Inc. Book Smart

What do Millennials think about purpose? Do they actually buy and work for companies and brands that have activated purpose? Is this a real thing? And what should leaders know about this important generation? 

We’ve invited a couple of Millennials to chat about it. Fast Company’s Social Media Producer Christina Royster and Fast Company’s Associate Editor Yasmin Gagne from the podcast, Hit the Ground Running, are here to share their opinions and ideas about what purpose means to them.

Corporations feel like they have to take on social issues, but as we’ve been discussing, doing so isn’t easy.

Recent research from RepTrak found that 36 percent of consumers have "felt betrayed" by what a company stands for, and 47 percent have stopped doing business with the company as a result. 63 percent prefer to do business with companies that "stand for a purpose that reflects their values and beliefs, and will avoid those that do not."

We sat down with Laura Lane, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at UPS, who had some great food for thought on the topic.

In a recent Harris poll of customers’ reaction to the COVID-19 crisis, more than 80 percent of respondents said they would remember which companies “did the right thing by their workers.” Three-quarters said they wouldn’t forget those businesses that took missteps “long after” the crisis ends.

This is familiar ground for Northwell Health CMO Ramon Soto. We sat down with Ramon to chat about his experience mobilizing people inside Northwell Health, one of the largest health services organizations in the country, the largest private employer in New York state, and the organization that received the full brunt of the COVID crisis when it descended upon New York in 2020.

David Cancel, founder and CEO of business messaging software startup Drift, talks with host Cameron Albert-Deitch about the top five books on his must-read list for the new year.

Kay Koplovitz, Co-Founder and Chairman of Springboard Growth Capital, talks to Cameron Albert-Deitch about PEER INC by Robin Chase

Dan O'Malley, CEO of Numerated, talks to Cameron Albert-Deitch about Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Matt Pohlson, CEO and Co-Founder of Omaze, talks to Cameron Albert-Deitch about The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt

Dan Klein, CEO and Co-Founder of Tiesta Tea, talks to Cameron Albert-Deitch about Bag the Elephant by Steve Kaplan

In this episode, Shilpa Shah Co-Founder of Cuyana, talks to our host, Cameron Albert-Deitch, about her Book Smart pick,  The Giver by Lois Lowry

In this episode, Gail Federici Founder and CEO of Federici Brands, talks to our host, Cameron Albert-Deitch, about her Book Smart pick,  Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh