Resource Type: Event recaps

The NationSwell Council on the role leadership can play in promoting mental health in the workplace

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

In the first quarter of the year, the NationSwell Council embarked on a journey across America as part of a Salon series dedicated to exploring Leadership and Mental Health. 

The series brought us face-to-face with transformative leaders from diverse sectors, sparking discussions that were as rich as they were enlightening. Our dialogue delved into three critical areas: the unique mental health challenges faced by those in leadership; the significant role leaders play in nurturing the well-being of their teams; and the cutting-edge strategies that have successfully cultivated workplace environments of health and positivity. 

The leaders we met shared their experiences with remarkable openness, courage, and sincerity, leaving us inspired. In the following sections, we’re excited to present a curated collection of profound quotes, essential resources, and the most compelling insights we’ve distilled from these conversations.

Key Insights:

  1. The Conversation is the Solution: Opening up about mental health isn’t just therapeutic for leaders; it also breaks down feelings of isolation by sharing the common struggles many face. It highlights the importance of creating spaces where leaders can gather to speak openly and honestly. These discussions are crucial — they not only offer varied strategies for navigating challenges but also build a shared understanding of well-being and resilience.
  2. We care deeply about each other: Across the board, a resounding theme emerged: there’s a profound mutual concern for mental health among staff and leaders alike. This mutual care extends beyond professional boundaries, touching the lives of families and peers, nurturing a culture of empathy, understanding, and collective well-being. The depth of this care underscores the human aspect of organizational life, revealing a widespread ethos of compassion and concern that transcends conventional leader-staff dynamics.
  3. Universal Nature of Leadership Challenges: Even though leadership challenges might seem specific to each person’s situation or industry, we’ve seen a remarkable similarity in the issues leaders face nationwide. Recognizing these commonalities underscores the value of cross-sector dialogue. It encourages a collaborative approach to addressing these challenges, highlighting how much we can learn from connecting with peers across different fields.
  4. Less cynical, and more optimistic: We found an undercurrent of optimism among leaders and their teams across America, grounded in their real-life experiences and challenges. This wasn’t blind optimism but a resilience and belief in the potential for positive change. Leaders are not only addressing current well-being but are also committed to fostering healthier, supportive environments long-term. This collective optimism, driven by practical actions and open dialogue, underscores a more hopeful and robust societal fabric than commonly portrayed, highlighting the dedication of individuals working towards meaningful change.

What leaders who attended are saying:

Elyssa Dole

I had not realized how heads down I had become before attending the mental health and leadership salon. Jason Craige Harris shared a fact and framework that really resonated with me. First he mentioned that most EDs are hired for their project management skills — getting things done — rather than their leadership skills. He also talked about a framework for company culture where you see your team on a spectrum from empathy to accountability, noting that too much of either side is not ideal. Our culture on The Conversationalist team has always been rooted in intersectional feminist values, but as I set strategy for 2024, I realized I had become more focused on outcomes and needed to remind myself about the purpose of our company to ensure that writers and artists — as well as our team — are people before workers, and human beings before agents of productivity. 

Dr. Isaiah Pickens

Mental health in the workplace is inextricably linked with how we define success. The more rigid definition of success we have, the more pressure we put on ourselves to achieve in a particular way —sometimes in ways that are unrealistic. When we begin to expand our definition of success, more options are available for us to achieve. This alone begins to reduce the pressure and rejuvenate our mental health by making it easier for us to close the gap between who we are and who we want to be.

Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay

In December 2023, my beloved father died the night before I was scheduled to undergo surgery for a total hip replacement. The eight weeks of disability leave, which was meant to focus on physical recovery, turned into a hellish journey of building up my physical strength and endurance while picking up the pieces of my broken heart. Now that I’m back to work, I am aware that I am mentally fragile. To get a handle on that fragility, I am committing to grant myself space and compassion. I’ve always extended those things to those in grief around me, but I never gave them to myself when other family members died. In 2024, I’m committed to my mental health. I will grant myself permission to slow down; not immediately respond to demands of my time and attention when possible; and ask for alone time. These acts will let me get myself together in the moments grief blindsides me. Once I get myself together, I will continue to lead.

Anonymous

As a leader, I am committed to incorporating movement through my daily routines, as I have recently dived into the long-term health effects of sedentary jobs through the introduction of the seat and laptop into society. I welcome walking calls with colleagues when possible and am employing phone-free walks 2-3 times a week to alleviate mental stress and mitigate information overload. This health-inspired shift helps to hone in on our own personhood and relationships, creating a thriving wellbeing community around us and the people we work with.

