A Reckoning for Companies and Global Leaders Alike
Any global business leader could be easily forgiven for requiring a moment, perhaps even a day or more, to process all the ways the business world – and our own organisations and societies – have changed over the course of just the past three months.
No matter where you work, the impacts of COVID-19 and intensifying calls for social equality and justice have created new expectations of global corporations and international business leaders.
At the same time, these have also raised the bar on leaders’ own behaviors and their respective commitments to protect workers and support economic and government reforms that level the playing field for people no matter their gender, race or individual makeup.
There is a reckoning underway. This revisiting of historical scores and protests to demand social equality and the equitable treatment of individual workers calls leaders to understand the imbalances that have blocked the underprivileged from advancing.
Global leaders are increasingly being asked to look at what their brands truly stand for and whether their business practices truly and authentically reflect the corporate values they espouse.
It goes without saying that there will be even more scrutiny on corporate profits, whether global companies are paying their fair share in taxes, if they are proactively enabling the development of women and minority leaders and how they are protecting the environment.
As the immediate challenges to the business world we’ve all known and thrived in for years or even decades, the pressure for long-term, systemic change and equity is mounting.
Yes, there is a growing call for change and a consensus among contemporary, progressive business leaders that they must take a harder look at how they do business and who they do it with. The expectations of business partners, suppliers and vendors are rising. Expectations for the continuing advancement of women and minority voices in the boardroom are also escalating.
This reckoning in public health, political, social and economic terms will require global business leaders to see the world around them more differently than ever before. Therefore, it’s time to really think about how we reset policies and practices to support equality and fairness.
It’s time to look in the mirror and consider what others are asking us to think about in terms of hard, perhaps far-reaching decisions about our businesses.
Some global CEOs believe it may be time to break all the rules. Others believe there will be great opportunity in resetting corporate strategy and innovating through the views and opinions of underrepresented people, including customers. And still others believe if we hold fast to our past glories, these challenges, too, shall pass.
Whatever your view of the future, trust that others are seeking answers to new, worrisome challenges and may well come to you for insight, encouragement and a reason to believe in the future. Listen, learn and think about how you’re being called to lead in difficult times. Your resolve to lead others to a brighter future will boost your confidence and define your legacy as a leader, too.
Copyright © TRANSEARCH International
Other Thought Leadership
TRANSEARCH hosted various c-suite executives in 2022 to discuss challenges like high energy costs and supply chain disruptions. The results revealed six key levers for companies to survive these challenges: People, Culture, Leadership, Reputation, Resilience, and Proactive, Empathic Communication. The study will continue in the 3rd quarter of 2023.
Dr. Carlos Davidovich MD. explores the neuroscience of biases and where they are located in our brain, the negative consequences of unconscious cognitive biases and the connection between biases and Diversity and Inclusion.
Ponder long enough and you might recall hearing at a business conference or reading a blog post from a renowned futurist, author or social commentator some time ago that while things to come remained as always unpredictable, it was likely that the pace of change in our times would indeed accelerate. Looking around at the ways our lives and work have been altered in the past 24 months alone,
Breakthrough technology, uncertainty, the increasing speed of change and the redefinition of 'work' demand an organisation that is a fit for the 21st century (built to change). We refer to it as 'succession planning.' A better description would be 'planning for success.'
TRANSEARCH India invited a panel of CEOs and board members, to discuss the topic – 'CEO Conversations: What Boards Expect'. The panellists also debate the importance of agility, culture, succession planning and diversity as key tenets of good governance and purpose-led leadership.
More than anything, agility is a way to think, it’s a mindset, and as such, without 'leadership' you still don't have much. The type of leadership required exudes, encompasses, encourages, and expresses agility in everything the leader does. Which leads us to the 'The Way of the Dolphin'.
One of the reasons a weekend respite from one’s executive leadership responsibilities – or a longer holiday break away from the office – can be so productive for one’s state of mind is because it allows us the time to reflect on our work and absorb important lessons learned by others. There is no shortage of illuminating quotes, allegories and simple epiphanies circulating on the Internet,
While so much of the world around us is changing, there will come a time when people around the world will look for signs, evidence and leaders in whom they can believe and put their trust for better things to come in the future. There is no better economic and social flashpoint to prove this point than the continuing global struggle to contain the spread of COVID-19,