Creating Responsible Companies Podcast

Episode Summary

In this episode, we discuss a recent Newsweek and Statista partnership to rank America’s Most Responsible Companies 2020. 

Newsweek explains, “companies, we all know, need to make a profit to prosper and survive. But over the years, executives have come to realize that they need to do much more. That is, by giving back to the communities they operate in and standing up as good neighbors and citizens.”  

Join us as we explore this research, the super valuable key performance indicators they used, and how those areas are key to your company's CSR strategy.

1. We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

Episode Summary

In this episode, we discuss a recent Forbes article by Marguerita Cheng called 8 Characteristics of Millennials That Support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  Cheng notes that “Millennials' specific traits and consumption trends make SDGs goals more attainable. They are investing in and working for companies that have embraced visible sustainable practices and their tastes and preferences support creating sustainability and equality for all.”  

Join us as we dive into current research about this generation's unique attributes and how your company can benefit in recruitment, retention, and sales to Millennials.

At 3:00, Where do Millennials get their social awareness? What do they believe is the key to alleviating poverty and improving life outcomes?

At 5:16, Hear how Millennials’ lifelong connection to technology drives their curiosity and eagerness to learn.

At 6:22, As the most ethnically diverse generation, learn why your company’s diversity and inclusion policy is so important to Millennials.

At 8:15, Do Millennials prefer to spend their time and money on products or experiences?

At 10:16, Millennials know how to use devices to learn what they want to know! Learn what percentage of Millennials:

•  Value a college education and are preparing to acquire one 
• Are college graduates 
• Are in college working toward graduation

At 12:12, Millennials have been referred to as the most health-conscious generation ever because of their access to online health information.

At 13:31, Even though they make 20% less than their parents, millennials are saving and investing in systems that have a positive impact on the world.

At 18:00, What drives Millennials' deep sense of connection in helping each other? Is it their belief in human rights more than religion?

We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

In this episode, we review the Porter Novelli/Cone report, Undivided: 2019 Gen Z Purpose Study, that examines this emerging generation’s expectations of and attitudes toward company involvement in social and environmental issues — and the actions they are willing to take to positively impact topics they care about.

At 2:59, 94 % of Generation Z believes our country needs to come together to make progress on important issues. In fact, 85% would rather focus on the positive progress we’ve made rather than the negative.

At 3:52, Gen Zers remain hopeful! They expect we will have made advancement on important issues in just five years’ time.

At 6:32, What do Gen Zers use as a core filter in deciding which companies to associate with when deciding where to work and shop?

At 8:06, Learn how Gen Zs prioritize the top issues they want companies to solve for like equality, environment, human rights, and job creation.

At 10:14, Ways Gen Zers stand ready to support companies that care!

At 12:37, Janet shares her theory on the gap between our level of awareness of social and environmental issues and the rate at which companies can create that change.

At 16:06, Generation Z uses social media not only to learn about issues, but to make a meaningful difference.

At 18:45, In the key findings from this research we learn that Gen Zers are:

1. Tired of the Negative Dialogue
2. Inspired for Action
3. Holding Companies Accountable
4. Impact through Social Media

We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

In this episode, we review the Accenture Report, To Affinity and Beyond, from Me to We: The Rise of the Purpose Led Brand, a study that outlines how consumers are no longer looking at companies just as “companies”, but as brands, and brands they are a part of.

At 3:07, 62% of customers want companies to take a stand on current and broadly relevant issues like sustainability, transparency, and fair EE practices.

At 4:19, Who does your brand really belong to? A brand no longer belongs to just the company; it belongs to the community.

At 6:30, What is Purpose? How does it align with a company’s CSR or sustainability strategy?

At 7:32, Don’t overlook the intangible components of a brand’s essence such as culture, transparency, and ethical values

At 8:15, Purpose and customer relationships 

At 9:16, It’s data time! Listen as we talk through the percent of respondents who:

• Appreciate brands that stand up for societal and cultural issues they believe in
• Act upon and support causes they have in common with a company
• Prefer a company who is transparent 
• Want to know employees are being treated well
• Believe in reducing plastics and improving the environment

At 13:00, Accenture’s advice on how to take action using the report results (with examples from Janet and Barbra!)