Ali Borowsky

This year I’m going to focus on the power of the little things to enhance the wellbeing of those I lead and serve. I’ve been starting to think of those small acts of kindness almost like a love language and trying to show up in those little ways more consistently. I also need to practice what I preach and start putting my own emphasis on those seemingly small moments of self-care — knowing the monumental effects they can truly have.

Angelica Marcela Frias

This year, I’m focusing on boosting my team’s and my well-being, inspired by the Salon’s insights. Current plans include outdoor activities,  including meetings and volunteer days, to promote health and community engagement. Additionally, I’ll block out time for quiet reflection, emphasizing mental wellness. These steps aim to cultivate a supportive, vibrant work environment that values well being alongside productivity.

Tina Atherall

Recognizing that wellbeing is a deeply personal and diverse concept, I am dedicated to reinvigorating my practice of an individualized approach towards enhancing the welfare of those I lead and serve. Significant impacts stem from the smallest acts of kindness and attention. Meaningful conversations, showing genuine interest and curiosity about their lives, and acknowledging their unique needs and aspirations is what counts. It’s about making a difference one person at a time — valuing quality interactions over quantity and understanding that sometimes, the most minor gesture can light up someone’s day.

On a personal front, I am committed to fostering my own wellbeing by allowing myself to be on the receiving end of support and care. It’s easy to fall into believing that leadership revolves around giving, but true growth and balance also involve embracing the benefit and strength found in receiving. This year, I aim to cultivate a culture of mutual support.

Vanessa Bishop

For many reasons mental health struggles are becoming an increasing threat to the wellbeing of both our staff and the students we serve, so this conversation was extremely important and also was only able to scratch the surface of what we can do as leaders — not only for those we support, but for ourselves. One of my biggest takeaways from the discussion was the power of discussing these challenges with anyone who will listen in order to connect and share resources. Another was the connection of burnout to mental health and the amazing suggestion to regularly review and reflect on what both you and your staff are doing, asking questions such as, “What am I/we doing that if we stopped doing it, no one will notice?” 

Susan Mason

As the campaign manager for a congressional campaign, I’ve been organizing meet and greets with constituents. One lesson learned from the salon I attended is the importance of selecting ADA-compliant and accessible venues. I’m prioritizing intentionality beforehand rather than realizing the need for changes afterward. Thank you for the invitation — I consistently gain valuable insights from NationSwell events that I can apply in both my personal and professional life.

Pamela Nathenson

 My biggest takeaway from the event, besides wishing to have such an event weekly, is the responsibility of leaders to build the team’s ability to understand each other. When we start the leadership journey, especially for a cause, we may be familiar with the subject matter, but we don’t realize at the outset (or necessarily have every tool ready for) the responsibility we hold for our team’s journeys. We need to be thinking about our teams often, and specifically about where they are on their journeys. 

Michael Pope

The event was a powerful reminder of the essential need for empathetic leadership. It reinforced my belief that creating an office environment where every staff member feels seen, acknowledged, and valued is, quite literally, the role of leadership. The discussions highlighted the importance of tangible support systems that allow individuals to embrace and share their unique perspectives and experiences. As leaders, we must challenge ourselves and our teams to foster inclusivity and to see staff as whole people. The takeaway for me was clear: leadership is about empowering others to bring their whole selves to our shared mission, thereby enriching and expanding our collective impact.

Resources shared:

Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert: “Our biggest impact has been modeling a different way of doing business”

Posted on by NationSwell Team

In the fall of 2022, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard announced a bold new experiment in for-profit business: the voting stock of his company would immediately transfer to the Patagonia Purpose Trust, with the remaining non-voting stock diverted to the Holdfast Collective, a 501c4 nonprofit, to ensure that all money not reinvested back into the company is dedicated to addressing the climate and ecological crisis. “Earth,” he proclaimed in a now-viral open letter, “is now our only shareholder.”

On September 18, 2023, as leaders from across sectors descended upon New York City for Climate Week, Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert joined NationSwell for an in-person fireside chat to unpack how the company is maintaining its commitment to being a purpose-driven business. Moderated by best-selling writer, podcaster, and NationSwell Council member Baratunde Thurston, the conversation explored how for-profit companies can pave the way forward on catalyzing bold climate action and what leaders can do to ensure that their personal and corporate values are in sync. 

