Imagine for a moment that you are in a fairly large room. It’s a little chilly and there is a gentle stream of peaceful music to be heard in the background overlaid by quiet voices. The room is full of people you know and love – family and friends and those whose lives you have touched in some way. The only person missing is you. You’re lying perfectly still in a box at the front of this room. Yes, this is your funeral. When this day arrives, and we all hope that it’s not for a long time to come, precisely what will people say about you? What did you do with your life and what did it mean?  It’s a sobering thought. But it’s not a bad starting point when considering how you will use your time, both in your professional life and when you’re not at work. You can create your own legacy and you can start planning it now.

Nelson Mandela said: “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”

We have busy lives. Many of us spend so much of our time working like Trojans to earn more money to acquire more ‘stuff’. Our lives are cluttered with ‘stuff’, and most of our material purchases end their days in the rubbish bin. If you ever wondered just how much of the ‘stuff’ we buy is wasted, I would strongly encourage you to take a look at this enlightening video: http://www.storyofstuff.org/

So I think it’s fairly safe to say that most of us would not like our legacies to comprise simply of material goods – many of which may not even be appreciated by our beneficiaries.

How then can we create legacies that will make a real and sustainable difference long after we leave this mortal coil? Here are three simple ideas to consider. It’s a straightforward case of Who, What, and How:

1. WHO would you like to help? Think about individuals, groups of people, and organisations.  Once you are clear about the people or causes you wish to support you can then think about what you can do to help. If it’s empowering women and children that concerns you (as it does me) then explore local and international initiatives that are positively changing the lives of women and children throughout the world. Take the organisation Acumen  http://acumen.org/ ; its founder, Jacqueline Novogratz is a perfect illustration of a woman who is creating an outstanding living legacy. Ruth Ibegbuna of RECLAIM http://www.reclaimproject.org.uk/ is another outstanding example. These women have chosen to establish and develop their own organisations to achieve their living legacies. Will you be the next or do you want to support the excellent teams that are already making an outstanding difference?
2. WHAT can you do to help? Be ambitious. Challenge yourself. Be realistic. Just as you would set any professional goal, set yourself some SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) when deciding what you can do to help the individuals or organisations you have chosen.  For example you may wish to consider mentoring a youngster from a challenging community for three years to give them the benefit of your life and professional experiences. This fulfils all the SMART criteria and you will be able to measure how successful you are; it’s all about outcomes. What are your key strengths? What resources can you offer – both practically and financially? How much time do you want to, or can you, commit? My friend Hilary Berg http://www.hilarybergconsulting.com/hilary-berg/ is an award-winning communications consultant with a passion for leaving a meaningful legacy. We had a fascinating conversation about this only last week and she can take credit for being the inspiration for this blog. Some time ago Hilary took the decision to divide up her time in a structured way to ensure that she can fulfil her legacy objectives and is achieving some amazing results.
3. HOW can you help? This part of your living legacy plan ought to be relatively straightforward if you have given serious thoughts to the two considerations above. Explore opportunities in your area and further afield. You may wish to begin in a small way. Following the death of my father I committed to supporting Macmillan Cancer www.macmillan.org.uk  . Macmillan makes it very easy to support their tremendous work. Whether it be hosting a coffee morning, participating in an organised, fun event, or simply making regular donations – it’s not difficult.  Recently I was appointed CEO of Cheshire SkillShare www.cheshireskillshare.org.uk  Cheshire SkillShare matches pro bono skills kindly offered by local business with the extensive needs of local charities. It offers a very effective way to support local communities and help them with their challenges..

When I leave this mortal coil I hope very much that I will be remembered in a positive way, long after my material legacies have perished. I know for certain that there is a great opportunity to create a legacy of which my family and friends would be proud. The challenge is to ensure that I do not waste this opportunity.

If you wish to discuss ways in which I may help you develop your living legacy please do not hesitate to contact me either at donna@fairerbusiness.com, or donnaokell@cheshireskillshare.org.uk

Recently I was asked what the one thing I would change about business was. I said that I would replace short-term shareholder profits with long-term, sustainable, holistic outcomes. You may quite rightly consider my response somewhat wordy and idealistic, however I truly believe that we are on the verge of a new economic paradigm which will absolutely change the way we live – both as individuals and businesses. I’d like to share with you three simple steps which I believe can make a very positive difference to your business, your employees, your communities, and your clients.

• Collaboration
• Choice
• Change

Today’s economic and social problems are increasingly complex and are inextricably linked. They cannot be solved simply by injecting cash. Effectively connecting available resources with needs requires greater understanding, innovation and collaboration. We are seeing more evidence of businesses engaging with their communities, clients, and employees to enhance economic and social outcomes.