1. Be Human 

2. Be Clear and Authentic 

3. Being Creative 

We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneurs on Fire: The Value of Sustainability to Business

Our guest, John Lee Dumas, is the host of Entrepreneurs on Fire, an award-winning podcast where he interviews inspiring Entrepreneurs who are truly ON FIRE. With over 2000 episodes, 1 million + listens a month, and seven-figures of annual revenue, JLD is just getting started. Visit EOFire.com to set YOUR Entrepreneurial journey ON FIRE!

You’ll want to watch this one on our YouTube channel!

About CSR, JLD said it best: “You have to do this if you want to be relevant in this world.”

At 3:00 - A sneak peek into how JLD incorporates sustainability into his own business and life in Puerto Rico: getting off the grid, staying operative during natural disasters and adding “organic gardener” to his bio.

At 6:12 - Millennials want to do business with you, but you need to be transparent. Millennials are reprioritizing how they spend money on what is right. Being authentic and transparent is one of the greatest opportunities companies have today to capture those consumers.

At 8:07 - Value bomb for Entrepreneurs on Fire: CSR is a profitable, long-term business strategy and can have a world-changing ripple effect. The “sell a pair, give a pair” Toms Shoes model didn’t fit the typical idea of “maximize profit first”. But if you are looking to maximize the overall brand and be a long-term profitable company, embedding social and environmental responsibility in your business carries the gift of free publicity, media, goodwill and overall awesomeness.

At 11:53 - Janet and Barbra challenge Entrepreneurs on Fire listeners to hyper-impact JLD’s influence and legacy! The backbone of the global economy is entrepreneurs. If only a tiny percentage of JLD’s millions of followers began making small changes to their companies to become more responsible, imagine the difference it would make on the world.

Janet’s Data Point: An estimated $15-20 trillion dollars is poised to be invested in socially and environmentally responsible companies in the next 10-20 years.

Behind-the-scenes: What product does JLD’s mom buy that makes her walk out of the store smiling because she knows her purchase is doing something good for the world? (9:50)

How YOUR business can incorporate CSR in your business model: If you are wondering how to embed social and environmental components and get your authentic message articulated, schedule a free, 20-minute chat with us. You have a world to change and a legacy to leave, so let’s get started! 

We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

Part 3 of a 3 part series on communicating CSR:

Corporate Communications: Why Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) topics are foundational to your content strategy and how to include them with 6 components for success: Investor, Owner & Shareholder Communication

 Special 3-part Series

Good communication can be tricky - especially when speaking with investors, owners, and shareholders. It is important for you to speak their language and provide the information they seek in a format they can use, so they too can see the value in your initiatives and goals. 

These episodes unlock the topics that every CSR and communications professional needs to know to effectively communicate environmental, social and economic initiatives and practices:

• Episode 6: Internal Communications
• Episode 7: External Communications
• Episode 8: Investors, Owners, and Shareholders 

Communicating with investors, owners and shareholders can be a rewarding and beneficial experience for you and your company when you link social and environmental initiatives to the value of the business. The field of CSR uses many similar terms. Investors typically refer to CSR or sustainability as Environment, Social and Governance (ESG), because many investors find the information and data for each of the three ESG areas valuable to their investment decisions. 

In this episode, we focus on investor, owner and shareholder communications - how a company keeps these parties engaged, informed and in support of the value ESG brings:

• The importance of strong investor, owner, and shareholder communication and the type of ESG information to share. 
• Why it’s important to make appropriate and relevant ESG information public and how this plays a role in the success of your communication strategy...and company.
• The investors’ expectations of finding various types of ESG information in your company’s public communications. 
• The reasons why communicating ESG is valuable to your CSR role and the long-term success of your company.

To lay the foundation, here is a simple definition of CSR: 

How your company manages the impact it has on the environment, as well as the people inside and outside the company: its employees, communities, customers, suppliers, and owners. And as a third component, how a company governs these areas, including its economic performance.

