320X More

Trivia question: what do all of the human beings in the picture above have in common?

We don’t even need to answer that one for you, as you probably already know a few of their faces. They are Executives that make a LOT of dough. We’re okay with people who make a shit ton of money - especially when they’ve created oodles of value for others. But there’s more to unpack here.

We all know the economic disparities between the haves and the have nots is BIGGER than it’s ever been. However, what you might not have noticed is what Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments and author of Worth It, tweeted about recently:

Holy hockeystick.

That is more than a fist bump for a job well done. Or maybe a job not so well done - if you don’t have time to dig into this article, here’s the summary.

• Boeing reported a $12 billion loss in 2020, but CEO David Calhoun made ~$21.1M. That’s after two deadly crashes and laying off 30K workers.
• Norwegian Cruise Line: we all know it’s been a dismal year for the cruising industry. They lost $4B, yet the chief in charge’s pay doubled to $36.4M.
• Hilton: nearly 25% of the corporate staff were laid off, losing $720M, yet Chris Nassetta, the CEO, made $55.9M.

And these were the losers in terms of performance. Eeek - what does it look like for the winners, AKA the CEOs, of the Trillion Dollar club? Does anyone have time to pull that together? We don’t. We’ll leave you with this: Chief executives of big companies now make, on average, 320 times as much as their typical worker.

Maybe there were things they did that aren't published, tangible, or otherwise explained by data about these C-Suites that justifies the gap between them and typical workers?

Like - stories that we don't know - stories that haven't been captured. Of course, we're not holding our breath that these stories are brilliant enough to justify the stark difference in corporate compensation between the top and the rest, but maybe hearing them would help all of us not to ask, "WTF is the justification here?" in less than 30 seconds.

No pun intended - jk - puns are always intended.

Most of the stories that matter aren’t told - especially in the virtual worlds we find ourselves in.

After almost two years of quarantine, our corporate cultures and experiences have become one-dimensional - confined to what happens within our little individual virtual boxes on our computer screens. We no longer go for walks to get coffee with coworkers, get irritated at a colleague because she heated salmon in the microwave (but makes for a funny memory), or celebrate our life milestones together. Most significantly, we’re not sharing our stories.

We LOVE a good story that shifts people’s perspectives, encourages them to ask more profound questions, or just plain entertains. After 20 years in management consulting, we’ve grown to understand the opportunities for stories to be culture shapers and helpful tools to get people latched in - because that’s what we all want as human beings - to feel connected to one another. Now, more than ever.

Regardless of your reality today, communication is difficult - all the time. It’s hard to tell stories that are strategic, connected to the north star, and move people deeply - all at the same time.

But when these types of stories are told, culture comes to life.

• Brainpower and Storytelling
• The Psychology of Storytelling
• Stories That Inspire Action

Heads Up!

People have a lot up their sleeves this fall, and we want to make sure you don’t miss out. From networking to un-working, comedy to money, and book releases, we’ve some goods to share.

YOUniversity Doubleheader hosted by CADRE - September 22nd featuring two kinds of JOURNEYS: Rethinking the Customer Journey with John Jantsch AND A Journey Into Psychedelics: A Renaissance in Mental Health Treatment, Neuroscience, and Human Flourishing with Dr. Matthew Johnson and Dr. Frederick Barrett.

The America Ream Tour - 15 Cities | 5 Workshops | Lots of Laughs. Garrett is a dear friend and someone who we admire greatly. Check out the tour dates for his comedy special about money. Truly a laughing matter.

Larger Than Yourself - Our good friend Thibault’s book, Larger Than Yourself, will be released on Nov 17, 2021. His story is incredible. The book is about how he moved from Baltimore to Durban, South Africa to see if basketball could bridge social divides. He brought his lessons home and reimagined the real estate industry to unite cities, empower communities, and launch powerful ideas.

Homes Not Borders, LIRS, and Asylee Women Enterprise - If the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has your brain in scrambles, and you’re wondering how you can help, we suggest donating your time, money, or expertise to one of these life-saving organizations.

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