Newsletter, January 2021
It’s been a few months since our last update – a few months in which we’ve seen how a meaningful purpose can help keep you on track in tough times. Our purpose of creating business value and social value hand in hand has guided us along the way and seems more important than ever.
Here are some highlights of recent work across our three strands of Leadership & Talent, Citizenship and Insight & Innovation.
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Seven Skills for Purposeful Leaders
The purpose agenda is – thankfully – unstoppable. But what sorts of leadership skills are required to bring purpose to life day to day in organisations?
A couple of years ago I was at an event about sustainability and purpose (yes, a real event, with lots of people in the same room – remember those days?) One of the speakers was Paul Polman, who at the time was still CEO of Unilever. An audience member asked him a question: “Paul, what has been the most important skill you’ve had to apply in leading Unilever on this purpose journey?”
Social Issues Spotlight: The ageing population
In the UK the population is ageing. Currently, there are almost 12 million people aged 65 and over (18% of the population) and numbers in this age group are expected to grow by more than 40% within 20 years.
Launch of The Outside In Project – 2021
This week we have launched the Outside In Project, a brand new way for people in businesses to reach beyond their corporate walls in order to understand and act upon the most important issues for their colleagues, customers and communities.
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Tapping into lived experience – a ‘how to’ discussion
Tapping into ‘lived experience’ can support any vulnerable customer strategy and social innovation agenda. But what are the real benefits and how do you do it really well?
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Social Issues Spotlight: Social mobility
In the 2019 State of the Nation report, the Social Mobility Commission declared that in the UK inequality is entrenched “from birth to work”. With the current pandemic leading to higher levels of youth unemployment and the A-Level result problems drawing attention to a large education gap, it is an issue which is quickly rising up the agenda for many businesses. Here are five things businesses across all sectors need to know.
Social Issues Spotlight: Domestic abuse
Last year over 2.4 million adults (7.9% of women and 2.4% of men) in the UK were victims of domestic abuse. With calls to helplines seeing a large increase during lockdown – the charity Refuge reported a 200% rise in June alone – recent months appear to have escalated this issue in many households.
Social Issues Spotlight: Digital inclusion
The COVID-19 lockdown has accelerated the role of digital across the UK. As it eases we are left with a potential ‘new normal’ in which digital technology underpins how we work, learn and engage with others more than ever before. For many this is useful innovation, but for the 11 million people in the UK who are digitally excluded in some way it may present significant barriers.