Warp+Weft’s Post

This piece by Alison Taylor is well worth a read. I love this quote from her about corporate culture. In my experience a lot of corporate crises are caused by what Alison says in the second paragraph below: "...ethical cultures are all different, but unethical cultures tend to be very similar. There’s an absence of perspective-taking. There’s an absence of pro-social purpose—something higher than “win at all costs.” There’s an absence of accountability. "Another common trait is selective impunity, the sense that there’s one set of rules for leadership and a different set of rules for everyone else. There are values statements and the usual rhetoric about zero tolerance, but it doesn’t seem to apply to senior leaders."

The first long interview I’ve done in a while is out today! I spoke to strategy+business about ESG overreach, political spending, the limits of reporting, ethical culture, and much, much more. “The most interesting problems facing business leaders today don’t fit neatly in one department. If you treat responsible business just as a reputation problem, or just as a human resources problem, or even just as a sustainability problem, you’re going to look disjointed and you’re going to fail. The challenge is bringing together branding, culture, sustainability, risk, and ethics in a way that doesn’t create a chronic lack of role clarity. It’s interesting to see some companies creating new CxO roles—Novartis, for example, has a chief ethics, risk, and compliance officer—although I don’t think this is always the right answer. One big drawback with the legacy approach is that it treats organizational culture as separate from ethics and compliance. The fact is, you need employees to bring dilemmas to the table, debate issues, and think about ethical principles in their day-to-day [work]. It can be a route to a better culture. It can be a route to innovation. As a leader, the hard part is that you need to foster this without implying that the company is a democracy—that you’re going to change course if one group of employees yells loud enough. Worker voice and worker rights is another blind spot for many companies. You can have the best sustainability program in the world and make a lot of noise about the wonderful things you’re doing for your community, but it will be undermined if you don’t treat workers fairly. Again, it comes down to honesty, dignity, and respect.” https://lnkd.in/dgxYfZP9

How can we make more of an individual impact? How can business leaders and brands do more for society? This demands leadership to foster collaboration and identify and boldly tackle root problems that are essential for trust building as a stepping stone. This is a huge but shared challenge, with much work to do by those wanting to be part of positive change and move beyond siloed thinking: "The most interesting problems facing business leaders today don’t fit neatly in one department. If you treat responsible business just as a reputation problem, or just as a human resources problem, or even just as a sustainability problem, you’re going to look disjointed and you’re going to fail. The challenge is bringing together branding, culture, sustainability, risk, and ethics in a way that doesn’t create a chronic lack of role clarity." https://lnkd.in/ea7QiWwF

Ethical dilemmas are a challenge for modern business owners because consumers and society at large increasingly expect businesses to operate in a way that benefits more than just shareholders. Choosing the most profitable path often conflicts with environmental sustainability, ethical sourcing practices, fair treatment of employees, or giving back to the community. Businesses facing these dilemmas have to weigh the potential financial costs of taking an ethical stand against the reputational damage and loss of customer loyalty that can result from being perceived as unethical or socially irresponsible. Modern consumers are more informed and vocal than ever, making it difficult for companies to hide unsustainable practices or exploitative business models. This means balancing profit with purpose is no longer optional but essential for long-term success. Here are a few recommendations to help you combat this challenge... 📈 Financial Strategy: Consider the long-term costs and benefits of ethical decisions. While switching to sustainable packaging or offering fair wages may initially increase expenses, it could build a loyal customer base that values your commitment. Conversely, unethical practices, even if more profitable in the short-term, can lead to boycotts, PR scandals, and legal costs that far outweigh any initial gains. ✅ Marketing Strategy: Be transparent about your ethical practices and commitments. Don't just make vague claims – provide data, certifications, and detailed accounts of how you're minimizing your environmental impact or supporting social causes. This gives ethically-minded consumers the information they need to make informed purchase decisions and builds trust in your brand. 🤔 Want to know what this could look like in your business? The way you used to run your business won't work anymore if you want to keep growing. With CAP3, you get an entire team of finance and marketing experts who know how to support a business like yours in growth mode. The mission of CAP3 is to improve the lives of the business owners we serve. We want to be your trusted advisor and provide you with accurate, complete, relevant, and actionable information and insight that allows you to make the best decisions possible for your business. To keep up the pace and stay on the path to greater success, contact CAP3 today.