Here are several highlights from the discussion:

Climate work is a lifelong commitment, and protecting the planet is our shared responsibility.

According to Gellert, too many CEOs would respond to climate conversations five years ago with the common refrain: “That’s not my problem.” Today, he says the tone of those conversations has shifted encouragingly, and those same leaders are now more likely to acknowledge their place in finding shared solutions — even when they aren’t sure of the best way forward. 

The future of climate will necessarily depend on more people — those in positions of power in particular — acknowledging their role in moving the ball down the field and making sure that climate work is “a 52-week thing,” and not just something to focus on one week out of the year.

Business sector leaders have an obligation to be the catalysts of change — but they can’t do it alone.

Since Patagonia shifted its ownership structure, Gellert shared that there have been many conversations with other companies interested in investing in purpose in a similar way — and that it feels like the guardrails have meaningfully shifted in terms of what’s possible in rethinking a business’s relationship to its employees, its community, and the planet.

“I believe the biggest impact Patagnoia has had has been modeling a different way of business,” he said.

And while catalyzing businesses to drive change will be of critical importance to the larger climate movement, the business sector won’t succeed on its own.

“I’d like to create a world where everybody understands it absolutely is our shared problem… and we’re all leaning in the same direction, from the business sector, with the government, with NGOs, with citizens, to clean up the mess we’ve created,” Gellert said.

For purpose-driven businesses to succeed, purpose and profits cannot be treated as distinct aims.

The days of businesses setting up a corporate social responsibility department and making impact work solely that group’s jurisdiction are over. In order for businesses to fully realize their role in creating a more sustainable, equitable future, Gellert said, they must necessarily make it their responsibility to create a culture where every person in every area feels incentivized to show up and do the work.

“I don’t think you can separate purpose and profits, period,” he said. “Under pressure, every single business gravitates toward profits. So the two have to be entirely connected, or you have to call it what it is.”

Acknowledging that it had created an “incomplete culture” was instrumental in helping Patagonia to hone its approach to social issues.

In the weeks after George Floyd’s murder, Patagonia, like many other companies, took a hard look at its internal culture and where it fell short of its values. What Gellert and other leaders leaned into during that moment was a commitment to “transformational change even where there’s no end in sight” — and on improving systems and processes in ways that relied more on common sense than external optics and politics.  

“Listen, show up, and do the work,” Gellert said. “And I think slowly and steadily, that’s given us the momentum to do the work internally and externally.”

Consumerism and “business-as-usual” have created many of the problems we currently face, and need to be interrogated. 

According to Gellert, we’ve outgrown the Milton Friedman-backed idea of shareholder primacy — it’s precisely business as usual that has created the environmental crisis we currently find ourselves mired in. 

Universities and business schools have a vital role to play in helping to build thinking, morals, practices, and systems that address how consumerism contributes to natural resource depletion, pollution, and other deleterious climate impacts. Businesses, meanwhile, must interrogate how circular business models can help shrink their environmental impact and deliver value to a new set of stakeholders — including customers, employees, and the planet.

Sometimes the best way into climate awareness isn’t doom forecasting or even direct action — it’s connection.

In response to an audience question about the best way to help children connect with the complicated and dire implications of the climate crisis, moderator Baratunde Thurston said that sometimes, the best way into climate awareness, “…isn’t always direct work and action, (but) climate connection — to highlight our relationship to nature in a beautiful, local way.” 

“Kids are naturally curious, they play with bugs, they splash in the water… we don’t need forecasts of doom and gloom, we can achieve the same purpose through a celebration or an exploration of that connection,” he said. “When we become more interconnected, saving the planet becomes the most selfish thing we can do — it becomes about saving ourselves. And if we can plant that seed early with kids without being heavy-handed with it, then that could do something amazing.”

The Takeaway | Ethical Tech and the Future of Social Impact

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

Whether it’s a future of work powered by software that supports workers and businesses alike, technology infrastructure to manage sustainable supply chains, improving digital access and safeguards for our democratic process, or removing bias in data and AI platforms that impact marginalized communities, the actions we take in the present to invest in equitable digital platforms will determine whether our collective grasp will ever extend outwards to our collective reach.

