B-eing Human and the Restorative Imperative for Using Business as a Force for Good

Last week, I was in community with B Corp business owners, consultants, champions and enthusiasts in Vancouver for the Champions Retreat, a bi-annual convening by B Lab U.S. & Canada , under the leadership of Jorge Fontanez , aimed at connecting and mobilizing values-aligned people using business as a force for good in the B Corp movement and beyond. 

The theme this year was "Restore", which was an invitation for us to engage on a journey towards personal and collective restoration. As Vanessa Richards held space for us for the course of the week, we were asked at different points of the conference to reflect on what it means for ourselves and our businesses to show up in a way that is restorative, regenerative, and elicits rejuvenating. I was especially struck by Mel Wyatt PMP® 's reflection on the theme in her own life and business MW Enterprises LLC , which leverages real estate development, investment, and management to transform historic, urban and underrepresented landscapes. She offered the following definition of restore of biblical origins: "To receive back more than has been lost to the point where the final state is greater than the original condition." Essentially, it's the notion that "someone or something is improved beyond measure."

In a world where loneliness is an epidemic, the most vulnerable among us are struggling to meet the most basic of needs, and our planet is experiencing unprecedented levels of harm and destruction, I have been thinking, how might we actively improve beyond measure more than has been lost? I certainly don't know all the answers, but I was left with a few insights:

• Community matters now more than ever before. It matters who we spend our time with and the manner in which we spend it such that we feel supported, energized and lifted up in each interaction. It also matters in our work, to connect with colleagues, stakeholders, customers and business partners who believe in shared value beyond transactions. I'm especially thinking about some of my fellow B Local leaders across U.S. and Canada like Natasha Motsi , Wesley Griffin , Emmy (Maria) Allison , Nathan A. Stuck, MBA , and Taylor Stanley , and some of my fellow board members at Helen N. , Toni DiPrinzio , Cassandre Tissot and Rai-mon Nemar Barnes at B Local NYC at convening community and collaboration across B Corps and other mission-driven businesses in their regions. Special shoutout also to B Lab U.S. & Canada 's Rebecca Quirk , Carson Bolding , Rose Lavelle and Kellen Moody for supporting my and so many other B Local Leader's efforts to grow the B Corp movement. 

• Rest is not a nice to have but a need to have. I, like many other professionals, grew accustomed to working long hours at the expense of my wellbeing. In fact, it was in my life and continues to be in many environments a virtuous badge of honor to be absorbed in a culture of overwork. It is not conjecture when I say this cultural phenomenon is quite literally killing us, often leading to high rates of depression, anxiety and other chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer to name a few.  After testing it out over the last year, B Lab implemented a 4-day work week during which they have experienced 0% staff turnover and comparable, if not higher, levels of work productivity. I'm inspired by their work and others that recognize supporting the wellbeing of their employees, and in so doing, are experiencing the retention and revenue benefits of that commitment. 

• A marketplace that considers the needs of the most marginalized among us is not just a moral mandate, but a sound business practice.  I am especially inspired by the work of many B Corps putting this insight into practice, from our B Corps based in NYC like Greyston Bakery Bakery, which most notably employs an Open Hiring staffing model, hiring "without judgment" without resumes, interviewing, or background checks to remove significant barriers to employment for many underemployed individuals, to one of our newest B Corps, Tech Afrique founded by Chelsea Odufu & Eli Fola , which "creates immersive festival experiences that allows BIPOC communities to release and heal" while simultaneously being environmental stewards. I also loved being introduced to Asha Wheeldon and Patrice Mousseau and their Vancouver-based B Corps Kula Foods and Satya Organic Skin Care to make the consumer market more inclusive and diverse for needs in the plant-based food and skincare industries. I also appreciated conversations and strategy sessions with colleagues like Drew Bonfiglio , Kerrie McDevitt , Sharon Kennedy Vickers , Carolyn Arthur and the good folks at B Lab like Hugues Sygney Jr. and Seana K. on what it looks like to be intentional about advancing racial equity within our industries.

This time reaffirmed my belief that we are far more intertwined with each other than we are often led to believe, and the future we want for ourselves and the generations after us rests on our ability to be cognizant of our shared humanity and then work together to preserve the shared humanity for which we collectively yearn.

Looking forward  to continuing the work in community and getting others to join in on all the fun of improving our world beyond measure!