The way we work is changing rapidly, and so we need new tools and a new mindset to succeed. In this series, Prönö’s founder Helene Auramo shares her vision of the future of work. She wants you to find new ideas for both your own work and leading others. In this third part of the series, Helene shares her thoughts on why the world needs to be softer in the future.
I believe that we are moving to a purpose-driven world. That changes the way we do business, and it also integrates consciousness into our business models. Let’s look at one great example of this.
Putting purpose at the center
Business Roundtable made a statement last year that companies should redefine their purpose to benefit all stakeholders: customers, employees, suppliers, communities and shareholders. This statement was signed by 181 American CEOs who committed to lead their companies towards this objective. You can read more about the statement here.
The interesting change is how the purpose of benefiting just the shareholders is moving into a wider perspective that includes the communities in which they work, for example. This also means protecting the environment and respecting the people in these communities. It won’t be long before this perspective spreads to an even wider scope beyond just nearby communities.
“This new statement better reflects the way corporations can and should operate today. It affirms the essential role corporations can play in improving our society when CEOs are truly committed to meeting the needs of all stakeholders,” said Alex Gorsky, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Johnson & Johnson and Chair of the Business Roundtable Corporate Governance Committee.
Generating profits and returning value to shareholders is not enough anymore. A wider view is necessary. That’s why companies need to have a purpose, and it can’t be just creating shareholder value anymore. That’s why values in a purpose-driven work-life are crucial. And it is important to integrate them into all companies, big and small.
Conscious business on the rise
We at Prönö see the future as bright and promising. One big reason is that conscious business practices are rising.
A good starting point is that companies should do no harm: to neither humans nor the environment. However, many companies that do conscious business now talk about the triple bottom line: people, planet, profit.
As sustainability influencer Outi Pyy said in our interview with her, sustainability will be integrated into everything we do within 20 years. And this is where our hope is because we need to make the world a better place for future generations.
We at Prönö want to also help people and companies to find individuals with similar values. If one of the core values at a company is sustainability, why wouldn’t they want to buy services from people who have the same goals? Previously, they may not have been able to find those companies and people, but now they can. We at Prönö have developed a platform and a search tool able to do just that.
Your success is my success
In these times, it is important to define success: from a business perspective but also from a personal point of view. We really need to reconsider what success really is. Prönö has established its foundation on the idea that “Your success is my success”, and this leads to a very important notion: if you succeed, it creates good things for all of us. On the other hand, you should also not succeed at the expense of others (or the environment).
This is the foundation for conscious business. We must redefine success in a way that lets us continue to make a profit, but it must not be at the expense of the environment or other people. Let’s ensure the goodness spreads around us.
