I took this photograph during the Queen’s visit to Chester in 2018 – a happy day.
Last week I wrote about the strangeness of the VUCA world in which we live.
At the time I had no idea that we would witness another signifcant change to our lives; the death of our Queen and the Proclamation of a new monarch; King Charles III.
As I reflect on the news over the past week, I’m struck by the different ways people appear to be affected and are responding.
Heartfelt sadness.
Empathy for members of the Royal family.
Good wishes for King Charles III.
Celebration of an outstanding life of service.
Curiosity about the future.
A sense of unification across the country.
For me, it’s made me think about the Queen’s extraordinary leadership.
We can learn so much more from her life about ‘soft power’, and leading to serve.
The coming weeks and months will see further change, and we’ll have to adapt.
Adapting in ways which puts other first is a very good place to start.
RIP Queen Elizabeth II.
Gaby Hinsliff describes in The Guardian what she calls the Queen’s soft power:
“She was a mistress of soft power, knowing when to project full regal majesty and when to play kindly grandmother, and a unique diplomatic resource”
Read the full article here
Freethinkers Corner Launch Conference
Continuing the theme of leadership, I was delighted to be invited to present at this innovative global leadership conference.
This unique online event takes place during the week 12th – 16th September with presentations from a wide range of innovative leaders.
On 13th September at 4.30pm I will be talking about UK for Good, Better Business, and B Corp on a panel with Paul Hargreaves, and Michael Smith.
Do take a look at the itinerary and join if you can.
If you’re a start up, or an SME you may have been wondering if you are ready to embark on your B Corp journey?
B Corp (or B Certified) companies consider their impact on all of their stakeholders.
They’re not in business just to maximise profits for their shareholders.
B Corps have higher levels of performance, customer acquisition, employee retention and are generally more innovative.
They’re businesses who are doing good AND doing well.
To become B Corp Certified you have to complete a robust online assessment called the B Impact Assessment (BIA)
The B Impact Assessment (BIA) is a free and confidential online tool used to measure your company’s impact on its workers, communities, customers and the environment.
You can read more about it here.
There are now nearly 1000 B Corps in the UK, and the UK is the fastest growing B Corp market in the world.
The assessment is intentionally difficult, but if you’re a forward-thinking leader and determined to build a. business that meets the needs of a rapidly changing world, then it is a great way to go.
The UK for Good B Corp Accelerator is for small and medium-sized businesses (generally with fewer than 100 employees).
It’s a practical 10-step online Programme to take you from ‘what is B Corp’ to ‘we’re ready to submit our BIA’.
In weekly one-hour online sessions, in groups of no more than 10 businesses, we will:
- Help you consider ways to engage your team
- Register your BIA account
- Help you understand and navigate the Assessment from start to finish
- Offer you template policies, tools, and resources to support the evidence you will need before submitting your BIA
- Prepare you for the submission, evaluation, and verification phases of the assessment
- Connect you to other like-minded business leaders on their B Corp journey
All sessions are recorded and each cohort has their own Slack group so that you can exchange questions, thoughts, and ideas as you progress along your B Corp journey.
People want to work for, buy from, and invest in business they can trust.
The B Corp Certification is a great way of proving that.
Early bird registration for our October cohort is now open.
Member September
It’s Member September – are you in?
Our UK for Good membership community of forward-thinking leaders is growing.
We offer you an opportunity to meet like-minded business leaders who are committed to a better way of doing business.
Doing the right thing for all stakeholders – for Good.
And to make it easy for you to decide, we’re planting a whole thicket of 25 trees in our Ecologi forest in the name of every new member in September.
Join us today, let’s do better together…and we’ll plant your trees!
Each month we meet online to learn from a wide range of expert speakers, many of whom lead B Corp businesses.
In our breakout rooms we explore ways in which we can be better businesses for our employees, communities, the environment, and our customers.
Our members often develop new business relationships too. Purpose-led businesses naturally seek other purpose-led businesses. It’s a trust and values thing.
We also offer our members a range of special discounts from relevant organisations such as Green Small Business – a really helpful resource when it comes to understanding and improving the carbon footprint of your business.
For our October members’ meeting we’re really excited to welcome Kresse Wesling from the B Corp Elvis and Kresse. Elvis and Kresse make luxury accessories from rescued materials. We’re big fans and we can all learn a lot from their journey and leadership.
Membership of UK for Good is a cost and time-effective way to be inspired, informed and enabled to develop your business for Good.