This is the time to harness the eloquence of technology and the raw power and potential of humanity we see protesting in the streets.
This past Monday, I was energized to be a part of the opening panel for The British Academy’s Future of the Corporation Purpose Summit, which overwhelmingly focused on the importance of action when it comes to Purpose. During the panel, Stefan Oschmann of Merck reminded the audience “it is crucial that you walk the talk,” while Alan Jope of Unilever warned businesses against running “the risk of foundering on the rocks of moral bankruptcy” if they operate without a sense of Purpose. Anneliese Dodds MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer implored “now is time to crystalize a lot of the debates that have been bubbling along” in light of all that is going on economically, culturally, and with the public health sphere.
My focus was on pressing companies to formulate Bold Commitments that lean into Purpose to solve specific needs. In light of the ongoing public health and economic crisis, uncomfortable conversations and reckoning with the human costs of racial injustice, and climate change imperatives, it is not enough just to have Purpose. If you don’t practice it, and practice it well, you won’t retain talent, you won’t be innovative, and you won’t solve the issues that need to be solved.
This is not the time for empty statements. This is our moment for meaningful impact.