Why would any company revisit a purpose statement in the middle of a tumultuous time? That’s exactly what UPS executives decided to do when they refreshed a decades’ old purpose statement and operationalized it globally to come out stronger than ever. At the recent goBeyondProfit CEO Forum, UPS’ Kevin Warren broke down the how, why and day-to-day benefits any company…
As a goBeyondProfit member, I’m going to go ahead and skip the “why” you should give back speech because you and I are already on the same page. We know that commerce and cause should go together like peanut butter and jelly, but I’m guessing it’s the “how” that’s tripping you up. Whether you are a solopreneur, micro business, or…
Over the past year, there’s been a historic rise not only in expectations but also trust in business to step into the public sphere with a perspective and solutions to the challenges around us. As result, it may seem unremarkable that 91% of employed Georgians told goBeyondProfit they want to see the businesses in their lives makes public statements on…
Kenji Kuramoto, CEO of Acuity, was faced with a difficult choice in the summer of 2020 when many of his employees asked him to make a public statement on defunding the police, while many others asked him to denounce the movement. Here’s how he went from “scared to death” to grateful for the opportunity. In the summer of 2020, you were forced…
Over the course of this year, we’ve had the opportunity to interview several chief executives who lead teams of anywhere from 30 employees to 3,000. In each of the conversations, we’ve wrestled with the rising expectations for businesses to take a more active role in solving societal problems. Historically, the task of solving social issues fell solely to not-for-profit and…
Cox Enterprises has pivoted and evolved its businesses for more than a century, but its story shows a rare constant: prioritization of care for its people and communities. As a 2021 goBeyondProfit Champion Award winner there’s a lot for companies of all ages and stages to learn about this source of business strength, which Cox describes as “staying true to…
How have the past two years changed the landscape of societal needs and solutions for Georgia communities? What is the intersection of businesses’ greatest strength and Georgia’s greatest needs? goBeyondProfit turned to an expert to answer these questions. Current needs vs. agencies’ ability to address those needs The gaps business is best suited to help solve Most effective elements of…
What was quite recently unthinkable in business leadership is commonly on leaders’ desks today. They’re being asked, encouraged and occasionally forced into making statements about sensitive social issues. What, if any, stance to take and whether to respond publicly, post internally or stay altogether silent about issues has become a sensitive calculus that requires careful consideration across stakeholders. In goBeyondProfit’s…
As published in Atlanta Business Chronicle Leadership Trust on August 6, 2021. Tumultuous events time-stamp our past two years, such as the pandemic, societal upheaval, presidential election, environmental extremes, post-pandemic reentry and the latest around massive talent shifts and resignations. Exposure to all these issues has made it hard for individuals and businesses alike to go back to the way things…
Managing a business means assessing current threats and opportunities as well as working to position your company for future viability. As we emerge from the pandemic and continue to wrestle with the shared impacts, how do you assess what’s fleeting versus what’s an ongoing imperative? Is the whole conversation about “going beyond profit” just a trend? We turned to one…