Decency Starts at the Top
Larry Weber, CEO & Chairman, Racepoint Global
People want to work for leaders and companies that are driven by goodness and decency – those that are passionate about helping to change the world for the better, whether within their own company, community or on a global level. This is a topic I explore in my latest book, Authentic Marketing: How to Capture Hearts and Minds Through the Power of Purpose, published in January 2019. The clarion call of businesses today is to identify their moral purpose, and it is leadership’s job to make sure that purpose comes to life throughout every level and department of the organization and to all external stakeholders. A 2018 study by Covestro found that 80% of CEOs agree that a company’s future growth and success will hinge on a values-driven mission that balances profit and purpose. Purpose also influences recruiting and a company’s ability to attract and retain employees, as 76% of millennials consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work and 85% of U.S. employees say they would stay longer with an employer with a high level of social responsibility.
To remain competitive, today’s C-suite must rally their company around an issue or societal problem their people or products/services can help address, whether homelessness, providing access to water, protecting the environment, etc., because all stakeholders – especially employees – increasingly want to align themselves with the good and decent. Below are the key steps that will create the kind of purpose-fueled culture employees will love:
- Ignite employee passion, right from the first step: involve employees from the get go to ensure they’re engaged and personally connected to the mission
- Live your purpose, enabling employees to feel it: show that company management-from the CEO down-champions the effort
- Make purpose permeate your organization: your purpose should reveal itself in every aspect of your organization and become central to employee communications
- Find your ambassadors: give employees with a real passion and dedication for the effort the opportunity to tell their stories to others and help engage co-workers
- Empower employees to make it happen: set employees up for success by giving them the knowledge, skills and training to deliver on the purpose
- Create a chorus of purpose stories: empower employees to tell their personal stories around the company’s moral purpose
- Make purpose front and center when recruiting: highlight purpose in job posting and early in discussions to emphasize the good your company is doing for the world and the critical role employees play
About the Author: Larry Weber is a globally known expert on public relations and marketing services and founder of several successful public relations and interactive marketing agencies, including Weber Shandwick and Racepoint Global. Recognized as a thought leader on the convergence of technology, the Web, and communications, Larry has helped both international and emerging companies become powerhouse brands. In January 2019, Larry released his latest book, Authentic Marketing: How to Capture Hearts and Minds Through the Power of Purpose, (published by John Wiley & Sons in January 2019), which discusses the need for all companies to have a corporate purpose in order to capture the hearts and minds of today’s audiences.
