Turnover At TIAA, McKinsey And Marriott | Discover's CIO On Engineering Craftsmanship | Maintaining A Healthy Work Culture

Plus: WeWork Founder Adam Nuemann, Softbank Reach Settlement In Legal Battle

CxOs are both reacting to and driving change. Weekly we see entries into and exits from C-suite roles, new research that spotlights how to manage future-of-work challenges and opportunities, and shifts in strategy and investment priorities among business leaders. Through it all, the growth objective remains.

According to the recent Forbes CxO Growth Survey, 90% of CxOs are at least somewhat confident about their post-pandemic recovery, and more than three quarters say the pandemic has revealed their organization’s’ strengths. A majority of respondents say they are prioritizing growth, rather than efficiency, and their top priorities moving forward are important strategic goals like accelerating digital transformation and improving the customer experience. But none of that can effectively happen without true alignment and partnership at the top.

The survey of 500 executives in multiple industries assessed the nature of CxO collaboration and found that debates at the top most often center around which areas to invest in; where to focus DX and innovation; the best way to manage/their decision-making procedures; what risks are worth taking; and how to balance the short and long term.

We’ll continue to track how CxOs are grappling with those debates and where they land—collectively. One way to gain insight into new modes of C-suite alignment? Check out our new Forbes CxO Nexus video-interview series—new episodes publish regularly. 

Be well and have a great week.

Comings & Goings

Marriott has named Arne Sorenson’s replacement. Tony Capuano, a longtime Marriott executive, will take over as CEO, while Stephanie Linnartz, who served as acting co-CEO alongside Capuano after Sorenson’s death, will take over as group president. Capuano may be in for a hot landing as the hotel group’s new leader.

McKinsey’s head, Global Managing Partner Kevin Sneader, will not be returning for a second term at the helm of the consulting giant. Sneader’s decision to increase oversight following the company’s recent scandals over its role in pushing oxycontin and supporting Saudi Arabian politics didn’t make him particularly popular.

TIAA has named a successor for outgoing CEO Roger Ferguson. Thasunda Brown Duckett, CEO of Chase Commercial Banking, will take over from Ferguson on May 1, ending his 13-year tenure at the helm.

Leadership & Strategy

The advent of working from home and social media have meant that internal conflicts at your company are more likely than ever to become public knowledge. If you’re worried about losing control of conflicts in your office, take these steps to create a healthier internal culture around disagreement.

A new survey of CFOs indicates that the next decade may be particularly difficult for businesses. In the short term, recovering from the coronavirus pandemic is top of mind, while in the decade to come, digital adoption and internal resistance to change are expected to be corporations’ greatest challenges.

Adopting new technology might be easier if organizations were to follow the advice of Discover CIO Amir Arooni, who advocates training tech workers in “engineering craftsmanship.” In guiding Discover’s 7,500 tech employees, Arooni has sought to foster a system similar to that of pre-industrial guilds, one that continuously develops workers’ abilities.

By The Numbers

$200 million

The amount spent by employers of gig workers on California’s Proposition 22.

California’s Proposition 22, which prevented gig workers from being classified as employees, was a major win for employers like Uber and Lyft. But they shouldn’t be too confident it won’t be challenged.

The CxO Profile

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