AI Advisor to Companies; Dean of Students, NYU Stern School of Business and Head of GenerativeAI@Stern
Principal Consultant, 813HR
If you think you’re getting the most out of ChatGPT—or even really know ChatGPT—think again. Despite all you’ve read and seen, this isn’t a search engine on steroids or even a “smart computer intern.” And it isn’t just about better “prompt engineering.” This is something completely new that defies easy metaphors. Getting the most out of the generative AI revolution, no matter what field you’re in, requires a reframed way of thinking about technology that’s unlike anything that has come before.
Stephen Lytle is at the vanguard of using AI technology in the human resources function. With over 15 years of experience in crafting and executing human resources strategies that drive organizational success and empower individuals to reach their full potential, at companies including Walmart and Target, he’s developed comprehensive people strategies, skillfully scaled start-ups and pilot initiatives, while proactively identifying and driving enterprise process improvements that yield tangible results.
Like all Chief Executive Group programs, we encourage an interactive and collaborative environment. Engage with a diverse audience of your peers from across various industries and contribute your own best ideas for utilizing generative AI within your functional area. Learn from others, gain inspiration, and foster a community of forward-thinking professionals.
“I thought the presenters were fantastic and provided examples, suggestions, and guidance. Practical use, ideas to consider, cautions, and expanded my framework for thinking about how to use ChatGPT beyond casual use.”
This helped me gain a foundational knowledge of Chat GPT. I found it very helpful that it was presented in my field of expertise - HR. The presenters were knowledgeable and engaging.
If you think you’re getting the most out of ChatGPT—or even really know ChatGPT—think again. Despite all you’ve read and seen, this isn’t a search engine on steroids or even a “smart computer intern.” And it isn’t just about better “prompt engineering.” This is something completely new that defies easy metaphors. Getting the most out of the generative AI revolution, no matter what field you’re in, requires a reframed way of thinking about technology that’s unlike anything that has come before.
For those that make the jump, the rewards—in quality, productivity, in pure leaps of imagination—can be profound. Conor will help you get there. In this innovative and highly engaging session, one of the most influential and pragmatic thinkers about ChatGPT in the world today will help you build the right foundation—based on curiosity, wonder and respect—to flourish in a new, magic age of digital technology.
AI Advisor to Companies; Dean of Students, NYU Stern School of Business and Head of GenerativeAI@Stern
Hear from functional leaders specifically in your domain of expertise who have already embarked on their generative AI journey. Gain valuable insights from their experiences, challenges, and successes as they share their firsthand accounts of implementing generative AI solutions in their departments.
Like all Chief Executive Group programs, we encourage an interactive and collaborative environment. Engage with a diverse audience of your peers from across various industries and contribute your own best ideas for utilizing generative AI within your functional area. Learn from others, gain inspiration, and foster a community of forward-thinking professionals.
The AI 360 Academy for HR session is designed exclusively for sales leaders and their teams who are eager to tap into the potential of Generative AI.
This is not about high-level strategy; this is a hands-on, roll-up-your-sleeves workshop created for doers like yourself. If you’re looking to quickly become proficient in this game-changing technology and get your teams up to speed, then this is the program for you.
Whether you’re a seasoned HR professional looking to enhance your skills or an aspiring leader eager to secure your place in the future, this AI Academy session for HR teams is your gateway to unlocking the power of generative AI in the HR domain. Join us and embark on this exciting journey towards success!
Small companies may not even have a separate human resources department. Often, the work is delegated to the chief financial officer or outsourced to a payroll specialist.
If there is such a department, the chief may well be a step ahead of colleagues at larger companies. That’s because he or she probably has a wide range of experience and functions.
“At small companies, a lot of lateral thinking and flexibility is required,” says Ravin Jesuthasan of the consulting firm Towers Watson. “You don’t have so much functional specialization.”
Ed Boswell was the CEO of The Forum, a small, Boston-based training and consulting firm, for eight years before moving to PwC. His company had an HR director; but, as The Forum expanded beyond North America, “the role of that person became much more of an advisor to me,” helping him navigate the laws in the various countries. Accordingly, the title was upped from director to vice president, and the salary rose about 25 percent. The bad news: The work hours increased, too. “Once you’re global, you need to be available from early in the morning to late in the evening,” Boswell says. That goes for the chief HR officer (CHRO) as well as the CEO.