During a NationSwell virtual roundtable on May 25th, a group of cross-sector leaders gathered to discuss the role of emergent technologies like generative AI have to play in advancing that impact and what leaders can do to implement ethical digital and technical solutions in order to scale solutions and provide equitable access.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

Organizations must stay disciplined when it comes to asking larger questions about who they’re using AI to serve and what they hope to accomplish. In order to bridge gaps between intent, strategy, and the actual digital products and services that end up being built, companies must establish clear mandates and decision matrices about how to best serve the populations they’re working for. One of the first steps to guaranteeing alignment should be to make sure that clear lines of transparency and clear moral imperatives are present throughout the entire organization. 

The adoption of an “ethical ombudsman” can help to ensure a shared ethical responsibility. Rather than adopting “shiny new tech” just for the sake of doing so and then allowing the ethical buck to get passed on to the tools themselves, companies and individuals should take a more active role in assuming the ethical burden by creating a new position designed specifically to oversee projects at the organizational level and evaluate the potential risks and harm that new technologies can pose to individuals and communities.

Train new systems with humanitarian concerns, not just technological ones. The tech we use broadly everyday (internet, social media, etc.) was created by a relatively small group of people, technologists who are good at making things, but not necessarily experts at holistically considering the ecosystems and people that will use that tech in everyday life. To solve for this gap, we’ll need to build better and more intentional methods to ensure that public interest is baked into design — potentially by hiring folks with humanitarian backgrounds to serve as model trainers and by ensuring more cross-sectionality in design phases.

Drawing distinctions between the types of potential harm that new technologies can cause will be critical to mitigating the damage. We need to think about potential technological harm as falling into two distinct categories: acute harms and institutional harms. The former includes harms done to the individual, while the latter includes harms to communities and populations. These different types of harm will require unique interventions, and getting clear on which is which will be the first step to any mitigation strategy. 

Pathways to widespread adoption of potentially transformative new technologies must be established in order for underserved populations to thrive. In addition to ensuring pathways to adoption, it’s also imperative to bring in the people who stand to be most affected by the digital divide during the design process and incorporate their feedback into the build. Bringing boots on the ground into the regulation process and having the right people around the table to help in the decision making can also be a way to reduce inherent bias.

The Takeaway | Building Culture and the Role of Leadership

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

For the past two years, organizations have been forced to navigate a series of social, financial, and political pressures that no one could have seen coming. As the dust begins to settle, it’s become increasingly obvious where organizations have made great strides towards achieving more equitable cultures and organizational outlooks — and where they still have room to grow.

As we continue to steer towards that more equitable and egalitarian future, join us for a conversation on what your fellow leaders are doing to build a culture of equity and belonging — one that prioritizes DEIB initiatives, mindful hiring practices, and workforce satisfaction and retention rates.

In a NationSwell virtual roundtable, leaders connected to discuss some of the challenges they’re still facing, while surfacing opportunities we’re eyeing to help us advance corporate cultures that pave the way towards progress, equality, and greater social impact overall. 

Here are some of the key takeaways:

Wrap arms around the ways that work has fundamentally changed in the pandemic era. Workers and leaders alike share a heightened awareness of organizational shortcomings; and while all leaders have blind spots, there is new urgency around stakeholders’ expectations that you will work to address them. But even as we work to address them, they way we all work is changing: hybrid work means new technology, and new technology means new opportunities alongside new challenges. As internal stakeholders may feel even further from the rooms where big decisions are made, building a culture rooted in transparency becomes paramount to organizational success.

To build an equitable and inclusive organizational culture, align around what you mean when you use the word “transparency.” Workers want leadership that is clear and consistent, but just as there is a danger in sharing too little information, there is a danger in sharing too much. This often necessitates being explicit about what you will share, and what you won’t — especially in difficult moments. As an example, share the criteria around why you might terminate an employment instead of sharing the specifics around why one person’s employment was terminated.

A thriving culture often aligns around norms and expectations for when to have a meeting. In a hybrid work environment, meeting bloat can feel like the enemy of productivity. At the same time, those meetings were often designed to enable productivity, efficiency, and innovation. It’s helpful to align around what meetings ought to be used for, and what the norms are for being in one another’s presence: think about friendly ways to reinforce that attendees shouldn’t be working on anything else, and that they should focus to the best of their ability on the information that is being shared.

Culture is communication. Build performance management systems that can evaluate based on outcomes but also behavior and collaboration.  Reward people who hit goals, but also support positive behaviors that improve culture (and hold those accountable who damage culture). Consider using a work style assessment tool, such as DISC, to help employees understand one another better. 

