyone has access to a Great Place To Work-certified workplace by 2030. So we've got 10 more years to go in this new decade. We want this week to be educational, we want this week to be inspirational, and we want this week to be transformational. And why this is very, very important to me, about two years ago, there was a woman here who was working at a financial services firm who as a part of a small group of folks in HR really wanted to be a great place to work. They knew that they had the leadership, they knew they had the right people, but the perspectives in the organization still needed to shift.
Julian Lute:
She came to the conference and I remember talking to her and she said, "You know what? I feel like I'm only doing this by myself. I feel like there's not a lot of people and we're like the little engine that could, but we felt like the little engine that couldn't." So when she had an opportunity to be around all of you, to hear people's stories and what they were doing in their organizations and how their organizations were changing, the Thursday that we were leaving, I saw her as she was walking out. She literally had tears in her eyes. She was crying because she said, "I did not realize that there were this many people working in their organizations doing the same thing that I'm trying to do in mine." And so she said that carried her through the next year. When I saw her in 2018, she ran up to me, she could give me a hug, then she gave me a hug and let me know that they had just become Great Place To Work-certified.
Julian Lute:
And she said the only thing that got her through those days was knowing that there were a bunch of people just like you that are doing this work right alongside of her. So it's very important that you show up and show out while you're here. All right? So give yourself a round of applause for showing up and showing out. we do this because it's better. We know it's better. It's better for business, it's better for people, and it's better for the world. That is why we do this work.
