Business Leaders Need To Stand Up – Now More Than Ever - Forbes

Our country is in extremely choppy waters as we head into the mid-term elections next week, and CEOs have an understandable desire to avoid what might be considered “divisive” issues. A telling example for me – only eight out of the Fortune 500 companies committed to ending donations to politicians who opposed the certification of the valid results of the 2020 presidential election. Another is how Disney navigated their position regarding Gov. DeSantis’s Don’t Say Gay bill after hearing from their employees.

Today’s political and cultural landscape can be a challenging environment for business leaders to navigate. However, everyone has a part to play in solving these problems. Given their outsized power and influence, business leaders especially need to lead on values, plan for risks ahead, and bridge by example.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, leaders across the business spectrum snapped into action. It felt like we were on the cusp of transformational change.

Then the backlash arrived, as it always does when racial progress is made in this country.

Of course, we’re not the only generation to experience headwinds, but these threats to our economy, democracy, and civil society are real. They must be confronted if we continue to lead the world as a beacon of freedom and prosperity. We must also keep reckoning with the critical fact underlying many of the problems we face today: our social and economic systems continue to benefit white people more than just about every other non-white population in our country.

So where are we now? Among philanthropists, I have never seen more significant attention to issues of not just race but of equity more broadly. A broader swath of foundations and wealthy individual donors have begun to examine strategies and practices to support equity-focused work in the field. On the corporate side, many prominent business leaders are committed to doing better – not just in creating a more diverse workforce but in creating cultures of inclusion and in devoting resources to help build more opportunities in communities of color. Despite the highly orchestrated backlash we are currently experiencing, significant progress is happening.

After several tough pandemic years, employees are justifiably demanding more from their companies in terms of improved pay and benefits, access to crucial rights like reproductive health care, and living their espoused values with consistency.

Deciding whether and how to engage in a political or cultural fight often feels like a no-win situation for business leaders, particularly in a polarized and reactionary era like today. It’s impossible to draw lines that will please every constituency. But the reality is we can no longer wall off what’s happening outside our companies because our democracy is in a volatile place. No matter how “good” an employer is – how rich the benefits package, how inclusive the culture – if the broader society we operate in fails to provide the opportunity for a large majority of our people, that failure will land in the workplace, too. In short, the people whose rights are being challenged now are our customers, employees, neighbors, and family, and they need people with power to stand up for them. It may seem “bad for business” at first glance to get involved, but it will be much worse, in the long run, to stay silent.

Because the story we’ve been told – that we’re irrevocably polarized – is not valid.

Even if there may not be a perfect playbook in front of us, businesses can strive to repair past harms to which our organizations contributed. We can build teams that represent the full spectrum of our nation. We can create inclusive, equitable environments so people can show up as they are and feel a sense of belonging. We can be great corporate citizens in our communities. We can think holistically about the threats our democracy faces and what they mean for our work. And we can talk directly to each other, employees, and customers about the importance of our democratic values and join together to uphold them.

When so many Americans are divided, we need to serve as bridges – helping to build trust, communication, and a sense of shared community among people. Bridging does not mean trying to be bipartisan or above the fray – it means reminding our audiences in this troubled time that inclusion and equity are fundamental American values that enjoy the support of a large majority of our nation. By standing up for our shared values at this time, we can help break America out of this damaging period of our history and move us back toward success. I’m not suggesting it will be easy or that there won’t be short-term losses, but the stakes are far too high for any of us with societal influence to sit on the sidelines.

Leading with shared values is good for people. It is good for the economy. And we need to be willing to fight for them with all we’ve got.

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Business Leaders Need To Stand Up – Now More Than Ever - Forbes
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