Transform 2024: Reflections on What’s Next.
Last week, I met with People Leaders from a variety of companies at Transform, an annual conference that brings together the builders (startups), buyers (people leaders) and funders (VC) to build the future of work. This was our 4th year attending, and 3rd year sponsoring the event.
I was encouraged to see how many People Leaders were keenly aware of the inefficiencies and missed opportunities of today’s distributed and siloed organizations. When I asked them to share what upside they’d see from using a tool like Tribute, they were genuniely excited and eager about the idea of seamlessly connecting their people together to uncover and act on hidden knowledge within their organization.
The TL; DR? Connection is vital, tech is not the only answer, and most importantly, leaders have to be ready.
“Only time will tell if People leaders will return to business as usual once the excitement of Transform fades. My sincere hope is that discussions about the importance of solutions, like Tribute, translate into urgency and action. We cannot usher in the future of work without bold leaders willing to step up and be the change.”
Transforming Potential into Reality
The upside of using Tribute extends well beyond simple productivity gains. People Leaders also articulated the benefits of a transformed workplace, where barriers to knowledge sharing are dismantled, and collaboration is not just encouraged but ingrained in the fabric of the organization. I had several discussions about how to better equip managers in today’s distributed workplace. Tribute emerged as an obvious solution to connect managers to problem-solve in real-time. The transformative power of connecting employees to share their unique knowledge is clear. It leads to better job satisfaction, engagement, and creates a culture of continuous learning. Turning that potential into a reality is less clear. I found myself saying often “This [employee connection] is a simple, but not easy problem to solve.”
Future Is Collaborative
Reflecting on the insights gathered at this year’s event, it’s evident that the future of work is not just about adopting new technologies but about fundamentally rethinking how we connect and collaborate. That starts at the top. I heard many times throughout the conference about the change fatigue we’re all feeling and a genuine concern about adopting “one more thing.” I have enormous empathy for the job of People Leaders, but I have to ask: what is our alternative?
The impact of tools like Tribute in this future cannot be understated. By facilitating instant access to internal experts and knowledge, Tribute stands as a beacon for what’s possible in the age of the intelligent enterprise.
A Call to Courageous Leadership
The journey toward this future requires courageous leadership. Leaders who not only envision a new way of working but act decisively to bring it to life. The conversations I had this year were a powerful reminder of the urgency of this task. As leaders, our responsibility extends beyond our organizations; we are architects of the future of work. Embracing solutions like Tribute is a step towards building a more connected, efficient, and resilient workplace.
I sincerely hope that the energy, enthusiasm, and urgency of the lessons learned last week translate into meaningful action in the next 12-18 months. Most startups won’t survive beyond that, so let’s not miss the moment.
The time to transform HR is now.
The Road Ahead
As the Founding CEO of Tribute, my commitment to transforming HR has never been stronger. The conversations I had last week reinvigorated my belief in the transformative power of technology (yes, AI) to bring people together and unlock their full potential. Together with all of you, we’re ready to embrace a future where every employee is empowered to contribute their unique knowledge and skills, driving their organizations — and society — to be more connected, more agile, and most importantly, more human.
But first, we must commit to take action. I urge you to purchase one new tech product that you discovered at Transform this year. It doesn’t have to be us, but please, take a bet on one of us because we cannot transform HR alone. It takes a village and we’re all in this village together.