#087 High Performance, Highly Human: Anne Green on Building a Culture That Can Change

Built For This Podcast, with Carly Pepin

October 5, 2026 by

Carly Pepin

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In this episode of Built For This, Carly Pepin sits down with Anne Green, CEO and principal at G&S Integrated Marketing Communications Group, to explore what more than three decades in communications has taught her about leadership, culture, trust and navigating change.

Anne describes herself as an "accidental business person" and "accidental CEO." Originally planning to become a literature professor, an internship in public relations changed her direction and eventually gave her a front-row seat to building and leading a business.

Carly and Anne explore why leadership begins and ends with communication and trust, why mission and values need to mean something in people's everyday work, and how leaders can help teams navigate uncertainty without pretending to have every answer.

They also discuss the anxiety surrounding AI and workforce change, the importance of maintaining a growth mindset, and Anne's belief that businesses have more power than they realize to shape a future where organizations can be both high performance and highly human.

Key Takeaways

Communication Isn't About What You Said. It's About What Actually Landed.

Anne believes "leaders are repeaters." Communicating something once doesn't mean people understand it. Leaders need to continually reinforce important messages while making sure employees understand what those messages actually mean for them.

Culture Has to Be Lived, Not Simply Defined.

Mission, vision and values shouldn't be static words on a page. Anne continually returns to what G&S's values mean in practice and how different people experience them, treating culture as something that evolves alongside the organization.

Leaders Have More Agency Over the AI Future Than They Think.

Rather than simply asking what AI will do to jobs and organizations, Anne believes leaders should be asking, "What do we want to happen?" Businesses have an opportunity to actively shape how people and technology work together instead of treating the future as something happening to them.

About Anne Green

Anne Green is CEO and a principal at G&S Integrated Marketing Communications Group, bringing more than 30 years of experience in marketing communications.

She oversees performance and operations across G&S Business Communications and MorganMyers, while helping cultivate a growth-oriented culture and leading key external relationships. Anne also serves as executive sponsor of the organization's DE&I Advisory Board and Generative AI team.

Previously, Anne served as president and CEO of CooperKatz & Company, an award-winning communications agency she helped build for two decades before its acquisition by G&S. She is also a Trustee of Vassar College and has served on the boards of the PR Council and LifeWay Network.

Memorable Quotes
"I want to be high performance and highly human. I don't think those are in conflict. I think you can be both."
"Well, if it wasn't for the humans, it'd be easy."
"When you're feeling pressure, when your whole body is screaming no to something, when you feel immediately resistant, can you pause and say, maybe we can. Yes, we will try."

Anne Green