Key learnings on the theme of business for good

Key learnings on the theme of business for good

 

NationSwell’s 2023 Summit brought together the most cutting-edge and committed leaders in ESG, social impact, philanthropy, and other select fields. Across a full day of programming, participants elevated exciting and promising ideas and initiatives, reflected and revitalized, and gleaned actionable insights, practices, and collaboration opportunities to propel their leadership forward.

One of the main themes of the day was business for good, through which presenters and guests explored how to better center their values, prioritize human connection, and bring forward a “Better + Bolder” version of themselves.

Below are key learnings from the NationSwell Summit on the theme of business for good.

Note: Key learnings are also available on the Summit themes of purpose-driven leadership and economic mobility. A panel discussion on the fourth theme of sustainability was off the record.

Key Learnings

Individuals most affected by social issues are often those closest to solutions.

Identity is core to the impact that individuals and organizations drive, and often has an outsized impact on sociopolitical progress. Often, those most affected by societal inequalities are instrumental in deeply understanding and responding to pivotal issues. For example, as Thea Gay (NationSwell Fellow) noted, current efforts toward mitigating climate change are often driven by those who are most vulnerable to environmental injustice, such as youth and LGBTQ+ communities. Relatedly, as a Black woman, T. Morgan Dixon (Founder and CEO, GirlTrek) is closely aligned to her organizational mission of healing and transforming the lives of Black women through walking and self-care. Leaders must embrace the aspects of their own identity that prepare them to identify and adopt solutions to societal challenges, while also acknowledging when it is most appropriate to seek out and invest in others.

The intersection of business, leadership, and advocacy requires continual self-reflection.

Whether a business leader or social activist, it is vital to think deeply about who you are and how your identity shows up in the work you do. As your work evolves, your own self discovery will take new forms, and you may realize that working toward social impact for other communities is tied to advocacy for yourself. Bringing humility and self-reflection to your day-to-day work can create trust within your organization and create a narrative of meaning behind the work you do. During past inflection points, Hamdi Ulukaya (Founder and CEO, Chobani) has embodied self-reflection by asking for direct feedback from his entire staff on his leadership. He notes that success is a powerful influence and that course correction from your community is vital to staying true to your vision.

The social impact field is ripe for harnessing the collective power of technology and talent.

The potent social power of technological advancement, particularly around AI, is illustrated by the White House’s recent request that technology CEOs limit the risks of AI. But AI carries significant opportunities alongside its risks. As more talent enters the technology field, there are opportunities to mobilize platforms and employees for social good. For example, Sid Espinosa (Head of Social Impact, GitHub) notes that GitHub has created a huge network of passionate new developers that are eager to play a role in using technology for impact. Given the immense and growing power of technology and AI, organizations should anticipate headwinds and tailwinds relating to their own operations and consider how they can connect dots between their work, the evolution of the technology field, and social good. At GitHub, this perspective resulted in a partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council, through which the company used its AI capabilities to deliver cash transfers to Ukrainians during conflict.

 

  1. Doing business for good often means seamlessly integrating – and responding to – information about the social and economic environment in which a company carries out its operations.

  2. Contributing financial resources toward advancing social impact is important, but can only go so far. To achieve organic and sustained impact, business leaders must assess the context in which they operate – often including characteristics outside of their control – and use that awareness to advance their goals. For example, in 2016, Hamdi Ulukaya (Founder and CEO, Chobani), identified refugee rights as a pivotal issue in the U.S. As such, there was a significant number of refugees in close proximity to Chobani’s manufacturing facility in upstate New York. Hamdi was able to increase their hiring of refugees to 30% of their total workforce, achieving a win-win for the company’s social impact agenda and the community within which it operates.
  1. Making a business case for investing in social impact is effective at generating buy-in, but doing it “meaningfully” creates sustainable change.

