Recent Page Pulse - Arthur W. Page Society

By Kelly Greene ● Jul 02, 2024
Smart Brevity^® count: 4 mins...1084 words
Welcome to the third edition of Page Pulse, your source for the latest in our lil’ world

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Let us know what you think

! Topic suggestions? Feedback? Hit reply or reach out to me at kgreene@page.org

One big thing: Roger is stepping down

Maybe he will join the Reds full time?!

Roger announced he will be stepping down from his role as president at the end of 2024.

Succession Planning update:

> The board has taken several steps to ensure a smooth and orderly transition.

> Aedhmar Hynes has been appointed Chair of our CEO Search Committee. This committee will oversee the process of identifying and selecting our next CEO. Jean Allen of Hendrick & Struggles will be supporting this search on a pro bono basis, leveraging her expertise from previous collaboration with us.

> The committee includes Marc Cloosterman, Becky Edwards, Jon Iwata, Brian Lott, Maril MacDonald and Grant Toups (Page Up).

> The first meeting of the Search Committee took place on June 24 and moving forward, the committee will meet weekly every Tuesday to keep the process on track.
The committee comprises a diverse group of individuals who bring a wealth of experience and insight. Aedhmar will regularly update the Nominating & Governance Committee and the Board on the search progress.

>

*I will support the committee and thus, be in a “cone of silence”

. I’ll update the staff along the way without giving away anything confidential. If you have specific concerns please reach out to me. I care so much about maintaining the culture that we have worked so hard to build and I plan to ensure that Aedhmar and the committee understand this.

Last two staff meeting recaps
Click to view dashboard, tableau login required.

Here’s what we covered in our June 27 and June 13 staff meetings:
cannes

Page in Cannes, France

Page@Cannes: Bella reminded everyone that in 2023 we started hosting receptions and short programs at tentpole global conferences, including at Davos, Milken and COP28 and we were just at Cannes.

> She shared that Page had an event there where around 20 members and prospects attended.

> She noted there is still work to be done to further elevate what CCOs can bring to these conversations.

2025 Operating Plan and Budget Timeline: Dan reminded us of the key dates for the operating plan and timeline. The first key date is September 13 in which we will send our draft budget + operating plan proposal for our individual areas to Aashna + Dan.

> The timeline can be found here.

> The operating plan template can be found here.

> If you need support on any of this, please feel free to reach out to Dan or Aashna.

June 20 Page Board of Trustees Meeting Debrief:

> The board selected our 2024 Distinguished Service Award honoree, Bill Heyman, and was reminded that our previously decided choice for the 2024 Hall of Fame inductee is Gary Sheffer. Please keep these confidential until we announce the winners publicly.

They discussed our succession planning strategy and process for selecting a new CEO of Page.
Reviewed a bylaw amendment proposal that will be voted on in the August board meeting.
> Approved slates of 26 new Page nominees and 19 Page Up nominees for membership. These are the largest slates this year.

Hats off to the Membership and International Teams!

Reminders and Announcements for staff:

> Take the mid-year staff survey so we know how we are doing on our HR and culture work!
> Update your KPIs on an ongoing basis.
> Roger would like to continue doing 1:1s with every staff member. Anne will reach out to everyone in the coming weeks to set these up.
> Set up your mid-year review with your supervisor.
>

The Page office will be closed July 4 - 5.
>

As many people will be out at certain times during the summer, we encourage you to please add your time off to the staff calendar for awareness. Thank you!
Please update your committees in Airtable so we have accurate records.

What’s the Leadership Team (LT) focused on?

Illustrated collage of a man using binoculars looking directly at the viewer

Illustrated collage of a man using binoculars looking directly at the viewer

We are focused on succession planning, CCO working groups, strategic plan KPIs, the Page Up brand, committee composition and representation, diversity efforts and a pre-AC event for CCOs only.

Succession planning: We want to understand if we have any influence on who is chosen as Roger’s successor. Aedhmar plans to share the job description with us for input as a first step.

CCO working groups: We want to ensure that there is no overlap and that the groups are not feeling overwhelmed with this project. We will continue to check in at upcoming staff meetings.

