October 28, 2024
The Service Leader message first appeared in SR Inc’s Quarterly Newsletter.
As we head into a remarkably polarized U.S. election, questions on Corporate Sustainability swirl like falling leaves. From underlying questions on corporations’ role in society to the details of carbon accounting, Directors of Corporate Sustainability regard an unclear path. Consequently, it is helpful to reflect on fundamental principles—and how decisions aligned with those principles can help create long-term value with diverse, global stakeholders.
Freedom & Dignity
As the U.S. approaches a significant political moment, one candidate centers her campaign on “Freedom.” But what does freedom mean here? Freedom from regulation? Freedom from something else? In his brilliant new book, “On Freedom,” Yale historian Timothy Snyder argues freedom means something deeper. It contends true freedom is not the absence of rules or restrictions but the affirmative responsibility to express our humanity and creativity. Think of it as “freedom from” vs “freedom to.”
Synder notes how Václav Havel, the Czech dissident and former president, considered this principle crucial. His philosophy of “living in the truth” reminds us that we build real freedom by committing to integrity and authenticity. For Havel, freedom and dignity are inseparable. He proclaimed we must “live in the truth,” even when faced with immense pressure to conform to prevailing deceit.
The Path Forward
Corporate leaders navigating the increasingly mandatory, increasingly politicized decarbonization world may find these lessons instructive. The growing intensity and scrutiny of sustainability goals present a vital opportunity. Companies may center dignity and build commercial value by acting on their “freedom” if they embrace transparency, ensure the veracity of decarbonization claims, and build stakeholder trust.
One way to pursue those values is to help create new, needed renewable energy. Corporate clean energy procurement can help advance the tripling of renewables by 2030, which COP28 established as perhaps our best chance to limit human-caused climate breakdown’s negative impacts in the most vulnerable countries. Sustainability executives should note the urgency of climatological catastrophe for business and moral reasons. Diverse stakeholders–especially younger ones–care deeply.
That stakeholder priority matters for enterprises. In our still-emerging global economy, dominated by software and service companies, “intangible value” represents over 80% of a given share’s average value across industries. Even for B2B companies, brand—and brand trust—matters immensely to every shareholder.
The Summit for Sustainable Business VIII: Decarbonizing Corporate Global Operations will dive deeper into these themes. SR Inc’s Sustainable Business and Enterprise Roundtable (SBER) will host the event on December 6 at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C. We will also pre-release SR Inc’s first book, “Dignity First Leadership: Developing & Driving a World-Class Sustainability Strategy,” which outlines SBER’s six-phase change management process. The actionable template offers a lamp to corporate sustainability leaders guiding their enterprises toward a future founded on freedom and dignity.
Regardless of election outcomes, one idea remains clear: by embracing freedom’s responsibility to center dignity, leaders at all levels can pursue a greater sustainability, one that meets regulatory demands while building enduring relationships with diverse stakeholders. As human-caused climate breakdown challenges the world, enterprises that strengthen those relationships through authenticity and integrity will be best positioned for high performance.
Jim Boyle is the CEO & Founder of Sustainability Roundtable, Inc. For more than a dozen years, Jim has led full-time teams of diverse experts to assist nearly 100 Fortune 500 and growth companies in their move to more sustainable high-performance. Specifically, SR Inc has helped world-leading corporations, real estate owners, and federal agencies to set goals, drive progress, and report results in their move to greater Corporate Sustainability. Mr. Boyle led in the creation of SR Inc’s Net Zero Consortium for Buyers (NZCB), which advises and represents Fortune 500 and fast growth companies across the U.S. and internationally in the development of renewable energy strategies and the procurement of both on and off-site advanced energy solutions. Before founding SR Inc, Mr. Boyle co-led Trammell Crow Company Corporate Advisory Services in San Francisco and returned to his native Boston and Trammell Crow Company’s market leading team in Greater Boston where he received the Commercial Brokers Association’s Platinum Award for the highest level of commercial real estate transactions. Earlier, he advised companies on real estate and environmental matters as an attorney at a large law firm based in Boston. Jim is a graduate of Middlebury College, where he co-captained the football team, and Boston College Law School. Early in his career, he served as a federal law clerk, an aide to John F. Kerry in the U. S. Senate, and on Vice President Al Gore’s campaign for President. Jim lives in Concord, MA with his wife and kids a half mile across the street from Emerson’s house and museum on the route to Walden Pond.