CEOs looking to get more out of their head of HR—and the HR function as a whole—need to rethink the criteria for the role. Business degree credentials can help, notes Myrna Helleman of Sibson Consulting. “More [HR chiefs] have gotten an MBA,” she says. “In the past, it would typically have been a general, liberal arts education—maybe economics or psychology.” In addition, Ed Boswell, head of the U.S. advisory and people practice at PwC, says HR has more data available now about work-force skills and availability.
Such hard-business street credibility is crucial for gaining colleagues’ respect. “If you look at finance and marketing, the rigor and science of both are commonly accepted at companies,” says Ravin Jesuthasan of Towers Watson. “The lack of a definitive science is part of the problem that has prevented HR from having a seat at the [C-suite] table. Your ability to denominate the people problem in the language of business gets you that seat.”
To find and groom the right person for this job, the CEO may well have to look outside the benefits office, perhaps to midlevel management at another department. “CEOs would be smart to take a business person in their late 20s”—maybe with five to seven years at the firm—“who has a fabulous negotiating style and is good with people, and plant them in in-plant HR management,” says Roberta McQuade of Ideal Industries. “If they acclimate to it, let them stay there and you will grow your VP.” Or vice versa. McQuade says she selected three “very smart” employees from her benefits office and moved them into sales, as a possible stepping stone to HR leadership. She chose sales instead of a different business area, McQuade adds, because it’s a bit similar to HR’s personnel-relationship work.
McQuade’s own career history illustrates this blend. While she had spent 24 years in HR before coming to Ideal, she had also worked in sales, marketing, operations and management consulting.
A company might even go outside to pick someone with a business background. Viterra did so in selecting Berger, who had been a management consultant for 22 years, most recently at Accenture, where Viterra had been a client. Berger says it was his business experience that appealed to CEO Schmidt. “Mayo said one of the things he liked about me was not only my ability to get the HR stuff done, but also to manage [merger] integration,” he says.
Of course, Berger needed some fast on-the-job training. He says he spent about six months networking with other HR officials, reading articles on relevant topics and quizzing HR experts, including benefits consultants at Aon Hewitt in Lincolnshire, Illinois, “to help me think through what my HR structure should look like.” For the nuts and bolts, “I relied on recruiting talented individuals below me.”
To better convey the broader role of HR heads, more and more companies are adding the crucial word “chief” to their titles and even replacing HR with broader terms: chief HR officer, chief talent officer, chief learning officer or chief people officer. However, reshaping the role demands more than semantics, notes J. Puckett of Boston Consulting Group, who says compensation also needs to reflect the broader role. Puckett cites several surveys showing that, on average, across all size companies, the head of HR makes only about half as much as the chief financial officer. “Until that changes, it’s going to be hard to attract the same level of talent to the CHRO position as we would to CFO,” he warns.
Many CEOs are steps ahead of their HR managers in redefining their job.
| HR Executive’ View | View of CEO and Line Managers |
|---|---|
| Traditional HR expertise | Relationship with CEO and line managers |
| Relationship with CEO and line managers | Strategic business planning |
| Conflict resolution | Policy implementation |
| Policy implementation | Conflict resolution |
| Resource management | Traditional HR expertise |
Key: Traditional functions/Newer and strategic functions*
*functions appear in descending order of importance
Source: Boston Consulting Group (from an online survey of 5,560 executives from December 2009 to March 2010)
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AI Advisor to Companies; Dean of Students, NYU Stern School of Business and Head of GenerativeAI@Stern
The Dean of MBA and Graduate Students at NYU’s Stern School of Business, Conor also founded and leads GenerativeAI@Stern, a no-tech initiative aimed at fostering generative AI fluency in Stern’s students, faculty, and administration and has become one of the most widely-followed and respected pioneers in the emerging uses of generative AI to improve both business and society.
The New York Times bestselling author of the memoir Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal and The Hadley Academy for the Improbably Gifted (Tommy Nelson/HarperCollins, 2019), he is also Founder and President of Next Generation Nepal, a organization working to rescue trafficked children in Nepal and reunite them with their families. For that work, he was awarded the Hero of Compassion Award by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Prior to that he was a recipient of the George Russell Award for Excellence (given by George Russell, founder of Russell 2000 Index) for work on peace and reconciliation in conflict and post-war regions of Balkans (work spanning 1996-2004).
1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
