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For many companies, giving back to their communities is an afterthought– something only done after they’ve turned a profit. And the social responsibility function is a placeholder to be eliminated in the next recession.
Yet, does the social responsibility function need to be meek? Is it not well-positioned to focus attention and resources, transforming business returns and enhancing social good?
Yes! The soft power of connection and influence and the attraction of potential financial benefit can belong to CSR (social responsibility).
From outside my family, my youngest son, four-year-old Reuben, also looks meek. Reuben is the youngest in the family, his muscles are the least developed, and he needs the most sleep.
But Reuben’s impish grin tells a different story. He maintains a strong connection with each family member. He reads and plans like the rest of us . . . and then Reuben leverages his lovable smile to dominate many outings.
Don’t let superficial trappings fool you. My littlest son has outsized influence– and his older brothers respect that strength because he uses it!
The CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) job title implies ‘saving the world’, yet CSR officers often seem weakly placed. They frequently sit apart from colleagues, embrace a separate ethos, and feel like they’re tasked with ‘communicating about random acts of kindness’ as if they were deeply considered, earth-shaking events.
But look more closely and find power and potential. CSR professionals have a unique, information-filled perspective on what’s happening inside and outside the company. They have unparalleled communication skills. And in social responsibility they have the potential to deliver financial return: value destroyed by social failures amounts to trillions of dollars, which are trillions of reasons for business to develop new approaches and deliver solutions.
So proactively approach your role as a leader. Apply the strategic thinking and digital technology needed to see insight in the data at your fingertips. Identify the opportunities to create and open new markets, deliver unique value, and change your world. Then proactively build the coalition that will collaborate to deliver that value. Your investors, and our children, will thank you for the meaningful profit.
And your employment during the next recession depends on it.
What is your next step on the quest to develop a strategic approach to social responsibility?
Please share your thoughts in the comments or by sending me an email: info@RodWallacePhD.Com.
Our society cannot just survive. For the sake of our children, it must thrive.
Rod
Dr. Rod Wallace is an economist, consultant, and speaker who helps businesses make more money by solving society’s problems. A Fulbright Fellow, he has led multi-organization billion-dollar initiatives worldwide and partnered with a Silicon Valley pioneer to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence on society.
Rod speaks about how to integrate social responsibility into business to maximize profit and purpose. He highlights digital technology’s impact on society and the strategies and tools with which business can solve our big, systemic problems.
Contact Rod at info@RodWallacePhD.com.