Business leaders often ask us for advice on how to unearth the most urgent local needs, find effective agency experts and collaborate with other businesses to make a broader impact. We’re lucky to have a Georgia-grown business collaboration model to learn from, one written up by academics and even mentioned in the Harvard Business Review for its long term effectiveness.…
Carley StephensCommunity Affairs Program ManagerGas South For decades, corporate giving has relied on physical volunteer events, tried and true ways of doing things that defined traditional “community engagement.” Then 2020 broke in and altered so much of the familiar. But perhaps what breaks should be rebuilt differently. In the following excerpt, Gas South’s Carley Stephens offers an evolution in thinking…
Sometimes, big audacious business claims cause a double-take, and perhaps skepticism. This could be your reaction to Vector Global Logistics’ promise, right there on its home page and practically every other webpage: “Logistics with Purpose. Changing the World Through Supply Chain.” “Really?” We asked co-founder Enrique Alvarez. Is that a promise you worry about living up to? How does this…
One essential, problematic leadership task: Ensuring every employee understands how to respond to real-time requests appropriately and aligned with your company’s priorities and values. Increasing evidence points to a company purpose statement and supporting values as key to this dynamic. But, is the Purpose trend just hype? Many business executives may see this as a vanity exercise or perhaps even…
In his insightful new book, Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity Through Business, Whole Foods Market CEO John Mackey explores the role of love in business leadership. Noting that generosity is not a finite resource, he reiterates the virtuous circle it creates: “Generosity is an expression of abundance – that’s the best way to understand this virtue. It’s not an expression of self-sacrifice, which…
In goBeyondprofit’s year-end poll, 75% of employees asked for conversations on race to happen at work. Few people find this request easy to accomplish. Even the most thoughtful leaders fear saying the wrong thing. So, we asked the experts for help and released a video series: Leading a Thriving Workplace with Race in Mind. Grab a notepad and download any…
In the wake of the 2020 COVID disruption, many company volunteer programs came to a screeching halt. As research continues to reinforce the bottom-line value of employee volunteerism, businesses are reimagining what’s possible and emphasizing small actions that roll up into wide-ranging positive impact. Bottom-line benefits continue A recent article by UGA Terry College of Business’ own Jessica Rodell Volunteer…
Standing in the middle of societal and business tumult, it’s hard to have perspective on which new strategies to embrace. In its McKinsey Quarterly article, “The CEO moment: Leadership for a new era” McKinsey authors do a helpful job of highlighting four leadership shifts. These echo goBeyondProfit’s view of building value by demonstrating generous leadership with employees and communities. …
Did bottom line concerns cause businesses to de-prioritize their other values this year? Before COVID hit, our annual research showed that most Georgia executives believed community outreach was important – even critical — to their businesses’ overall health. They knew what the research confirmed: most Georgians preferred to buy from and associate with generous brands and companies. But one might…
In May of 2020, Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb sent a message to his employees regarding layoffs. It was a devastating blow to thousands of individuals and families, and unsettling to “survivors” who had immediate concerns of their own. Chesky successfully outlined a process that reinforced Airbnb’s core values of belonging, connection and being truly human. He wrote from the…