  2. According to Hamdi Ulukaya (Founder and CEO, Chobani), business is the most powerful platform for creating meaningful, sustainable change. Through the Tent Partnership for Refugees, he has found that CEOs often respond positively to understanding a clear business case for investing in an area of social good. For example, he cited that hiring refugees leads to high retention rates and demonstrable return on investment within two years. However, sustainable investment and long-term impact is escalated by business leaders who are dedicated to the meaning behind an issue. For some, this may be found through personal motivation, while others can look to their consumers and employees to lead the way.
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Key learnings on the theme of economic mobility

Key learnings on the theme of economic mobility

NationSwell’s 2023 Summit brought together the most cutting-edge and committed leaders in ESG, social impact, philanthropy, and other select fields. Across a full day of programming, participants elevated exciting and promising ideas and initiatives, reflected and revitalized, and gleaned actionable insights, practices, and collaboration opportunities to propel their leadership forward.

One of the main themes of the day was economic mobility, through which presenters and guests explored how to better center their values, prioritize human connection, and bring forward a “Better + Bolder” version of themselves.

Below are key learnings from the NationSwell Summit on the theme of economic mobility.

Note: Key learnings are also available on the Summit themes of purpose-driven leadership and business for good. A panel discussion on the fourth theme of sustainability was off the record.

Key Learnings

We have a collective responsibility to overcome the fallacy that decision-making, rather than circumstance, is responsible for an individual’s poor financial health.

Professor Darrick Hamilton (Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy and founding director of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy, The New School), in his opening remarks at the NationSwell Summit, reminded us that the tendency to blame poor decision-making over environmental factors like weak systems and structures is a common cognitive bias called fundamental attribution error. To move past this error, Professor Hamilton urged us to dismantle the policies that deny people opportunities to make the right choices and redirect resources to communities in order to provide the enabling conditions for marginalized groups to become self-determining and overcome poverty. Professor Hamilton spoke of baby bonds as one particularly bold and promising solution, describing the appreciating asset as “economic birthright to capital” available to all regardless of circumstances at birth.

Through strategies like employee ownership, business has the capacity to de-stratify our society where other institutions have failed.

On a Practitioners’ Panel on Economic Mobility, Pete Stavros (Head of Global Private Equity, KKR) offered that solutions like employee ownership models are effective at improving financial outcomes for workers. Stavros emphasized that the average American does not have enough assets to invest, in turn limiting their opportunity to develop financial management skills. Through KKR and his nonprofit Ownership Works, Stavros advocates for and has implemented a model in which businesses issue stock as a free benefit to employees, pairing ownership with financial literacy programs, as a mechanism to create a true win-win for the company, its investors, and its workers. Results to date have shown that employee ownership can lead to better employee retention, increased productivity, a higher ROI for the business, and significant wealth creation for workers. But, Stavros emphasized, the work of employee ownership programs is not as elegant and simple as it may first appear, requiring significant commitment and hands-on involvement from company leadership.

Employers are determinative of economic mobility for their workers; it’s time for businesses to better understand their impact and to take charge of that responsibility.

In presenting the American Opportunity Index Corporate Scorecard, Rajiv Chandrasekaran (Head of Policy + Strategy, The Emes Project) presented evidence that a company’s practices are determinative in lower-income workers’ ability to escape poverty. Chandrasekaran highlighted three dimensions of a company’s opportunity to impact workers’ economic mobility, particularly for those without college degrees: (1) the access they offer to employment opportunity, (2) the pay they offer in low- and middle-skill roles, and (3) the level of mobility experienced by employees both within and beyond the firm. The American Opportunity Index Corporate Scorecard offers a first-of-its-kind look into the actual performance of the United States’ largest 250 companies on worker economic mobility and provides an evidentiary basis for employers to look inward at the practices and behaviors that do or do not facilitate that mobility.

  1. Good data is essential for improving economic mobility, but its efficacy is significantly constrained without the right narrative and storytelling.

  2. In a Practitioners’ Panel on Economic Mobility, Michael Tubbs (Special Adviser for Economic Mobility and Opportunity, Gov. Gavin Newsom) asserted that “data is interesting and important, but if data actually drove decision-making, our work would be the opposite of what it is today.” Tubbs’ point is that we already have compelling data to support work on climate action, economic mobility, and more, but the decisions of policy-makers and others in power often defy the conclusions of that data. Tubbs called upon leaders to focus on shifting the narrative and storytelling around how the economy works in order to provide cultural and social momentum behind solutions like baby bonds and universal basic income.
  1. Funders can advance racial equity by making large, unrestricted, multi-year grants to BIPOC-led organizations.