In addition to the successful Corporate Social Responsibility strategies of high-profile corporations such as Marks&Spencer, Unilever, Accenture etc, smaller businesses are making a hugely positive impact on their communities. Effective collaboration creates greater choice and facilitates sustainable change.  Social Responsibility is now woven into the fabric of business. Many organisations carefully consider their outcomes in a much more holistic way and regularly offer pro bono services to the third sector. Why do they choose to take this socially responsible approach in such a difficult economic climate?

• Community engagement – giving back to and engaging with the communities upon which you may have an impact is fundamentally important to the sustainable success of your business. It’s a collaborative approach, not a case of giving charity to charity. Empowering charities and other volunteer organisations will lead to long-term collaborative success. Many of these organisations have to battle for on-going funding. Often it is not just cash they require but professional resources; collaborative support that will help create long-term, sustainable solutions. What’s happening in your local community and how could you help? You impact on your local community, and beyond, will have a positive effect on what people think of your business and bring a new dimension to your organisation, your clients and your employees.
• Superior Financial performance – In October 2008, Business in the Community published research showing that FTSE 350 companies which consistently managed and measured their corporate responsibility outperformed their FTSE 350 peers on total shareholder return 2002-2007 by between 3.3% and 7.7% per year.
• Improved employee engagement and loyalty – employees are more productive, greater ambassadors for the company and tend to stay longer if their role has greater purpose. Attracting new talent becomes easier as the values of the business are better communicated; According to PWC 86% of recent graduates said they would consider leaving an employer whose values no longer reflected their own. What do your employees and prospective employees understand about your values and are they aligned?
• Brand enhancement – 70% of clients are more likely to choose a product or service from a company which clearly demonstrates positive values when there is little difference between the quality and value of a competitor’s brand. Do you understand the values of your competitors and how they are communicating them to their clients, communities, employees, and suppliers? What can you do to improve your brand?
• Client acquisition and retention: 98% of FTSE companies now produce an annual sustainability report, and analyse their supply chains to ensure suppliers have Sustainability Strategies which comply with theirs. Are you in a position to do business with organisations that have a robust approach to Social Responsibility?

Collaboration isn’t a new idea, but in today’s challenging economic and environmental climate is more important than ever:  “In the long history of humankind … those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” Charles Darwin

www.collaboratei.com describes effective collaboration as being: “… more than simply ‘working together’. It involves different parties coming together in a common endeavour to deliver jointly-agreed outcomes.”

Collaborating effectively also helps to build trust. We have seen trust evaporate from our society in recent years: the banking crisis, food scares, and political scandal. “We’re clearly experiencing a crisis in leadership,” said Richard Edelman, president and CEO, Edelman. “Business and governmental leaders must change their management approach and become more inclusive by seeking the input of employees, consumers, activists and experts such as academics, and adapting to their feedback. They must also pass the test of radical transparency.”2013 Edelman Barometer – the trust and credibility survey.

Are you ready for greater collaboration, choice, and change? How will you build a better business?

We would love to help you on your journey. Call or email us to explore ways in which we can collaborate and support your plans.

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Our group of eight people comprised seven women, who were keen to understand life in the Atlas Mountains and explore the range of volunteering opportunities available, and one male corporate lawyer. Our legal friend had already established a robust Social Responsibility commitment for his law firm and was participating in the trip to learn about the challenges faced in this remote part of the Atlas Mountains and consider how his organisation may engage with and support the communities in future.

So, with seven women, one man, and a few enthusiastic mules to support us, we embarked on what has been a most incredible journey.

Following our arrival in Marrakech we were met by our friendly local guide, Mustafa, who settled us into our minibus and proceeded to drive us away from the bright lights of the bustling city, up a very steep, winding rocky road into the Atlas Mountains. It was dark, we were tired, and had no idea what life was like outside our bus; we couldn’t see a thing. Occasionally we would be offered a glimpse of a sheer drop over the side of the mountain, and thought it best not to look.

Our first surprise arose when the bus stopped in the village of Imlil, about 1800 metres above sea level. We had been advised that we would need to climb a fairly steep, rocky path for the last fifteen minutes or so of our journey to our hotel, the Kasbah du Toubkal.  The path was indeed steep and rocky, but armed with our newly-acquired head torches, and our trusted mule that carried our luggage for us, we made our ascent to the Kasbah. As we opened the beautiful wooden door, we were greeted with what we all described as an oasis – it was a real ‘wow’ moment.  The Kasbah’s description in the guide “Authentic Ecolodges” perfectly illustrates its uniqueness: “Kasbah is the perfect synthesis of eco-conservancy and mid-level luxury … A modern-day citadel blessed with a healthy dose of eco-consciousness; Kasbah provides a level of comfort, graciousness, and hospitality unrivalled in the area and uncommon in the rest of the world.”

