After my history of corporate citizenship post in LinkedIn, I had an interesting discussion about how business leaders move from reading the statistics and liking the concepts, to actually designing and maintaining initiatives. There’s a lot that can be said, but the short answer is to choose actions where you actually make some impact, and to speak with employees to learn what they want the company to be involved in, and then start with something you can accomplish.

What does this look like? There are many possibilities, and we share a few examples to get your thoughts rolling. An energy company, for example, can put more resources into cleaning up (de-carbonizing) existing processes, and invest in developing renewable, & clean energies to eventually replace the fossil fuels. A fashion company can analyze its supply chain, to ensure that it’s products are made without toxic chemicals, that suppliers ensure safe conditions for their workers, and that there is product life-cycle management (eg cleaning or repairing education and services to extend the product life, and recycling or resell options for when the product is well-worn). Or a tech company might ensure that their servers are energy efficient, and they include budget for offsetting their carbon emissions. Those examples show simple ways a company can begin to move the dial. The employees will have ideas on how to do better, and when listened to and supported, folks will help in implementing the changes. Once in motion, and with a win, it’s easier to expand, improve, and add initiatives.

Martin Rowinski CEO at boardsi | Start-up/ Early Stage Investor | Book Author | Board Member | Featured Author on Forbes, Entrepreneur, FastCompany and CEO Today

I love your idea of there being an “alphabet soup” of corporate citizenship and how it can be rather hard to keep up to date with all of it. But, the leaders who are willing to do their research, and ensure that these needs are met will have a competitive advantage over those that don’t. Additionally, shifts in employee values make these needs essential components of a job search because people want their own values to align with the values of their workplace. How would you suggest business leaders implement these initiatives into their strategy and make sure they are continuously pursued?

Rachel E Patterson, MBA (She/Her) SMB Growth & Impact, CS(R)-ESG Coach/ Speaker/ Advisor/ Facilitator

Absolutely– those who respond to the employee & customer desires have a competitive advantage. After all, employees and customers choose to allocate their time and money to organizations and brands exemplifying their (sometimes aspirational) values.

Re: Implementing, it doesn’t have to be complicated– simply i) create the calendar & mental space to discuss the corporate values, and ways to behave that are consistent with those values; ii) then start with the initiatives which have the most staff interest and enthusiasm (& where your company can make positive impact, eg a logistics company can invest in ways to be more fuel efficient, reduce packaging waste, clean up the seas, or wellness programs for the mental & physical health of their drivers/captains, etc – Maersk does some interesting work in these areas). These investments are not only “good” but cost-effective in the long term, because they result in reduced turnover & customer acquisition costs. Those initiatives will benefit from intentional and authentic communication, with both the internal and external stakeholders. And all of that collaborative mindset, action, and communication combined, result in greater long-term adaptability and resilience.

Re “continuously pursued”, I suggest starting small and with the initiatives that garner most enthusiasm. The world needs millions doing better, not 100 doing perfectly. You want to shift the company & staff (further) into the sustainability CSR-ESG mindset, you want to change habits, and you want sustained action so that the initiative and impact are credible. Dreaming big is great, but for the initiative to be sustainable you have to take a series of small steps, and celebrate the small wins. You might have heard about the neuropsychological insight that the brain is wired for cue-action-reward; and the reward releases dopamine making the action “sticky”, more likely to become a habit. This cue-action-reward creates a positive feedback loop. So, start with something where you’re more likely to get a “win”, so you can begin that positive feedback loop.

When you start where there’s more enthusiasm, there will be more hands carrying it forward, setting in motion a virtuous cycle — getting involved, getting a win, celebrating and communicating that, figuring out what the next initiative and step forward are.

Be practical – put some resources behind the initiative (money, space, time off to do this, recognition of those involved, etc), care about and communicate the authentic progress & setbacks.

The progress creates excitement, the authenticity creates trust, and both trust and excitement magnetizes more support and ideas. One might also consider a points-based incentive structure, to get the practice, and a positive feedback loop, to spread beyond the creative minority. One (or 10? 😉) step at a time– the world needs, and we can get, millions doing better, not 100 doing perfectly.

#SustainingSustainability #CSR #ESG #HumanCenteredDesign #Strategy #Implementation #EmployeeEngagement