Ethical dilemmas are a challenge for modern business owners because consumers and society at large increasingly expect businesses to operate in a way that benefits more than just shareholders. Choosing the most profitable path often conflicts with environmental sustainability, ethical sourcing practices, fair treatment of employees, or giving back to the community. Businesses facing these dilemmas have to weigh the potential financial costs of taking an ethical stand against the reputational damage and loss of customer loyalty that can result from being perceived as unethical or socially irresponsible. Modern consumers are more informed and vocal than ever, making it difficult for companies to hide unsustainable practices or exploitative business models. This means balancing profit with purpose is no longer optional but essential for long-term success. Here are a few recommendations to help you combat this challenge... 📈 Financial Strategy: Consider the long-term costs and benefits of ethical decisions. While switching to sustainable packaging or offering fair wages may initially increase expenses, it could build a loyal customer base that values your commitment. Conversely, unethical practices, even if more profitable in the short-term, can lead to boycotts, PR scandals, and legal costs that far outweigh any initial gains. ✅ Marketing Strategy: Be transparent about your ethical practices and commitments. Don't just make vague claims – provide data, certifications, and detailed accounts of how you're minimizing your environmental impact or supporting social causes. This gives ethically-minded consumers the information they need to make informed purchase decisions and builds trust in your brand. 🤔 Want to know what this could look like in your business? The way you used to run your business won't work anymore if you want to keep growing. With CAP3, you get an entire team of finance and marketing experts who know how to support a business like yours in growth mode. The mission of CAP3 is to improve the lives of the business owners we serve. We want to be your trusted advisor and provide you with accurate, complete, relevant, and actionable information and insight that allows you to make the best decisions possible for your business. To keep up the pace and stay on the path to greater success, contact CAP3 today.

For my colleagues and friends in #EthicsAndCompliance, #Sustainability, #ESG, #HR, #Strategy, and in #CSuites or on #Boards (and, well, anyone else who wants to ensure the long-term resilience of their organization): This strategy+business interview of Alison Taylor is one of the best distillations of her insights about so many of the themes in her brilliantly practical book, “Higher Ground - How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World” (which I highly recommend!).

well, i scampered through Alison Taylor book "higher ground" quickly as it captured, really really well, many things i see and agree with. its a good read for business people (albeit i would argue anyone would benefit). now. the most interesting thing to me was that i read this book and Grace Blakeley's "vulture capitalism" back to back (i also had just finished Aaron Bastani book) so i look at all of them in context to the others (i'd also recommend you tuck a copy of Drucker's 'new realities' nearby as reference). Higher Ground focuses on being a better business in an existing business world (i liked "as open social systems, companies ..." - which is a derivative of Drucker's 'business is in and of society'), Vulture Capitalism takes a crack at redesigning the business world. obviously, if you read anything i write, i am firmly in the latter camp, that said, Higher Ground puts a stake in the ground for a business navigating toward a future (whatever the future of business may be) and not just thriving in the existing business world. anyhoo. i liked Higher Ground. https://lnkd.in/eRVH8unN

Wednesday reflection questions to all us ethical founders out here. What does ethical business mean to you in a world where "fair trade" is a label that is not a given and norm, but something extra? What does ethical business mean to you in a world where companies funding the destruction of humanity and all our ecosystems hold the monopolies to providing the servers to your emails and other services? (Looking at myself using Google to host my email for instance for its price and convenience.) What does ethical business mean to you in a world where our current models of doing business were built on the foundations of a skewed myth of meritocracy that places us white people on the top everywhere, in all the ways imaginable? These are not rhetorical questions. These are actual, genuine prompts for all of us who find ourselves with the gnawing burning desire to push doing business in a fairer, more ethical direction with our everyday decisions. We don't have the luxury to give in to despair or the feeling of futility, to lie down in the dust and say "what does it matter what I do, anyway". The bitter truth is, what you do alone doesn't matter much. But the first lesson here is that it's not about your conscience or self-image. It never was. It's about what you move together with others. Compromises will be made, always. Intentionality in introspection and follow-up actions is key. I don't have it all figured out, but I'm pretty good at asking the hard questions, at least. Do with all that what you will. -- 💫 I'm a consultant and coach working with early-stage and purpose-driven founders and teams. If you'd like to work with me, reach out via email at emil [at] initforchange [dot] com.

Learn the importance of ethical decision-making in business. Navigate moral dilemmas with integrity for long-term success. #decisionmaking