Corporate Leadership Center's thought leadership focuses on timely and relevant topics for business leaders as they, and their organizations, work to shape the future. These materials have been developed in celebration of Corporate Leadership Center’s achievements and the positive impact of its programs, CEO Perspectives and Leading Women Executives.
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SHAPING THE FUTURE: THE ROLE OF BUSINESS
DECEMBER 2019
On November 13th, 2019, Corporate Leadership Center celebrated the 15th anniversary of its CEO Perspectives program and 10th anniversary of its Leading Women Executives program at Chicago’s Mid-America Club. Members of the CEO Perspectives and Leading Women Executives communities came together to honor the achievements of both organizations, which have now served almost 1000 participants collectively.
Attendees heard a dynamic panel of senior business leaders speak on the role of corporations in society’s future. The speakers included: Moderator Daniel Diermeier, Academic Advisor, CEO Perspectives; Provost, University of Chicago; and Panelists: Doug Baker, Chairman & CEO, Ecolab; Ray Cameron, Managing Director, Head of Investment Stewardship – Americas, BlackRock; Peter Grauer, Chairman, Bloomberg; and Michele Hooper, President & CEO, The Directors’ Council.
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Event Overview
KEY INSIGHTS
(From left to right) Moderator Daniel Diermeier, Academic Advisor, CEO Perspectives; Provost, University of Chicago; Panelists: Doug Baker, Chairman & CEO, Ecolab; Michele Hooper, President & CEO, The Directors’ Council.; Peter Grauer, Chairman, Bloomberg; and Ray Cameron, Managing Director, Head of Investment Stewardship – Americas, BlackRock.
With great power comes great responsibility. Business has an increasing responsibility to serve stakeholders beyond shareholders. Business growth creates employment opportunity, but it’s about taking a broad approach to doing good.
A “workforce of volunteers.” Millennials and others who seek purpose-driven employers represent a growing segment of the workforce. To win the war for talent, business leaders need to engage actively with social issues and build these into their firm’s stated purpose. However, many still struggle with this imperative.
The ABC’s of ESG. Firms’ impact on environmental, social, and governance dimensions is under unprecedented scrutiny by investors, employees, and other stakeholders. Look for opportunities and gaps in your ESG profile, have conversations about how to address these, and share decisions with the public.
The value of doing good. It’s not about doing good just for doing good’s sake. Engaging in purpose-driven initiatives can benefit your business and broader society alike — so think broadly about how to invest funds thoughtfully in initiatives that make a real difference for target populations and the environment.
Take a stand. CEOs and other leaders are asked to take positions on controversial issues of every stripe. Aim for an approach respecting both your business’s and other stakeholders’ values, recognizing the opportunity to “walk the talk” and the growing cost of staying silent.
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Additional Topics
MARCH 2019 - THE RISE OF URBANIZATION
A recent report in The Economist estimated that the 50 largest urban areas contain only 7% of the world's population but produce 40% of its economic output. Major urban areas are hotbeds for innovation, sources for talent and driving changes in patterns of demand for goods and services. Business leaders need to understand the urban landscape and shape strategies to reflect these growing trends.
To provide greater insights on this topic, Christian Beaudoin, Managing Director, Research, Strategy, Site Selection at JLL, discusses what companies need to consider when selecting a city (Watch Video), and Mark Hacker, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer at Motorola Solutions, shares how Motorola's move from the suburbs has benefited the company. Read more
MAY 2019 - UNDERSTANDING EFFECTIVE REPUTATION MANAGEMENT
CEOs and board directors view a company’s reputation as one of its most valuable assets. Recently however, there is a growing gap between the rise in corporate reputational risk and companies’ capabilities to manage it.
Every month a new reputational disaster makes the headlines, destroying shareholder value and trust among customers and other stakeholders. But the loss of public trust is just the beginning of a company’s troubles -- lawsuits, public hearings, and investigations often follow. Management missteps may be a part of the problem, but there are broader trends in these ever more frequent and severe corporate crises. Read more
JULY 2019 - UNDERSTANDING THE CHANGING EMPLOYER/EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP
On June 5th, 2019, CEO Perspectives held its Spring Event at Deloitte in Chicago, to focus on the fast-changing nature of work across sectors. The event featured: Keynote Speaker: Jeff Schwartz, Human Capital Principal, Global Human Capital Marketing, Eminence & Brand Leader, US Leader for the Future of Work, Deloitte; Panel Discussion Moderator, Deb DeHaas, Vice Chairman and National Managing Partner of the Center for Board Effectiveness, Deloitte; and Panelists: Jeff Schwartz, Jonas Prising, Chairman & CEO, ManpowerGroup, and Betsy Ziegler, CEO, 1871. Read more
SEPTEMBER 2019 - ENABLING THE VALUE OF DIVERSITY THROUGH INCLUSION
by Deborah DeHaas, Director and Advisor, Corporate Leadership Center; Vice Chairman and National Managing Partner, Center for Board Effectiveness, Deloitte
Companies have focused on improving the diversity of their executive leadership and talent pool for years, with progress at a slower pace than many leaders and directors aspired to. It has become increasingly evident that improving diversity without enhancing inclusion does not allow the value of diversity to be fully realized. Read more
DECEMBER 2019 - SHAPING THE FUTURE: THE ROLE OF BUSINESS
On November 13th, 2019, Corporate Leadership Center celebrated the 15th anniversary of its CEO Perspectives program and 10th anniversary of its Leading Women Executives program at Chicago’s Mid-America Club. Members of the CEO Perspectives and Leading Women Executives communities came together to honor the achievements of both organizations, which have now served almost 1000 participants collectively. Read more
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