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There are many reasons to become a more socially-responsible business person. When you’re successful, you’re in a fortunate position to be able to help drive change and make a difference to others. It’s important to make good links with your community, and being socially responsible can also help you find fulfillment away from your business.
With so many ways to make a difference, it’s never been easier to pledge to become more socially responsible. Take a look at some of the following suggestions and start setting an excellent example for others.
Why become more socially responsible?
While your business could be a great success and your profits high, it isn’t always enough to fulfill and satisfy you. Becoming active in making positive changes in your community, your environment, and can help you experience some of the other benefits of being a successful business owner.
It’s also something that’s important to your staff, your stakeholders and your customers or clients. They want to look up to someone who can lead by example, which is why customers respond well to socially-responsible businesses. Issues such as sustainability, ethics and helping others are hot topics at the moment, so if you’re wondering why your business should care about social responsibility, then you should look into it more.
Tips for becoming a more responsible business person
It’s never too late to change your ways, and even if you weren’t doing anything adverse before, it’s still good to take some positive action and look at ways you and your business can be more socially responsible. Some great suggestions include:
Use your connections
As a successful business owner, you’ll likely have a lot of friends in high places. While this can be great for doing business, it can also be useful for helping others. Perhaps you know somebody who is active in the community who could use your help on projects, or you know someone with the resources and knowledge to help out with some fantastic work you’re doing in the community? Having conversations and sharing ideas is how good work gets started, and you never know what could come from talking to a colleague or fellow business owner.
Building strong business relationships is a key element behind your success as a businessperson, but don’t just think about the value they could offer your business, think about the good work you can do together to make your community a better place.
Be kinder to the environment
We all have a responsibility to help our environment. But as someone in a position of responsibility, you can help to set an example amongst your staff, your peers and others. There are basic steps that every business can take to be more green, through introducing policies and practices that will cut everything from your paper use to how much energy your business uses. If you want to make a bigger difference, make a significant pledge. Set targets for your business to help it achieve certain sustainability targets and you’ll be sure to not only impress fellow businesses, but your customers too. With the world in a more precious position than ever before, it’s time to think long and hard about how your business can help the planet.
Crowdsource some ideas
You could find that your quite far removed from the issues that your employees and stakeholder care about, so why not ask them what you should be doing? Consulting with your employees is a good way to take their thoughts and considerations into account, and could lead to some positive changes for your organization. As them what they feel should be a priority for your business, and whether they have any ideas for increasing social responsibility.
You could also empower your employees to go out there and make a difference. By providing them with the time, the resources and the support for their own projects, you could inspire a lot of positive change and help employees feel that they’re doing their part too.
Support community projects
Giving back to the community is good for your business. Your business is a part of the community, so why wouldn’t you want it to thrive?
You’ll be surprised at the number of ways that your business can give back. From sponsoring local events and sports teams to taking part in different community projects, your time and resources can make a lot of difference to those in need. Becoming a business known for helping people can be an incredible way to bring some light and positivity back into people’s lives, including your own.
There have been many studies that show that encouraging employees to volunteer creates a happier workplace. Why not start a regular volunteering scheme that will allow your employees to help out with a project or group during their working hours? Some regular engagement with the community and helping others can help your business become a friendly face to others, while also transforming your work environment for the better.
Help political education
Low voter turnout is a recurring problem in the world of politics. While you might not have strong political leanings or even wish to share your political views publicly, there are still ways you can help with political education and improve awareness in your community. You could donate time and resources to groups who dedicate their time to political education, providing a more valuable resource than you thought could be possible.
You could also use your position to help others understand how politics affects them. From sharing ideas and education with fellow business owners to exploring the use of Christianity in politics with your church group, there are different ways you can use your influence for good. Don’t focus on supporting a political party or politician, as this could polarize your staff and your clients, and instead – focus on supporting politics and the need to be engaged in the decision-making process.
Reassess your business’ values
Does your business have values? Having some core values can be a good way to reinforce what you and your business stand for and what you want to be achieved. Setting business values gives you and your employees something to guide you in your work. Reassessing your values can signify a new era for your business and lead to some exciting new things. Involve your colleagues and employees in this work – it could be an amazing opportunity for them to feel a part of the business’ work.
Share your wisdom
Business owners inspire many people, particularly those who dream of being entrepreneurs or being a success in their field. Sharing your wisdom could help you inspire a whole new generation of people to go out there and achieve their dreams.
On a smaller scale, while not visit some high schools to talk about your career, or be a speaker at a local event? You could also look at internships and other opportunities that could help others succeed by following your influence. Remember that social media and the internet can be great platforms for connecting with others, so why not offer advice to the masses and keep inspiring new generations of success stories?
Become a mentor
Mentoring is another way you can help others along the path to success. There are many benefits of becoming a mentor, and you could find it a rewarding experience. Do you wish you’d had someone to guide you and offer valuable career advice when you were starting out? Why not be that person for someone else?
Becoming a mentor will also mean that you keep in touch with what’s going on in the world. Mentoring can be a two-way learning experience and provide you with new insights you might not have considered before. It doesn’t have to be a large commitment, but it could make a big difference to someone who’s feeling lost or unsure about their career and path in life.
Be more charitable
Business can make a big difference to their communities by being more charitable. You can start with the basics by offering charitable benefits as an option for your employees, or you could pledge to donate a certain amount of your profits to charity.
Being a part of fundraising activities also help your business to do good for others. Your power and networks can make it easier to encourage others to get involved, so pick a good cause that needs help rather than just jumping on a popular or well-known effort. Being a charitable organization puts your business in a positive light, and it can help you feel good about what you and your business is doing to help others.
Making a difference as a business owner is something you can do every day. From adopting new policies to being more active in the community, you’ll be surprised at the effect that just one person can have. Not everything in business is about profit and loss, so make sure you use your influence for good and drive some positive change.
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