Monday, May 8, 2023, 9:41 p.m.
There are companies and companies. There are companies that, in a very respectable way, only have the goal of achieving a profitable income statement, and others that, in addition to that, aspire to go further, positively impacting the community. Some are focused solely on business, and some have a 360-degree vision and think about how their actions can make society and the planet progress. And there are those that are only focused on immediate benefits, while others have a less economic focus and a more long-term vision: to cause a positive impact, add value and generate wealth by attributing it responsibly to their shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers and to the rest of society.
The latter, in general, are those that have a well-defined corporate purpose. Those who have stopped to think about what Samary Fernández Feito, director of Vocento’s Luxury, Lifestyle and Magazines area, defines as “the two most powerful questions a company must ask itself: who we are and why we exist”. Those that, in response to these questions, establish a firm commitment to a more humane, more social and greener character. A purpose that goes beyond EBIT or Ebitda. They are companies that are not shortsighted. Who listen to people and attend to and understand social demands. Who care about the planet. Who seek solutions to the main universal concerns. And that the verb ‘help’ is imprinted in their DNA; and not only when they come well given, also when the crisis knocks on the door.
A social demand
The latest barometer from the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) reflects that the four biggest headaches for Spaniards are, in this order, the economic crisis, the debasement of politics, the deterioration of health, and environmental and climate problems.
Responding responsibly and skillfully –respons(h)habilidad– to these demands is the task of governments, public administrations, social agents, NGOs and also companies. It is part of their social commitment, a shared duty.
In this sense, companies, above administrations, governments and any other social agent, are the ones that Spanish society trusts the most, as confirmed by the 2023 Trust Barometer from the Edelman consultancy.
And when companies equip themselves with a tool like a corporate purpose statement, everything falls into place. For them and for the rest of the world. For companies, stating their purpose gives them a compass that guides them when they have to make decisions and brings coherence to everything they do. For its ecosystem (workers, customers, suppliers, shareholders) it serves as a map that guides and gives meaning to the path that must be traveled, which increases the cohesion of the teams and their alignment with the purpose. And to society, to the group in which companies have an impact with their actions, it helps to see their demands satisfied. That gives corporations back something that goes beyond money: “Companies that are able to demonstrate a genuine commitment to a higher purpose, such as environmental protection, social equality, or improving the health and well-being of people , they can gain a competitive advantage and attract the most committed customers and employees,” highlights Hugo Giralt, founding partner and CEO of Propelland.
The request, almost a demand, to corporations to state their corporate purpose, explains Tomás Pereda, Senior HR Advisor and deputy general director of the Máshumano Foundation, “is the result of an evolution of society, which has developed a special sensitivity or intuition that demands from companies a greater involvement in the construction of a better world”.
Vocento promotes
Vocento is one of those companies with a purpose that has understood that the era in which companies sought success individually has ended. “That is no longer valid. As the CEO of DMS Biomédicals says, no company can consider itself successful in a society that fails”, says Álex Pallete, founder and general director of strategy at Picnic.
«In recent years –says Samary Fernández Feito–, we are all aware that we are experiencing changes in different areas: geopolitical, health, technological… All these alterations are having an impact on social and personal aspects, changing expectations, fears, needs of the company itself, of employees and consumers. All this has a lot to do with the very concept of purpose, which responds to these new concerns of people and society. When a leader understands what society expects of the company in these times, he is positioning it and connecting better with all its stakeholders, and this ends up being a differential value for the company ».
For companies, “declaring a corporate purpose is going to be an obligation, an absolute responsibility,” says Álex Pallete. It will no longer be an option to create a company or lead it exclusively to generate business. Because today you cannot generate business without generating value, and this is becoming increasingly clear. And the companies that are only there for that will become part of the heap of irrelevance.
Today, to achieve success, it is more necessary than ever for companies to have a coherent strategy, to listen to and meet the demands of society, to add value and work as a team, to create alliances and lead them, and to collaborate as collective in the fight for the same shared objective.
«But it is not enough to state it; it is essential to activate it, to move from words to action. And really, because society is expectant and demands champions of this movement, “says Héctor García-Santacruz, general director of the Anthropic sustainability activation agency, of Vocento.
That is, precisely, Leaders with Purpose, a community of companies that already have a declaration of purpose, promoted by Vocento.
«I thought that in these times of profound transformations –explains Samary Fernández Feito, promoter of the initiative–, a communication group like Vocento, through this community of companies, could have the opportunity to influence other companies and make them aware of the value that it represents having a statement of purpose.”
The advisory committee has established the project on three pillars: inspire, accompany and give voice to both companies and leaders who manage under the meaning of purpose. Up to now, thirteen companies have joined this movement: Havas Media Group, HM Hospitales, Iberostar, Ikea, L’Oréal, Mahou-San Miguel, Novartis, Puy du Fou, Salesforce, Santander, Telefónica, Tendam and Vocento which, as a group communication leader in Spain, is going to use his loudspeaker to explain with tangible examples the business and social benefits of having a statement of purpose.
The presentation
This movement of leading companies that manage based on corporate purpose has been presented this Monday, May 8, in the Jerónimos cloister of the Prado Museum. Chaired by Ignacio Ybarra, Chairman of Vocento, the event was attended by representatives of the thirteen companies that, together, aspire to transform the planet, inspire society and encourage others to do more and, furthermore, better.
Nadia Calviño, Vice President of the Government and Minister of Finance; the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida; Cuca Gamarra, spokesperson for the Popular Party in Congress; the former Vice President of the Government and current president of the Equality Commission of the Congress of Deputies, Carmen Calvo; and Borja Sémper, national spokesperson for the Popular Party for the regional and municipal election campaign, have been among the personalities who, with his presence, have supported this initiative championed by Vocento.
As an inspiration for this select group of personalities, the entrepreneur and ‘digital evangelist’ Vala Afshar, one of the most respected experts in the analysis of the present to create the future, has raised before this audience the need for more trust, innovation and equality for transform society and the planet.
open and positive
Leaders with a purpose is not a closed or exclusive movement and the doors of the project will always be open to companies aware that leading with a purpose is positive for them and for the social group. “We will accompany them with different activities throughout the year, we will dedicate space in our media to tell all the positive things that having a statement of purpose represents for these companies and we will know in depth what their leaders are like and what motivates them to manage their companies in this way. . All this is going to allow Vocento to be the voice of a change”, believes Samary Fernández Feito.
“Companies, together with governments,” recalls Mario Tascón, founder and director of Prodigioso Volcán, “are the most appropriate entities to facilitate the necessary transition towards a more just, responsible, equitable and sustainable world.” And achieving that is in the DNA of all the companies that have come together around the Leaders with Purpose project.
But let no company without a statement of purpose worry. “The good news is that all organizations are born with a purpose: to change or improve what already exists,” explains Álex Pallete. The challenge now is to rediscover it in order to recover its collective compass to make better decisions in an increasingly uncertain context”.
“A statement of purpose – considers Samary Fernández Feito – helps companies to involve employees, shareholders, customers and suppliers around an aspiration: to leave a better society for future generations”.
Leaving a legacy, which is the goal that Vocento has set itself by creating and championing the Leaders with Purpose project. A lofty, somewhat utopian goal, perhaps unattainable, but one that is aligned with its corporate purpose: “Help build a more non-conformist society through innovation in the world of communication.”
#voice #purpose #championing #change