Sep 15, 2026 · 18 min · 8 segments
Diane Tavenner has done the thing most founders talk about and few do well: she built something, grew it, and handed it off cleanly. Then she started over. Diane co-founded Summit Public Schools…
Diane TavennerGuest
Christina GreenbergHostAnother thing that I always think with talent systems is as we scale and grow and, you know, you scaled and grew Summit, you're scaling and growing a technology company now, that we need to understand what are those consistent non-negotiables that no matter what size we are and no matter what team we're on, people have to have and our systems have to be able to support.
And what are things we need to change or update as we scale? What have you learned about that that you might not have known 20 plus years ago before you'd scaled?
I think that I often find organizations, especially talent organizations, getting confused about who we are centering and what the purpose of our work is.
And so as much as it's incredibly important to take care of our people and our adults and and to develop them and support them, at the end of the day, I don't think we can ever lose sight of.
And constantly revisiting and making sure that what we're doing is on their behalf and in service to them, I think, for me, is a non-negotiable and is the most important North Star and grounding value that we can have as an organization.
I think the second piece is I'm just a deep believer in continually developing and growing and that an organization is a learning organization.
And that doesn't mean that the company or the org is 100% responsible for that.
I actually think that each individual is responsible for what they want to learn and how they want to develop and having agency around that.
But I do think you have to create an organization that cares about that, is focused on that, is providing real opportunity around that, and is centering that as part of the conversation about what the employee is doing.
in every organization I lead, we're always having regular conversations about where do you see yourself in two years, five years, 10 years, and how can we support you in moving in that direction? And when I say where do you see yourself, it's a much more holistic question than just your particular job.
Because I do think that when you're developing people, you're developing whole human beings in their whole life.
Another thing that I always think with talent systems is as we scale and grow and, you know, you scaled and grew Summit, you're scaling and growing a technology company now, that we need to understand what are those consistent non-negotiables that no matter what size we are and no matter what team we're on, people have to have and our systems have to be able to support.
And what are things we need to change or update as we scale? What have you learned about that that you might not have known 20 plus years ago before you'd scaled?
I think that I often find organizations, especially talent organizations, getting confused about who we are centering and what the purpose of our work is.
And so as much as it's incredibly important to take care of our people and our adults and and to develop them and support them, at the end of the day, I don't think we can ever lose sight of.
And constantly revisiting and making sure that what we're doing is on their behalf and in service to them, I think, for me, is a non-negotiable and is the most important North Star and grounding value that we can have as an organization.
I think the second piece is I'm just a deep believer in continually developing and growing and that an organization is a learning organization.
And that doesn't mean that the company or the org is 100% responsible for that.
I actually think that each individual is responsible for what they want to learn and how they want to develop and having agency around that.
But I do think you have to create an organization that cares about that, is focused on that, is providing real opportunity around that, and is centering that as part of the conversation about what the employee is doing.
in every organization I lead, we're always having regular conversations about where do you see yourself in two years, five years, 10 years, and how can we support you in moving in that direction? And when I say where do you see yourself, it's a much more holistic question than just your particular job.
Because I do think that when you're developing people, you're developing whole human beings in their whole life.
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