  2. Given that historical and intergenerational effects of systemic inequity are central to the complexities of solving for economic mobility, Terri Ludwig (President, Ballmer Group) highlighted the need for the trust-based philanthropy principles of long-term solutions, multi-year unrestricted funding, and shifting decision-making power to BIPOC leaders proximate to the problem. For its part, Ballmer Group makes 10 year investments in its grantees, and also funds organizations like New Profit and Echoing Green to ensure that capital makes it into the hands of leaders who have traditionally been starved of that access.
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Key learnings on the theme of purpose-driven leadership

Key learnings on the theme of purpose-driven leadership

 

NationSwell’s 2023 Summit brought together the most cutting-edge and committed leaders in ESG, social impact, philanthropy, and other select fields. Across a full day of programming, participants elevated exciting and promising ideas and initiatives, reflected and revitalized, and gleaned actionable insights, practices, and collaboration opportunities to propel their leadership forward.

One of the main themes of the day was purpose-driven leadership, through which presenters and guests explored how to better center their values, prioritize human connection, and bring forward a “Better + Bolder” version of themselves.

Below are key learnings from the NationSwell Summit on the theme of purpose-driven leadership.

Note: Key learnings are also available on the Summit themes of economic mobility and business for good. A panel discussion on the fourth theme of sustainability was off the record.

Key Learnings

We must go beyond “allyship” and recognize our complicity and agency in addressing the societal challenges around us.

In a fireside chat with Graham Macmillan (President, Visa Foundation), Professor Ruha Benjamin (author, Viral Justice), reminded us that we are all affected by climate change, health inequity, and the myriad of other issues that we work to mitigate as social impact practitioners. And when we see ourselves in the issues, not simply adjacent to them, we understand that all our fates are linked. Recognizing the potential for any societal changes to benefit everyone in the long-term, not just one group, we are more compelled to center humanity in our leadership and decision-making.

“Be better and bolder by investing in the microscopic; people might not see it but they will feel it.”

Professor Ruha Benjamin ended her fireside chat with a succinct call to action: to change our everyday practices rather than solely focus on high profile actions that manage to break into the news cycle. Although actions like racial equity statements and large philanthropic investments are useful and valuable, it is also necessary to audit and participate in the small aspects that add up to a system so that we can change that system. Professor Benjamin recommended Beyond the Statement as one source that will allow organizations and their leaders to audit and transform their actions on racial equity, but the lessons can also be applied to other issues and objectives.

To center humanity in our work, we need to be softer and kinder. Doing so can build bridges of trust between those who do not see their inherent similarities.

In discussing human connection with Sheila Peluso (Chief HR Officer, Senior Legal Officer and Senior Managing Director, Cerberus Capital Management) and Scott Keoni Shigeoka (Fellow, Greater Good Science Center), Jenn Hoos Rothberg (Executive Director, Einhorn Collaborative) evoked the need for human connection and emotion in our work with a call to be “softer and kinder.” We can reach larger groups of people by focusing on the exhausted majority who are open to stronger ways to connect. In imbuing our actions with softness and kindness, we prime everyone, including ourselves, to be better and bolder.

  1. Solve the problem that makes your work necessary in the first place.

  2. T. Morgan Dixon (Founder, GirlTrek) highlighted GirlTrek’s mission to bring health and happiness to the lives of 700 million Black women. By inspiring behavioral change for its members and narrative change with its advocacy and campaign work, GirlTrek is a movement that is improving Black women’s health and creating new patterns that will last generations. 
  1. We must honor life’s and society’s transitions, allowing them to inform our practices and reinvigorate our purpose.

  2. As leaders, we must remember we do not need to accept things as inevitable, and that we are called upon not only to imagine better alternatives, but to build them. Purpose-driven leaders know what they want to build toward, but, as NationSwell Fellow Thea Gay reminded us in her Impact Spotlight: everything is constantly in flux, and we cannot plan without being open to change. When we know our abilities on a personal level, we can more readily go from “me to you to us” and build better systems together.

Entering each interaction – no matter the size – with humanity and clarity leads to a bigger, elevated culture of purpose.

 

In a fireside chat, Hamdi Ulukaya (Founder and CEO, Chobani) reflected on the inherent interconnectedness of leadership. In business, for example, there are endless touch points throughout daily operations, whether they are in the manufacturing plant, the office, or with consumers. For leaders, each of those touchpoints offer the chance to connect with grace and humility so that each person can feel recognition from leadership and see the power in replicating these mindful actions.

