Responsible Leadership

In case the Nova Schin beer cans posted earlier seem like too much fun, here's some serious information about the Ulysses leadership development program, a Corporate Citizenship Award PwC won from "Global HR News" in 2007, and an outline of the Responsible Leadership framework we've worked to develop in the Foundations Program.

go to this site for more details , the award, and good information about Ulysses:

www.pwc.com/ulysses

Above is a picture of the Responsible Leadership framework we've focused upon since starting the Ulysses program. Words and pictures are not enough to describe the concept, and the impact, but we'll give it a try here. Essentially for us, responsible leadership within the context of PricewaterhouseCoopers involves many stakeholders with ourselves on a multi-dimensional platform involving interactions of 1) the firm as our brand defining agent, 2) clients who see us as trusted advisors, 3) our local country team who see us as authentic contributors, and 4) our Partner-peers who are co-owners and co-entrepreneurs (see the picture above). Within this interactive platform, we have our families, the community, the market and environment which influence, educate, and empower us to inspire others to reach their full potential. If we as responsible leaders can maintain an open mind, an open heart and open will, we will observe, reflect, decide and act in a responsible and sustainable manner. How do we do this? We pay attention. We listen to others. We reconcile differences and accept the needs of others to identify opportunities instead of problems. We ultimately "do the right thing" - and continue down the lifelong path of responsible leadership.

As you can imagine, we've been working on this concept and language for a number of weeks and are living the concept now in Brazil.

What does this mean for PwC as the firm? This citation is off of our website. "...the values and behaviours of our people has been shaped by our long heritage as independent auditors serving the investing public. As a result, we understand that our organizational mission is inseparable from our larger obligations beyond the imperatives of profit-making. Today, as the world’s largest professional services organisation, we strive to demonstrate responsible leadership by protecting and promoting the interests of our clients, their shareholders and stakeholders, and the communities in which we operate. We also provide a broad range of services to help clients nurture more responsible leadership within their own organizations."

Regarding sustainability (however you define this term), shareholders expect companies to generate profits. But, they also want your company to make a positive contribution to society while minimising any negative effect it might have on the environment. This approach to business—balancing economic interests against social and environmental concerns—is commonly referred to as sustainability. Over the past decade, sustainability has moved from the fringes of the business world to the top of shareholders' agenda. The concept of sustainability has gained traction among corporate employees, regulators, and customers, too. Consequently, any miscalculation or misjudgement of matters related to sustainability can have serious repercussions on how the world judges your company and values its shares. For corporate management, finding the right balance among competing economic, social, and environmental goals is the essence of "responsible leadership." In practice, responsible leadership means integrating ethical considerations into company decision-making, and managing on the basis of personal integrity and widely-held organisational values. Responsible leaders manage for the common good and gain authority and legitimacy in direct proportion to their success in serving others.

Is that kind of leadership readily achievable? Clearly, a perfect balance of all competing interests is difficult to achieve and managers are bound to make missteps in the attempt. Nevertheless, most stakeholders are adamantly in favour of companies dealing with sustainability issues in an honest and open fashion. So, as a first step toward demonstrating responsible leadership, companies must establish trust between themselves and their various stakeholder communities. Sometimes, the process of establishing trust can be painstakingly slow. But it starts by understanding stakeholders' concerns and acknowledging their legitimacy. Only after you've mapped the spectrum of stakeholder issues can you start to prioritise them and develop suitable responses and outreach programs. " From http://www.pwc.com/extweb/challenges.nsf/docid/58e92287890b5314852570980064acc2

How does this benefit Didier and Stan?

Ulysses Participants develop deeper awareness of themselves as individuals and leaders. They learn that values-based relationships are at the heart of responsible leadership. They explore their responsibilities as a leader and articulate an ambition that inspires and motivates others, practiced in a location suitable for reflection and time to think. We also understand that leadership is a lifelong journey (like the 10 year journey of Ulysses on the way back home from the Trojan war), not a destination.

How does this benefit you?

We enhance the quality of our relationships based on shared values, understanding and collaboration. We increase our level of cultural awareness and our ability to reconcile differences to identify opportunities, not problems. We also just met 20 other partners from all over the world (Brazil, Cyprus, Mexico, Malaysia, South Africa, UK, UAE, Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, USA, Korea, Sweden, New Zealand, Italy, Hong Kong, France and Canada) which builds upon our already strong network of leaders across national and cultural boundaries. We also help create a group of more open minded partners who are committed to sustainable and responsible business practices and who are a force for positive change.

What about PwC as a firm?

Leadership pipeline – Develop a pool of talent who can responsibly lead the firm into the future.
Branding – Create a sustainable brand in which PricewaterhouseCoopers is differentiated by the quality of our relationships with our people, our clients and the community.
Model for leadership – Develop a model of responsible leadership that can be applied consistently across the firm.
Stakeholder relationships – Build quality trust-based relationships with a wide range of stakeholders in communities and markets around the world.

OK, as you can see we had good internet access today and time to create. Enough for now, more in the next post.