Proof That Making a Difference Really Can Work

I have always wanted to make a difference in the world. My mother taught me that living with a purpose is the only way to live. So over my entire career, I have pondered how I can make a difference through my work. As I reflect on trends in corporate America, I realize that many people want to make a positive contribution to society through their work and their workplaces.

Just this summer, the debate about corporations’ role in society raged. The Business Roundtable (BRT) reversed its long-held commitment to shareholder primacy. They released a statement saying the purpose of the corporation is to create an economy that serves all Americans, not just shareholders. Some applauded their announcement while others renounced it as misguided. And many were skeptical of whether they would act on it. I am taking a wait and see approach!

Leading companies for social impact is not new. My recent book, Leadership and Purpose, includes stories of purpose-driven leaders.

I have had the privilege of interviewing outstanding leaders over the past two years. As a result, I have learned about what drives them and how they have created organizations that balance purpose with profits. Several have become B Corp certified, a process carried out by B Labs, proving that a company has integrated a social impact mission into its business models. Let me introduce you to two of these leaders.

Meet Anne Chambers, Founder of Certifiably

Take, for example, serial entrepreneur and mission-driven leader, Anne Chambers. She is designing her latest start-up company, Certifiably, as a platform to help companies with a social mission find each other more efficiently. The platform will also enable B2B buyers to track their purchases against one or more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).

As a certified woman-owned business, Anne thought it surprising that women-owned companies weren’t working with each other. And she found the same in the B Corp community.

“When I became part of the B Corp community, I found that the businesses weren’t working together. I found that to be unusual because these are tribe people.”

Anne Chambers, Founder of Certifiably

Anne says, “As I peeled away the onion, like why is this happening, the answer was simple. There was no platform to make it easy to do it.” And so she decided to create Certifiably.

While her goals might seem daunting to some, Anne loves to solve problems. Her concept for Certifiably is to provide solutions for two types of customers:

• Certified businesses that want to work with other like-minded companies.
• Large companies seeking to expand their supplier base and track their social impact.

The platform will enable buyers to track every purchase against one or more of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). Thus companies will be able to see the impact resulting from their purchasing decisions. And purpose-driven companies will have an easy way to find each other.

Meet Bryan de Lottinville, Founder of Benevity

Bryan de Lottinville founded Benevity, the global leader in corporate social responsibility and employee engagement software, and one of Canada’s first B Corporations.

Bryan started as a Mezzanine finance lawyer who did financing work for growth companies. Subsequently, he was a partner at a large law firm in Toronto. Eventually, Bryan left the firm to take an operational role in a company of a pension fund client. After assisting with the growth and sale of that company, he ran iStock Photo, which he also grew and sold.

Bryan says he will always remember his young daughter asking him around this time, what he did for a living. “I remember maybe for the first time thinking hard about what I did for a living.” He says he told her something like, “I fix up companies and sell them for as much as I can, honey.” At this point, he began to ponder his professional legacy. He realized that his actions and intentions were not aligned.

“I always intended to leave the world a little better than I found it.”

Bryan de Lottinville, Founder of Benevity

He says that he started Benevity based on the idea of integrating business impact and social impact. He says the pursuit of B Corp certification was to send a message that they were not only talking the talk but were trying to walk it as well. While he suspects that some companies become B Corporations for marketing purposes, that was never his intention. He was trying to align vision, culture, mission, all of those things in as many ways as possible.

When I asked Bryan about the nature of leadership in a purpose-driven company, he suggested that the common element is authentic passion and commitment to the power of the vision and the culture of the company. And speaking of culture, Bryan says that they have been very successful in building one that focuses on client service, responsiveness, and passion. He suggests that humility is critical, as is a growth mindset and a willingness to take feedback.

“Humility is about context , self-awareness, a growth mindset and willingness to take feedback constructively. You don’t always need to be the smartest person in the room.”

Bryan de Lottinville, Founder of Benevity

Conclusion

My short descriptions of these two leaders provide only a glimpse of the power I have found in the many purpose-driven people I have met as I wrote my book. They inspire me!

I applaud the BRT’s pivot from shareholder primacy to the importance of all stakeholders. Nevertheless, it is too soon to know how these 181 large companies that signed the statement will follow-up on their commitments. In the meantime, we can all be inspired by the smaller, purpose-driven companies whose leaders have been persistently solving problems for many years. These companies are creating new approaches to achieve a social impact while also making a profit. And I, for one, respect how they are actively contributing to the well-being of our world. Yes, indeed – making a difference through work is an achievable goal.

You can find similar stories in my book, Leadership and Purpose: How to Create a Sustainable Company. Also, look for my new podcast launching in November, The Conscious Culture Cafe. The episodes will include full interviews with purpose-driven leaders and company activists.