Strategic plan KPIs: Peter and Eliot have worked hard on a framework for strategic plan KPIs that show the health of the organization. They are planning to present these to the Page Board of Trustees at their August meeting.

Page Up brand: Page Up has evolved in the last ten years: it’s a step in the journey for some and a destination for others. We want to build on the narrative work that Steve Halsey produced and ensure that Page Up is seen for what it is, an elevated professional organization that has evolved!

Committee composition and representation: We discussed ensuring a broad range of perspectives on conference committees, beyond just demographics. There were concerns raised about the autonomy given to conference committee chairs potentially limiting diversity by keeping committees small. Lauren and Dan have been working on a draft policy that will ensure greater diversity on conference planning committees. Thanks to you both!

Diversity efforts: We discussed the need to integrate DEI principles across all functions within the organization. This includes reviewing member-facing aspects like policies and vendor selection for ADA compliance and examining internal practices like salary adjustments through an equity lens.

Pre-AC event for CCOs: We are inviting CCOs to a pre-event ahead of the Annual Conference on a benchmarking approach which we think will be of huge value to them. We hope it will drive more attendance at the Annual Conference in general.

DAA News

DAA

The DAA's commitment is a leadership oath on behalf of the companies they represent to take action that demonstrates their commitment to what they all deemed essential in 2020.

A big congratulations to Carmella and the DAA team as they met their $370K goal through signatory membership, scholarships and partnerships!!! The president’s report can be found here.
Why it matters: Because we must collectively drive momentum to continue creating an industry and organizations that thrive from diverse perspectives and fair treatment.

Staff News
staff at bbq

Dan's bbq in Staten Island, NY!

Special thanks to Dan, Lili, Abigail and Kai for hosting their annual BBQ for NYC staff members. It’s always a special day and his family is so gracious to do this!

Some highlights:
Collage

Baby Panos made his Page debut and Roger solo’ed his new song titled “Leaving on a good Page.”

shahil and saba

Saba and Shahil rocked out!

Thanks for reading!

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By Kelly Greene ● May 17, 2024

Welcome to the second edition of Page Pulse, your source for the latest in our world.
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Thanks for reading!

One big thing: Page Staff Offsite

Collage

Page team in ATL!

Two weeks ago we gathered in Atlanta, Georgia to reconnect and align as a full team.

Key takeaways:

* Many of us met Tiffany, Mia, and Manuela in person for the first time!

* We met with our new chairs, Kelli Parsons and Umayma Abubakar, and heard about their leadership journeys and what they hope to accomplish during their tenures.

*We heard an update on the 2023 staff survey, progress made, and the 2024 HR/Culture priorities.

*We brainstormed ideas for better delivering on the CCO member value proposition. Many of those ideas are coming to life through our agile teams working together over the next three months.

Why it mattered: Building personal connections and aligning on our goals is crucial for fostering a strong team culture and driving collaboration across departments and initiatives. We strengthened our relationships and had fun together, which made us feel more connected. This will help us care even more about the work we are doing together.

Also, the fact we spent focused time on practicing agility in our scenario-based activity underscores our commitment to staying agile in the rapidly changing business landscape.

*

Our “Pagility” definition = “The ability to assemble small, multi-functional teams to work with speed and flexibility on projects as needed. At an individual team member level, this may require temporarily changing or adding to your work responsibilities.”

Looking ahead: let’s continue to prioritize our relationships and care about each other, embodying our “Pagility” mindset as we navigate through the rest of the year.

Next steps:

* Roger is working closely with Lauren and Jennifer Temple (Page AC Chair) to plan a special opportunity for a select group of CCOs ahead of the Annual Conference. More to come on this.

* The Culture Club is incorporating feedback into its master plan (linked above) for the year and will roll out initiatives throughout the rest of the year.

* Five Page Up task forces have been formed to help carry out Umayma’s priorities. Three task forces have met and are off to the races. You’ll hear more about these soon.

* Bella sent instructions for the agile teams who should be meeting over the next three months. A team lead should be chosen and a simple project overview should be developed by May 24.Unaddressed ideas from the post-chair presentation team brainstorms will be discussed at our first "Page Hat" meeting in June. What is a “Page Hat” Meeting? The Leadership Team will meet bi-monthly to focus on key issues, approaching them from an organization-wide perspective rather than their specific department…with their “Page Hat” on!

