Carrie Majewski

My career first began as a newspaper reporter for a 100-year-old, hyper-local newspaper. Learning how to perfect the art of storytelling — from mastering the lede to building to the story arc to creating healthy tension for what comes next — has been an invaluable skill that has shaped my career. Whether I am activating new services to bring to market, transforming a brand's story, innovating a business operating model, I think about the story I want to be able to tell afterwards. How did I take a company from X to Y? What outcomes can someone now realize because of the work we did together? What feels possible now that we gained momentum?

What's more, I always believe there's another book to be written or tale to be told. If I hit a dead-end, or feel the tidal wave of uncertainty mounting, I remind myself that all I need to do is turn the page in the book. There is always another page to write, new characters to meet, pressing problems to solve, and exciting opportunities ahead. That belief that our best story is always ahead has served as one of my central motivators throughout my career.

To be comfortable with the pause. I'm a natural executor and a fast one at that :) But a career mentor encouraged me to be brave enough to slow down and to consider if my initial approach, solution, or premise can be even more powerfully innovated, enhanced, and augmented. It's not always easy! But it definitely creates the space for innovation that I so deeply treasure.

Curate a career on your terms. While it can be hard, the Future of Work is here, and the business landscape is changing so rapidly. We're witnessing the surge of brand-new professions and industries, a re-prioritization of valued skill sets, and there has never been more space (and encouragement) for innovation and incubation. So shake things up! Propose something that your company hasn't yet seen. Deeply learn to love experimentation and adventuring. Challenge yourself to do the brave thing daily. You are in an industry that rewards disruption and change championship. So lean in, take up space, and make your voice heard.

Perhaps no surprise with this answer, AI and automation are fundamentally disrupting the business world as we know it... from shaping the jobs of the future to inviting us to redefine value creation to inviting us to rethink how to build our business models to last. While there are certainly many challenges ahead when it comes to AI regulation, ethics, and governance, it will also create new opportunities. As humans, the time is now to get even sharper at identifying the right and opportunities problems to solve for and prioritize. Especially the ones that we are uniquely set up to solve for as humans.

What's more, there's going to be a return to human capital being elevated and aimed towards the activities and initiatives that truly matter. And I'm hoping the advent of AI brings human connection back to the forefront. Because in a world in which everything is largely automated and tech-powered, we will need each other. The breakthroughs and deep meaning that come from collaboration, co-creation, teamwork, and partnership will only feel more profound in the future.

Community and connection.

I am a big believer that a single interaction with someone can change your life forever. Whether I'm hopping on a Zoom to grab a virtual coffee with a stranger, meeting new friends at conferences, or prioritizing time to dream and explore with my friends, I make the time to invest in and nurture my community and always put real, human connection at the center.