Good Corporate Citizenship In A Crisis – Susan McPherson, McPherson Strategies

Nov 15, 2023

“Companies are not just being more strategic about corporate social impact, but are taking on the role of activists themselves. Consumers and employees now expect companies to be vocal and to protect the rights of our people and our planet. CEOs are the voices of companies and can no longer remain neutral and silent as our world grapples with serious challenges.” Susan McPherson, McPherson Memo

 Company leaders are in a quandary. They want their organizations to be seen as good corporate citizens but they don’t know how to deal with the complicated, emotionally-charged and overlapping crises we are all facing today. The barbaric attack on innocent Israelis by Hamas on October 7^th and the massive military response by Israel on Gaza alone – on top of the war in Ukraine and attacks on democracy from American influentials and climate change – are paralyzing many private sector leaders. What should they do?

 Listen to Susan McPherson, CEO of McPherson Strategies and highly-regarded veteran communications leader, explain how leaders should/could manage this fraught time in this candid and powerful conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson.

You’ll hear:

• What a good corporate citizen really is.
• What “green hushing” is and where it’s coming from – and how it’s not anti-ESG.
• How to respond to complicated geopolitical crises
• How to be an authentic leader and who are some role models for that.
• Plus, insightful career advice, such as….

“it's doing an internal audit of yourself and learning what your superpowers are, and then being able to show up in the world, offering support to others. And I guarantee you, the support will come back. It may not be the next day, it may not be the next week, but over the arc of your career and connecting is hard….(and) Lead with kindness, lead with compassion, listen more than you speak.” Susan McPherson on Electric Ladies podcast

 

Read Joan’s Forbes articles here.

You’ll also want to listen to:

·       Isabelle Grosmaitre, Goodness & Co. – on the tipping point business is at today and how good corporate leaders and boards can deal with it.

·       Heather Boushey, Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, on the economy and leadership

·       Natalie Jaresko, former finance minister of Ukraine, on the power of ESG in geopolitics, good business and climate change

• Michele Wucker, thought leaders and author of “You Are What You Risk: The New Art & Science to Navigating an Uncertain World.”

·       Sandrine Dixson-Decléve, Co-president of the Club of Rome (global leaders) and Ambassador to the Climate

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