Here are our Six Components for ESG Communications Success

1. WHO: Identify the types of investors, owners, and shareholders you are communicating with
2. WHAT: Determine what to communicate to these groups
3. WHY: Know why ESG communications should be part of your content strategy
4. WAYS: To communicate with investors, owners, and shareholders
5. Words of caution
6. Areas of opportunity

We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

Part 2 of a 3 part series on communicating CSR:

Corporate Communications: Why Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is foundational to your content strategy and how to include it with 6 components for success:  External Communications

“Companies are doing great things, they just aren’t telling their stories.” - Barbra & Janet

Special 3-part Series

Every person can become a great communicator and enjoy the personal and professional rewards it brings. These episodes unlock the topics that every CSR and communications professional needs to know to effectively communicate environmental, social and economic initiatives and practices:

• Episode 6: Internal Communications
• Episode 7: External Communications
• Episode 8: Investors, Owners, and Shareholders 

Every company can be rewarded for communicating social and environmental initiatives to outside parties and stakeholders. In this episode, we focus on external communications - how a company keeps stakeholders and other parties outside its organization informed and the value it can bring:

• The importance of strong external communication and the kinds of information to share regarding CSR or environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.
• The topics that should be shared outside any company and why they are important to the success of your communication strategy...and company.
• The various types of external stakeholders and audiences you should be connecting with and what you should be communicating to them.
• The reasons why communicating is valuable to your CSR role and the long-term success of your company.

To lay the foundation, here is a simple definition of CSR:

How your company manages the impact it has on the environment, as well as the people inside and outside the company: its employees, communities, customers, suppliers, and owners. And as a third component, how a company governs these areas, including its economic performance.

Here are our Six Components for CSR Communications Success

1. WHO: Identify your External audience
2. WHAT: Determine what to communicate externally 
3. WHY: Know why CSR communications should be part of your external content strategy
4. WAYS to communicate externally
5. Words of caution
6. Areas of opportunity

We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

Part 1 of a 3 part series on communicating CSR:

Corporate Communications: Why Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is foundational to your content strategy and how to include it with 6 components for success: Internal Communications

“Companies are doing great things, they just aren’t telling their stories.” - Barbra & Janet

Special 3-part Series

Good communication doesn’t have to feel mysterious if you know what to communicate and to whom. These episodes unlock the topics that every CSR and communications professional needs to know to effectively communicate environmental, social and economic initiatives and practices:

• Episode 6: Internal Communications
• Episode 7: External Communications
• Episode 8: Investors, Owners, and Shareholders

Any company of any size can benefit from including its social and environmental initiatives in its internal and external communications. In this episode, we focus on internal communications - how a company keeps stakeholders inside its organization informed and the value it can bring:

• The importance of strong internal communication and the kinds of information to share regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices. 
• The topics that should be shared inside any company and why they are important to the success of your communication strategy...and company.
• The various types of internal stakeholders and audiences you should be connecting with and what you should be communicating to them.
• The reasons why communicating is valuable to your CSR role and the long-term success of your company.

To set the stage, here is a simple definition of CSR: 

How your company manages the impact it has on the environment, as well as the people inside and outside the company: its employees, communities, customers, suppliers, and owners. And as a third component, how a company governs these areas, including its economic performance.

Here are our Six Components for CSR Communications Success

1. WHO: Identify your Internal audience
2. WHAT: Determine what to communicate internally 
3. WHY: Know why CSR communications should be part of your internal content strategy
4. Ways to communicate internally
5. Words of caution
6. Areas of opportunity

We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

Part 2 of a 2-part series, with Episode #4 “Better You: The 24 Skills Every Professional Needs, But They Didn’t Teach You in School”

Throughout our years of working in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with some of the world’s largest and most respected companies, we have developed an easy 3-step process for what is an often complicated and confusing process.

In this episode, we go into the simplest definition of CSR you’ve ever heard and provide you with a detailed breakdown of the 3 steps and how they can work in any business from small local shops to global operations. 

These 3 steps will guide you to a better understanding of what CSR means, the value it brings and what is involved for a successful strategy. Listen to the episode for more details about each step. 

1. Discover: your environmental and social impacts

2. Prioritize: risks and opportunities for each

3. Implement: a strategy aligned to business value

We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!

Better You: The 24 skills every professional needs, but they didn’t teach you in school

Part 1 of a 2-part series, with Episode #5 “Better Company: CSR Made Easy in 3 Steps.”

After decades of working for some of the largest and most progressive companies in the world, we created this unique list of skills that are critical for every professional. But even more essential to the success of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) professionals.

The 24 essential skills are clustered into three categories:

1. Natural Talents – Skills that come easily to some, while others may need help in developing them. 

2. Communications & Relationships – Learn how every professional can greatly benefit from building and maintaining relationships.

3. Technical Skills – Skills that are pertinent to your role and will help guide you in the management of your CSR programs. 

We are thrilled at the opportunity and the impact we can collectively have - together! If you find our podcast helpful, please share ...and don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe!