Embracing each other’s humanity doesn’t make us weak—it’s the gateway to greater fulfillment and performance.
Stakeholder capitalism is here—that’s good for business. Actions taken in service of short-term profit at the expense of long-term sustainability generate negative externalities that, whether priced or not, destabilize economies and generate untenable risk. Business can and must play the leading role in addressing the existential challenges we face, even beyond what governments and non-profits are able to do.
When stakeholders thrive, profits rise.
Ignoring the elephant in the room, glossing over tension, avoiding conflict—these are temporary salves that sow the seeds of long-term dysfunction and destroy value over time. Really “going there” is brave work—it’s also necessary, and far too rare.
There is a reason diverse ecosystems —diversity enables better sight and therefore a wider and more optimal set of actions. The more voices we bring to the table, the more we stand to gain as a collective. It’s not enough to create a safe space–we need to create a brave space where differences are acknowledged, explored, and ultimately celebrated.
There is strength in diversity. The more voices we bring to the table, the more we stand to gain as a collective. It’s not enough to create a safe space–we need to create a brave space where differences are acknowledged, explored, and ultimately celebrated.
Employees, investors, owners, suppliers, competitors—they so often get caught in a zero-sum game that yields a needless cycle of suffering. With patience and creativity, it’s possible to forge a win-win strategy that avoids suffering.
Great leadership isn’t about knowing, articulating, then getting people to do what you see they should do (control)—it’s about creating a condition that naturally has people fall into bringing their expertise with accountability and passion. This requires a set of perspectives and skills such us understanding how complexity works and creating true partners rather than subordinates.
There is no single act more important for leading others, sustaining culture, or devising a strategy than cultivating multi-dimensional listening. Listening is the portal to situating ourselves inside of the reality in which we operate. It connects us to others and reveals opportunities in the marketplace. Multi-dimensional listening is an intentional and rigorous capacity to identify multiple stakeholder cares and bring them into alignment. This kind of listening is the key to all outcomes, and it must be developed—this is not something we are “born with.”
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