The events of the past six months have thrust HR and business leaders into many new realities. Across industries, our workforces and workplaces are being fundamentally redefined, and the very nature of the employee-employer relationship reshaped.

As we approach the end of summer, most retailers have realized that the impact of the pandemic will be long-lasting, especially when it comes to shopping in-store. The new normal requires new safety protocols and innovative experience-oriented value propositions to attract and reassure consumers.

Business leaders must be sensitive to the needs and desires of workers from all walks of life and ensure all voices are heard and appreciated. In fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, leaders create a corporate culture where every individual is valued.

Maintenance of America's strength in technology – and thus its leadership in the world - rests on a renewed commitment to the underlying principles that made it strong in the first place – a focus on the future, an openness to disruption, and providing access to opportunity.

COVID-19’s grave public health, economic, and geopolitical consequences have underscored how interdependent the world’s people, countries, and institutions are. This pandemic has also emphasized the urgency of international cooperation and collective innovation to solve a complex global problem.