Our host, and co-owner of the Kasbah, Mike McHugo, greeted us and we were welcomed with a wonderfully refreshing Moroccan mint tea and delightful Berber hospitality.

Mike McHugo accompanied us for most of our week and gave us a unique insight into life in the Atlas Mountains. We explored the region mostly on foot, and were blessed with blue skies and fine weather for majority of the week – always a bonus. Having trekked for four hours on our third day up to a level of 2400 metres above sea level, our eyes were very quickly and astonishingly opened to the way of life of the Berber communities. In stark contrast to the way we live in the western world, life in the Atlas Mountains is generally a subsistence existence. Houses are made in the traditional Berber way using mud and wood. Local people live for the most part on what they produce – life is about agriculture and animals.

On our first full day of trekking our efforts were rewarded in true style. Having reached the mountain summit, we were amazed to find our guide Mustafa laying out for us on the grassy knoll some beautiful Berber rugs, and cushions. He advised us to remove our shoes, lie down, and allow the troubles of the world to disappear. This we did immediately and without further questions! What happened next was the surprise of the week. A delightful aroma of lamb tagine filled the air and we realised that a local chef was preparing a Moroccan feast for our lunch on two small camping stoves, nestled under the trees. The genuine hospitality we received during our entire experience was exceptional.

Following our delicious lunch we continued our trek with our mule. We described the first village we encountered as having a ‘medieval’ appearance. A woman was walking up the narrow mule path on which we were trekking and she had about 20kg of cattle feed strapped to her back. She was stooped at almost a 90 degree angle. We all vowed never again to complain about our own workloads.

There are still many obstacles for women and girls in the Atlas Mountains. During our visit to Dar Asni, we learned about the superb work of the charity Education for All which is making a real difference to the lives of a number of girls in this area. Without the support of this great cause, most of the girls would not be educated beyond primary school. Education for All offers the girls the opportunity to have life choices they would not otherwise have. The moto they had painted on one of the external walls of their house perfectly illustrated how the girls felt about their education: “Learning together for a better world”. I couldn’t have put it better myself. It is through educating our children, and in particular our girls, that the world can improve.

Despite its stunning scenery, and it really is exceptionally beautiful, another serious challenge in this fragile environment is the amount of litter discarded on the mountains and in the rivers. We were privileged to have the company of Aniko Boehler of Mountain Propre, an environmental and educational organisation which is working tirelessly with local communities to improve their environment and tackle the issue of waste. Aniko explained the waste problem in the locality and how individuals and organisations can support Mountain Propre in their work. Some of our group subsequently spent time during our trip helping to clear up some of the rubbish in the mountains.

This Taste of Volunteering trip had been planned in collaboration with Mike McHugo from Kasbah du Toubkal, Fairer Business, and the award-winning volunteer placement organisation peopleandplaces. The aim of the trip was to help individuals and business leaders better understand this fragile area of North Africa; its culture, its environment, and its challenges, and to explore ways in which individuals or businesses may effectively engage with this special place and help in future if they wish.

Kasbah du Toubkal is a very special place from which to explore this region of the Atlas Mountains. We felt very lucky to spend so much time with its founder, Mike McHugo, and with Aniko Boehler. I think we learned so much more about the area than we expected, and met some wonderfully hospitable people.

If you are interested in learning more about employee volunteering as part of a Social Responsibility Commitment,  or individual volunteering abroad, or would like to join our trip to the Atlas Mountains, Nepal, South Africa, or The Gambia in 2013 please email me: donna@fairerbusiness.com

But unlike price and profit, just how measurable is the value of trustworthiness and integrity. I imagine that amongst other ethical financial institutions, The Co-Operative bank is this week measuring the positive value of its trustworthiness in relation to customer acquisition and retention. It is reported that the bank, which focuses on values, ethics, honesty and integrity, has seen an increase of 25% in new account applications online in the past week. Most businesses would consider that as a successful measurement of trust.

Is trust the same for everybody?

Trust is when we believe that the person or persons (ie. Company or organisation) that is/are trusted will do what is expected or promised. But is trust a one-size-fits-all? The trust that your clients, employees and other stakeholders will place in you as an individual and as a business will depend on many factors including their social background, income, ethical values, religion, past experiences, and more.  Further, does your company deserve your clients’ trust? Do you consistently strive to over deliver and exceed clients’ expectations? Do you always demonstrate integrity, trustworthiness, transparency and accountability in your day-to-day operations? These are challenging objectives to fulfil. When there’s an opportunity to generate slightly more profit at the expense of your values do you consider it (even just a little)?

