Lumen CEO Kate Johnson Says Leaders Should Be Catalysts
Sep 12, 2024
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Join Kate Johnson, President and CEO of telecommunications giant Lumen, as she shares insights on leveraging AI for business transformation. She emphasizes the crucial link between technological advancement and cultural change. Discover how Lumen fosters agility while preparing teams for the AI era. Kate also discusses the human side of organizational change, highlighting the importance of collaboration and curiosity. Finally, she envisions a future where AI enhances productivity and personal growth, urging listeners to embrace this evolving landscape.
Lumen's integration of AI tools is transforming the sales process, allowing teams to focus on meaningful customer interactions rather than manual tasks.
Kate Johnson emphasizes the critical need for a cultural shift towards a growth mindset, fostering open communication and continuous learning among employees.
Deep dives
Embracing AI for Cultural Transformation
Lumen Technologies is undergoing a significant cultural transformation driven by the adoption of AI tools, as emphasized by its CEO, Kate Johnson. By integrating AI into their operations, Lumen aims to remain agile amidst the rapidly evolving telecommunications industry. The focus has shifted towards creating a dynamic network that can support the data-heavy demands generated by AI solutions, allowing for faster, more efficient service delivery. Johnson's leadership encourages embracing these tools to enhance employee productivity and improve customer relations, ultimately fostering a culture of innovation within the company.
Sales Enhancement through AI Integration
Lumen is leveraging AI to revolutionize its sales processes, allowing sales teams to concentrate on meaningful customer interactions rather than manual data management. AI tools enable the company to better understand customer journeys and anticipate needs based on their unique behaviors. This allows for tailored communication strategies, optimizing sales efforts to ensure that the right messages reach the right customers at the right time. By integrating AI, the sales force can deliver significant value to clients and boost overall efficiency and revenue generation for Lumen.
Cultural Shift for Growth Mindset
The transition at Lumen is not only technological but also a cultural shift towards a growth mindset, aiming to overcome a longstanding survival mentality within the telecommunications sector. Through initiatives like Brene Brown's 'Dare to Lead,' the company is instilling a sense of courage and accountability among its employees, encouraging them to take calculated risks to drive growth. Johnson emphasizes the importance of creating an environment where open communication and continuous learning are prioritized, ultimately supporting the transformation towards a more agile and customer-centric organization. This cultural adjustment is critical as Lumen navigates through industry changes and prepares for the future of work.
What does it take to transform your business from the ground up for the AI era? There’s no better person to ask than Kate Johnson, President and CEO of the telecommunications company Lumen. In this episode of the WorkLab podcast, she talks about how AI is helping the company stay agile in the ever-shifting telecom industry. We also delve into the importance of changing company culture in tandem with its technology, and how she has prepared her teams for this new era of work.