A few months ago, I moved to San Francisco from New York and joined the Salesforce Ohana. This transition to a new city and a new job came with the incredible opportunity to attend my first-ever Dreamforce, a conference I had only dreamed of (no pun intended) attending at least once in my professional career.

I was overwhelmed with lots of questions. Who would I network with at Dreamforce? What would I learn?

Well, here are three surprising takeaways that completely shifted my perspective on what Dreamforce is truly about:

1. You are a Powerful Source of Change

An empowering sentiment infused the air at Dreamforce this year: we (yes, you and me) are powerful yet underestimated sources of change and it's time we reclaim our responsibility to better the world with our technology, our resources, and our voices.

Ashton Kutcher's keynote, “Technology as a Source for Good,” was particularly striking, and not because he is a Hollywood superstar. His message was clear: technology is not the force for good or the force for evil. That's us. We are the force for good or the force for evil.

His message was so simple, yet we still relinquish our personal responsibility and place blame on technology for what we can't control: the political climate, social media, international devastation and more. Instead, we must use technology (yes, the same technology that causes harm) as a tool for good, not only in our businesses but in our families and communities.

I was emboldened to examine my own experience with technology on a daily basis and how I can make a positive impact amongst all the negative noise. Imagine if we all started to use our power in this way...

2. You Are Your Own Advocate

Another pervasive topic at Dreamforce was improving the way we advocate for ourselves–both inside and outside the workplace. It was refreshing to hear many speakers admit that honoring your needs takes hard work, and it's a skill we learn through practice that should start at a very young age.

In my own experience, it's been difficult to balance a flourishing career, personal relationships and giving back to the community, all while taking care of myself too. May speakers gave us the permission to put ourselves higher on our priority lists and constantly practice advocating for ourselves so we can then advocate for others.

Whether it's asking for a well-deserved promotion, taking the necessary time off to be with family, or requesting more in a relationship, we were all encouraged to use our voices and get comfortable with bringing up these seemingly uncomfortable conversations.

One of the inspiring panels that I heard was on authentic leadership:

3. Good Business Starts with Doing Good for Your Community

At Dreamforce, I assumed the main focus would be helping 170,000 Trailblazer attendees improve the ROI in their respective businesses, increase efficiency and productivity, all while learning about the trends and products that will help them do so. I was attending the largest technology conference in the world, after all.

While that was certainly achieved, I was pleasantly surprised to see firsthand the emphasis placed on doing good for your community. In fact, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff mentioned that doing well for your business means doing well for your employees, colleagues, family, community, and even yourself.

Aside from being baked into the Salesforce culture, philanthropy stole the show at this year's Dreamforce. Marc encouraged companies to adopt his 1-1-1 model in which he annually pledges to give back 1% of the company’s profits, products and employees time towards causes that make a difference in others lives. He also encouraged CEOs and company leaders to close the gender pay gap and start thinking about how their businesses are improving the world, not just the bottom line.

There was an entire day of Dreamforce devoted to Compassion. World-renowned speakers graced the stage to discuss what often goes unsaid in business meetings. Topics ranged from suffering, grief, and resilience to personal empowerment and activism in today's world. I was personally very moved during the “Compassion in Action” session featuring Larry Brilliant, Adam Grant, Rev Earl Smith, and Iris Brilliant.


All in all, it was a Dreamforce to remember! It was so refreshing to hear from world-leading experts, thought leaders and businesses on some of the unspoken yet critical aspects of being successful - both in and out of the workplace.

I'm already dreaming of Dreamforce '18 and I hope to see you all there!