Demonstrating trustworthiness and integrity is vital to the long-term success of your business. In the words of the most successful investor of our time, Warren Buffett says:

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and 5 minutes to ruin it. If you think about that you’ll do things differently.”  Simple.

Social Media and trust

In his excellent book ‘Who cares wins’, David Jones discusses how social media has empowered consumers and in turn this is significantly influencing how companies behave and communicate with their stakeholders. If your business betrays the trust of your clients, it is now very easy for them to use social media to punish you – very publicly. As Jones points out: “  The danger of being one of the companies punished by empowered consumers for failing to do the right thing far outweighs the downsides of changing to be a better business.”

Social media offers businesses an immensely powerful opportunity to communicate with its stakeholders – its clients, employees, communities, suppliers and other business partners. It also gives companies a chance to demonstrate that it is exceeding expectations and creating purpose beyond profit. It’s a trust-building opportunity.

Can we trust in the future?

Will events of the past decade or so result in legislation to ensure greater levels of trust? I think we have already begun to witness tighter regulation, particularly in the financial services sector. Perhaps a better route would be for businesses to ensure that their stakeholders commit to robust ethical codes of conduct. I call this taking Personal Social Responsibility. As individuals, and as part of a business and the wider economy, we must act with the highest levels of personal integrity – always. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr. “The time is always right to do what is right.”

Recent research carried out by Edelman illustrates that trust in CEOs and governments has plummeted. Only 38% of those interviewed in the research believed that information coming from CEOs was credible. That’s down from 50% last year. For a full report on the trust survey please click here

Organisations such as Ethicability  are advising large businesses , governments and regulators on how to embed ethics into their organisations. The philosopher Albert Camus said that: “Integrity has no need of rules” – well that may be the case, but I fear that avarice has tempted many of our business leaders to act in ways that fall well-short of ethical. A business will only succeed over the long term when it earns and builds upon the trust of consumers, employees, communities, and other stakeholders.

Further reading

If you are interested in further research into business ethics and trust, there is a useful reading list here.

This is another great example of high-profile multi-national organisations demonstrating their commitment to creating purpose beyond profit, and choosing to compete on values and ethics, not solely on price on profits. Employee volunteering and community engagement can be incorporated into any business strategy – it is not the preserve of large global corporations. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can derive significant measurable benefits too.

The value of volunteering

When considering an effective strategic approach to (Corporate) Social Responsibility, community engagement and employee engagement are important considerations. When objectives are clearly identified, and a responsible, sustainable approach taken, community volunteering can make a real difference. Programmes that are well-designed have a win-win-win outcome for the employee, the community, and of course the employer.

Interestingly, whenever I am discussing a client’s interest in Social Responsibility with them, employee community engagement is always an area which genuinely inspires them. Most businesses that are keen to develop their Social Responsibility strategy are very enthusiastic about making a positive difference to their employees and their communities. Often, a strong sense of it being ‘the right thing to do’ will inspire employers to engage with the community and encourage their employees to volunteer.  But beyond this values-driven motivation, employee community engagement may deliver many tangible benefits for employees, the community and the employer.  Here are just some of the advantages of employee volunteering and community engagement:

Employees

• Reduced HR costs
• Improved productivity
• Increased loyalty to the company
• More engaged
• Better ambassadors
• Team-building skills
• Leadership development
• Cultural awareness (especially when volunteering internationally)

Communities

• Improved relationships
• Shared skills
• Learning through collaboration
• Financial support
• Mentoring
• Improve morale
• Increase reciprocal relationships and trust
• Positive environmental impact

 Employers

• Enhance reputation and brand value in communities
• Competitive advantage
• Better understanding of and engagement in community
• Easier to attract future employees
• Enhanced employee retention and loyalty
• Increased productivity
• Skills development
• Attract new clients
• Cultural awareness (particularly with international volunteering)
• Awards
• Press and PR, including social media engagement

What does ‘good’ look like?

When planning a strategic employee community engagement programme, it’s important to consider the following :

• Where are we now? Has the business already developed a foundation of community engagement which can be built upon? What resources do we have available (funds and time)?
• What are our objectives? These should be agreed with your stakeholders and be allocated an appropriate period of time to demonstrate genuine commitment. Three to five years is average.
• How are we going to achieve our goals? Resources required? How much influence do we have? How significant will our contribution be? What impact will we have? Where are the gaps?
• Monitoring, Reviewing, Reporting and Managing – It’s important to measure the success of your initiative against your agreed objectives, and to manage any changes where necessary. The measurements you use may be financial, and non-financial. For example, you may focus on how the confidence of one of your mentees has improved.