Offsite links:

*All decks, notes, and documents that have been collected so far are saved on the Server: HR - EMPLOYEE RESOURCES/Staff Offsite Meetings/2024 Offsite

* Check out the master deck here.

*Our post-offsite survey is live and in your inbox from Aashna — the survey will close next week on May 21.

*Most importantly, photos and videos can be found here. Note, that some are not suited for children

New Thought Leadership Report is Live!

Beyond Communication: CCO Leadership in Navigating New Complexity

Download the Report

Why it matters: As the business landscape shifts due to global disruptions and changing societal expectations, the chief communication officer (CCO) role is expanding and transforming.

*This is one of the major findings of our latest research report, Beyond Communication: CCO Leadership in Navigating New Complexity.

*In it, we analyze how the role has evolved in the five years since our last major report, The CCO as Pacesetter.

*Page’s Thought Leadership reports are a big deal, so we encourage you to share about it on LinkedIn!

Last two staff meeting recaps

New Tableau Dashboard for Staff

Here’s what we covered in our May 16 and April 18 staff meetings:

New Tableau Dashboard: Shahil previewed the above new dashboard. We will spend a few minutes at every staff meeting going over the highlights.

Spring Seminar Debrief: The Spring Seminar received a 4.6 out of 5 rating. Note, that this was previously reported higher in error. Dive deeper here.

Chair’s Council Meeting Debrief: The Chair’s Council is made up of current and former Page and Page Up chairs, Hall of Fame members, and Distinguished Service Award winners.

*They meet annually and we update them on progress from the previous year and any issues we may be grappling with.

* They are trusted advisors and we aim to use their wise counsel.

* We recently covered these topics with them: 2023 Review, 2024-2026 Strategic Plan, 2024 Operating Plan and Budget, and the New Thought Leadership Report.

Reminders and Announcements for staff:

* Update your KPIs on an ongoing basis.

* Set up your mid-year review with your supervisor.

*

The Page office will be closed on Memorial Day (May 27).

*

Summer Fridays begin Friday, May 24, and run through Friday, August 30. Here’s our policy

*

As many people will be out at certain times during the summer, we encourage you to please add your time off to the staff calendar for awareness. Thank you!

* Remember there is an optional no-meetings week from July 1-5. If possible, we encourage you to take a break from meetings and catch up on work. Note, that we are closed July 4-5!

* Dan’s next project management course is coming up on Tuesday, May 21 for those involved. Remember to do your homework!

* Eliot’s Thought Leadership series is coming up! The first one is on Thursday, May 23! Come one, come all!

What’s the Leadership Team (LT) focused on?

Two hands with one outstretched finger each touching the top and bottom of a bright lightbulb.

Mostly follow-ups from the offsite.

* Starting next week, they will be meeting every week. If you have any issues you would like to bring to them, please email kgreene@page.org. By meeting more regularly they hope to be more disciplined around discussions and make decisions in a timelier way. On that note, we have guidelines for when and how to use our different day-to-day communication channels which relates to this and is a good reminder for all.

Chat
Email
Meetings
Workplace
Communication
Flowchart

* One important thing that came out of the offsite is that the LT wants to regularly meet for a few hours bi-monthly to focus on issues that may require cross-functional teamwork and leadership. As mentioned above, they’re calling these “Page Hat” meetings as attendees will think of the organization as a whole rather than of their departments. Staff members will have access to these meetings on an as-needed basis if there is a particular issue that they may have a stake in.

* The LT is dedicated to these commitments as a reminder. If you have any suggestions or feel that the LT is not living up to any of them, please reach out to Kelly for discussion.

Staff News

Omar graduates!

Omar owning Columbia.

It’s not every day that one of our own graduates from an Ivy League! Big congrats to Omar on completing his Masters of Arts in Communication and Education from the Teachers College at Columbia University. We’re proud of you, Omar!

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to invest in your colleagues and Page two weeks ago. We know that for many of you, time away from family and commitments is a big ask — we appreciate you!