Nigel Zelcer

Co-Founder & Managing Partner

 

 

October 21, 2018 – This month, Chris and I attended the Conscious Capitalism CEO Summit in Austin, TX. This was our sixth year attending and I wanted to share a little bit from the experience and give perspective on why I dedicate this time very year to attend the summit.

My company, Jabian Consulting, has been – whether we were formally labeled or not – a conscious capitalism company since our inception nearly 13 years ago. When we discovered the Conscious Capitalism movement six years ago, it was easy to embrace because it represented the values and ideas that Jabian was founded on and continues to strive for today. The CEO Summit is an annual meeting of top executives of conscious capitalism companies.

For those new to Conscious Capitalism, it is a philosophy based on the simple ideas that, when practiced consciously, business innately elevates humanity. Like Jabian, this philosophy is rooted in a set of guiding principles: the four tenets of Higher Purpose, Stakeholder Orientation, Conscious Leadership, and Conscious Culture.

The Summit is an opportunity to hear from other thought leaders with like-minded executives on how we can all move the philosophy forward. We heard from industry leaders such Jim Alling, CEO of TOMS; Cal Fussman, bestselling author and speaker; John Mackey, Co-Founder of Whole Foods; Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder of Chobani; and many others. Cal Fussman’s talk stuck with me as particularly engaging. The topic was on “asking great questions.” He shared stories on how he used great questions to enhance relationships, open doors, and achieve the unexpected. In one instance, he was given eight minutes for an interview with the leader of the Soviet Union. He asked his opening question and the interview wrapped up 45 minutes later with a thank you from the interviewee.

The great thing about this Summit is how the learning is done through storytelling and breakout sessions. It’s not a bunch of “how to” sessions, instead it’s a combination of one-on-one sessions with other CEOs and storytelling that makes you think. We all get wrapped up in our day-to-day work and often forget to give ourselves time to think and reflect. I believe we all walked away feeling refreshed and with a lot of ideas to think about as we gear up for 2019.

If you are interested in learning more about Conscious Capitalism, or getting involved with the your local chapter, please visit, https://atlanta.consciouscapitalism.org/.