Finally, communicate, communicate, and communicate. In order to derive the benefits of employee community engagement outlined above, it’s important to communicate your progress to all your stakeholders. Using a range of media, including traditional PR, internal and external communications, and of course social media, employee community engagement provides a unique opportunity to differentiate your company and engage your stakeholders.

To say that I am a Corporate Social Responsibility consultant feels at best boring, and at worst vaguely confusing (or vague and confusing!) My usual response is that I help businesses gain competitive advantage, by creating purpose beyond profit, and growing their organisations sustainably and responsibly. But that is rather a mouthful too. So what’s the answer?

The Triple Bottom Line in pictures

Explaining that I encourage businesses to take a triple bottom line approach, rarely elicits a look of deep understanding as the term is still much underutilised in the wider economic sense. In essence, the triple bottom line is a much broader reflection of the outcomes of a business and comprises people, planet, and profit. It means that winning businesses take seriously their responsibilities beyond the profit and loss account. That has to be a good thing for the world doesn’t it?

Like many people I have a visual learning style. I like pictures, and diagrams, and tend to remember information better when presented in that format. So, that’s exactly what I have done. I have created a mind map to illustrate some of the advantages and benefits of incorporating an effective Social Responsibility. Click here to view.

First steps toward the triple bottom line

Winning businesses are genuinely embracing the new economic paradigm and creating shared value throughout their organisations. The first step along the road to more creating purpose beyond profit is to understand the rationale which underpins this socially responsible approach. The most effective results are achieved by businesses which develop their social responsibility strategy with real integrity. It’s a simple model:

• Understand – what does social responsibility mean and why is important to the business and its stakeholders? I’ve illustrated using the mind map above some of the obvious outcomes of integrating an effective Social Responsibility strategy.
• Engage – Do you have strong and genuine relationships with your stakeholders? Effectively engaging those affected by your business operations is fundamentally important to your success.
• Keep SR objectives SMART – when setting any social responsibility goals ensure they are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate – effective and honest communication with your stakeholders will maximise the success of your Social Responsibility strategy.

When I say I went with an open mind, it wasn’t long before I realised that my long-held and somewhat surprisingly strong views about the difference between the academic world of Social Responsibility and its effective commercial application were very much in evidence as I gave my opinion on various topics throughout the day.

During one interesting session, I had a great conversation with two other people who had science and environmental backgrounds, compared to my corporate experience. We watched a short film regarding climate change, and the serious state of our planet and were asked to discuss our views. Surprisingly, we began the conversation with diverse interpretations of the content ranging from: “the game’s over so what’s the point?”, to, “if we all contribute and collaborate, we can positively shape our economic and environmental future”.

As you may have guessed, my foot is firmly in the latter camp. Together we CAN influence change, but we must collaborate effectively. What’s abundantly clear is that when adopting a robust Social Responsibility Strategy, and taking a triple bottom line approach (people, planet and profit) we cannot ignore the impact that businesses have on the environment. Without a planet, we have no economy. It really is that simple. Currently, we are consuming far more than the planet can provide in resources. It’s just not sustainable.

So, is the game over, or can individual businesses really make a difference? The short answer, is yes, individuals, businesses, governments, and NGOs can all change the way that we live in order that we leave the world a better place than when we entered it.

Thankfully, there is increasing evidence to demonstrate that businesses are incorporating their social responsibility strategy into the very fabric of their operations. Gone are the days of having a dedicated CSR department, or team. The new economic model demands that businesses understand the impact of their actions on their people (clients, employees, communities, suppliers, and other business partners), the planet, and of course their profit. As Henry Ford put it so succinctly: “”Business must be run at a profit, else it will die. But when anyone tries to run a business solely for profit, then also the business must die, for it no longer has a reason for existence.”

Creating purpose beyond profit is fundamentally important to society. Profit and benefits to society are not mutually exclusive. Michael Porter has defined the term CSV (Creating Shared Value), as opposed to CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). He explains that the difference between the two is that CSR has a focus which is separate from profit maximisation, whereas CSV is integral to profit maximisation. Listen to Michael Porter talk in more detail on the difference between CSR and CSV

Whatever language you use, we must operate in a way that will maximise the positive benefits for the community and for society.

My belief is that the game is not over, it’s only just begun.