Every year, when I think about the Power of People Summit, I come back to one question: What do I want people to feel when they leave?
Not just what they learned or what sessions they attended, but what they felt. I want people to feel seen. Connected. Challenged. Encouraged. And reminded that their growth matters. Because to me, Power of People has always been about more than professional development. It is about people.
This year’s theme, Power Moves: The People Effect, feels especially relevant. We are in the middle of a huge shift in the workplace. Technology and AI are changing how we work, and multiple generations are working side by side, each bringing different experiences, expectations, perspectives, and ideas about what success looks like.
But in the middle of all that change, one thing has not changed: people still matter.
That is where leadership comes in. I don't think leadership is just about having a title or managing a team. It is about how you show up. How you listen. How you make room for someone else. How you use your influence and how you lead through change without losing sight of the people experiencing it.
That is a big part of what I hope people take away from this Summit. I want us to think about leadership beyond our job descriptions and titles, and about the person we are becoming along the way.
Our commitment to inclusion is part of that. For me, inclusion is about creating environments where people can contribute, grow, be heard, and have access to opportunity. It is recognizing that we don't all come to work with the same experiences, and that understanding those differences makes us better leaders and better colleagues.
So, when you come to Power of People, I hope you find something that challenges you. I hope you have a conversation that sticks with you. I hope you meet someone who changes your perspective or expands your idea of what is possible.
And more than anything, I hope you take a little time to focus on you.
Step away from the day-to-day. Put down the to-do list. Think about where you are, where you want to go, and the kind of leader and person you want to be. Because at the end of the day, the greatest power in any organization isn't a title, a position, or even technology.
It is people.
