CSR management, Employees
February 01 2002
by Mike TuffreyNews that yet another group of business leaders had issued yet another ringing declaration, this time at the WEF New York meeting, will have brought a wry smile to seasoned practitioners. Declare today, go home tomorrow. Back next year for another call to action, precious little changed meanwhile. CSR managers can get a little cynical at the tendency of their bosses to hobnob with HRH, through the good offices of BITC and IBLF, while they are left doing the grunt work.
And yet there is something important here. It is no less true for being constantly repeated - we live in an increasingly complex world. The pace of change is bewildering. We want prosperity and the good life now, and a sustainable future for our children. Few of us seem prepared to face hard choices.
Understanding these trends and making such choices are what leadership is all about... giving shareholders the returns the market demands, while meeting the expectations of the other stakeholders too. Holding the vision of a long-term strategy while coping with short-term changes. Above all, articulating the values and principles that should drive the business forward.
Few chief executives are in the position of Anita and Gordon Roddick (who have just announced their retirement from day-to-day management of The Body Shop), personifying the business as founders with a sense of purpose. Most come up through the system, chosen because they are good at delivering on the numbers. Big names like GE's Jack Welch were supremely successful at that. But leadership today demands more: people like BP's John Browne, both delivering the returns and trying to lead in a new direction.
Their term of office is often short, the challenges long term and deepseated; the test of success whether they can internalise the commitment. That's why systems such as the EFQM quality model are so important. And that's the legitimate criticism of CEO declarations such as the latest from the WEF: just 50 words on the need for internal performance management and measurement mechanisms in a 3,000 word statement.
Corporate Citizenship Briefing, issue no: 62 - February, 2002