Enabling positive change
By Declan Noone
Social Impact, until recently, was seen as a ‘nice to have’rather than a ‘must do’. It had a light touch and light investment of time and resources by businesses. If nothing else the events of the last 18 months have propelled social impact to the front of brand and business strategies. The #MeToo movement, climate change, the anti-fast fashion movement, the refugee and immigration crisis, paired with the power of today’s social media, are all influencing the way companies are having to position themselves. They can no longer sit on the fence or feign disinterest.
Customers are shopping smart and seek ethical products that resonate with their values and sense of purpose. When hiring new talent, they are looking for places to work with a social conscience that connects with their values and believes. Expectations for corporate citizenship are rising. A glossy Corporate Social Responsibility policy is becoming more and more insufficient. Business and their leaders must assess their actions based on the impact they have on society.
The Centre for Social Impactin Australia defines social impact as ‘the new effect of an activity on a community and the well-being of individuals and families’. Consequently, leaders and their organisations most adopt a mind-set that moves away from just the balance sheet and the bottom line. However, it’s easy to say but hard to do, especially without any real authenticity. Achieving this conscious mind-set change requires a positive leadership and social impact development programme which:
- empowers leaders and employees throughout the organisation to have a say.
- fosters positive self-development.
- enables identification of key topics that resonate with their values and vision (personal & corporate) and strengthens identity and a sense of community.
- Provides a framework that participants can use to design and deliver social impact projects.
- Expand the leadership base within the organisation beyond the labels on the doors.
In Serrano 99our Positive Leadership and Social Impact programme introduces participants to the broader context i.e. Sustainable development goals, the Paris Agreement, etc. Whatever areas are of specific interest to an organisations citizenship. We provide participants with the opportunity for positive self-development focusing on emotions, empathy, compassion and behavioural decision making linked to pre-identified life skills and it includes enhanced capacity building in the form of use of design thinking, project management, team building, leading change and communication skills. Structured and focused to your specific needs to engage stakeholders across the organisation and empowers them to identify an area for action, design a sustainable solution, and lead it to its conclusion.
