2021: A Revolutionary Year in Business

What a year it has been.

I have covered business as a journalist for more than four decades and I can’t think of another year characterized by such profound change. The words “revolution” and “crisis” are overused. But in this case, there has been a full-blown business technology revolution that was accelerated by a health care crisis, then overlaid with a social justice crisis, a supply chain crisis, and finally topped off with a complete reinvention of office work and, oh yes, a mass exodus of workers. Enough for you?

Perhaps the most surprising outcome of this tumult, captured in so many of our Leadership Next interviews, is that leaders doubled down on their commitments to a broad array of stakeholders beyond shareholders—employees, customers, communities, the planet. Climate pledges may have been the most surprising theme of the year. At Leadership Next, it started with GM CEO Mary Barra telling us in January of her plans to make all new GM cars emissions-free by 2035, then continued with United CEO Scott Kirby making an outsized commitment to sustainable aviation fuel, Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good planning for a 50% reduction in emissions over the next decade, and more. 

As Deloitte U.S. CEO Joe Ucuzoglu, who has been our sponsor for these conversations, put it:

“Organizations by and large are coming to the realization that the business community galvanizing to tackle some of these big societal topics is the right thing to do. It's what their people expect… People want to be part of an organization that they believe in. Yes, they want a thriving career. Yes, they want to make certain they're compensated fairly, and they have the right benefits. But those things are just table stakes. They want to know, how is my great effort that I'm deploying day-to-day going to result in real impact in doing work that's meaningful, that is supporting a thriving broader economy, creating jobs, solving difficult issues, supporting my community. That's why you've seen purpose rise to the top of the C-suite agenda.”

In sum, the year was punctuated by plenty of problems. Yet as it ends, I can’t help but feel optimistic. There’s a new way of doing business taking hold. And it’s a change for the better.

If you don't believe that, spend some time listening to these interviews. And then let me know what you think. I believe they will make you feel better about the state of the business world. Check them out on Apple or Spotify. Or see our coverage of the interviews at Fortune.com.