Ok, so I am sat on a train heading back to the office, having been at a meeting alongside senior business leaders from some of the biggest and most well known organisations and businesses in this country.
I just had a huge ‘A-ha!’ moment.
Let me explain. The meeting today was a coming-together of UK business leaders- it was a ‘Responsible Business in Action Senior Leaders Breakfast’. This was an event hosted, at Westminster, by Business in the Community- The Prince’s Responsible Business Network.
We were talking about Responsible Business. What does that even mean and why is it relevant? Surely if you own or run or manage a business, your responsibility is to make money- to treat your clients or customers or stakeholders well- and to make money for your shareholders. That’s it, right?
WRONG.
Business is at the very core of our society. Always has been. Businesses, and those that lead them, have a responsibility that is far far more wide-reaching than their own organisation.
Responsible businesses help to create healthy communities and a healthy environment.
Responsible business leaders are purposeful- they understand the far-reaching consequences of their actions and they set the bar high.
IF more business owners and business leaders take these responsibilities more seriously, and TAKE ACTION, this will have a huge, global, positive impact- on our collective health and on our economy.
A recent study found that 94% of CEO’s are committed to ‘responsible business’. That’s great. But are they taking action? I don’t think they are.
We have to start taking action.
Talking about inclusion and diversity is not enough – we have to take action.
Talking about mental health is not enough – we have to take action *
I am really keen to talk with anyone that is interested in exploring this – what it means for me, for you, for our businesses. We are not competitors, we are collaborators – in the big picture, that is what we are. We all have a responsibility to contribute positively to the eco-system that we inhabit – and in business, that means we need to work together, share our experiences and support one another to create healthy workplaces and healthy communities.
I am really interested in hearing your views on this !
*(And to the Chief Exec that said to me recently that you didn’t want to “open Pandora’s box” when we were discussing mental health in the workplace, not only do you need to open that box, you need to take action to fix the problem).