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NationSwell Summit 2023: The Moments on Our Minds

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

Once a year, the most cutting-edge and committed leaders in ESG, social impact, philanthropy and other select fields gather at the NationSwell Summit to foster invaluable cross-sector connections, to hear about the most exciting and promising ideas and initiatives, to reflect and revitalize, and to glean actionable insights, practices and collaboration opportunities to propel their leadership forward.

NationSwell held its Summit on Thursday in New York; the theme for 2023 was “Better + Bolder.”

Here are the better and bolder quotes and moments throughout the day that will be on our minds, in our hearts, and close to the core of our personal and professional practices of impact.

“The challenges we are working on are difficult, multi-layered and urgent. There is no time to waste, and none of us will be at our best if we’re doing it alone. At a moment that needs our best, how might we stretch further in the direction of the impact we seek?” — Greg Behrman, NationSwell CEO + Founder

“My call to action is a call to arms: Commit to justice as a matter of faith simply because it is the right thing to do.” — Darrick Hamilton, economist, Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy, and the founding director of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School.

“On every single barometer we know what works — yet, it’s not being done. It’s not that people don’t know how to manage their money, it’s that people don’t have money to manage. One’s income is not correlated to one’s intelligence. Your kids & their kids deserve just as much as my kids.” — former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, special advisor on economic mobility to California Governor Gavin Newsom.

“Broad-based employee ownership and engagement, while difficult to execute, is wildly promising — it can lead to a radical increase in economic mobility, financial fluency, workforce stability and productivity.” — Pete Stavros, co-head of Global Private Equity, KKR; Founder and Chairman, Ownership Works  

“Regarding social media, it’s important to remember that 80% of tweets come from 10% of users. And that 10% tends to be much more extreme than the average American.  We naturally interpret these frequent, loud voices as being mainstream but if you look at surveys of what matters most to Americans across political lines, you actually find broad agreement.  So let’s take the time to talk to each other, particularly folks you wouldn’t normally talk to, because that’s the only way we’re going to understand each other and make progress.” — Pete Stavros,

“We’re in a burning building. We all have to get out. I might hit the ground before you, but you are right behind me. It’s not about being an ally because it affects you too… that’s why the term ‘allyship’ doesn’t quite capture it. You’re not doing this to help me. Your own life is at stake. Injustice makes everyone sick. If your proverbial boot is on my neck, your humanity is at stake too.” — Ruha Benjamin, author of “Viral Justice,” Princeton Professor of African-American Studies, NationSwell Book of the Year Award recipient.

“Be better and bolder by investing in the microscopic. People may not see it, but they will feel it.” — Ruha Benjamin

“Better and Bolder means not limiting ourselves in any way possible. It means constantly innovating, exploring, and creating new radical solutions by incorporating diverse perspectives. In this moment, we have to take that first step into the unknown. We have to ask ourselves “What would a world without a climate crisis look like?” And then we also have to consider these three questions: what does that mean to me? what does that mean for those most impacted by the crisis? And how can we make that future a reality?” — Thea Gay, NationSwell Fellow, youth climate activist

“Social impact at scale rarely happens overnight. Years of everyday decisions made by organizational leaders operating incrementally and independently reach a certain threshold — and can get stuck, often due to lack of capacity and broader insight. Our Collaboratives take the baton at that point of impasse, help identify shared opportunities and create the space for collective action to break through.” — Amy Lee, Chief Strategy Officer, NationSwell

“Refugees aren’t looking for a handout. These are the people fighting to stay alive, fighting for the futures of their families… these are the people you want working at your organizations.” — Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO + Founder, Chobani; Founder, the Tent Partnership for Refugees

“We all remember where we were when we heard something, watched something, or experienced something that changed our lives. The arts — and the extraordinary artists behind them — are the beating heart of our culture. They make us better, and they make us bolder. The catalytic inspiration and perspective they provide are essential for any leader.” — Anjali Ramasunder, NationSwell Vice President of Programming and Events

In the days to come, we will share more insights, reflections, photographs, and video from the NationSwell Summit. For more information, visit our digital hub.

The Takeaway | The Future of the Workforce

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

On January 25, members of the nationswell council gathered for an in-person salon in New York City to discuss the future of work — the solutions and programs being considered at all levels of learning to better prepare students for successful careers; what organizations can do to build untraditional pipelines to the middle class and beyond; how to navigate a new hybrid work landscape in a way that balances individual flexibility and seamless collaboration while simultaneously mitigating burnout; and much, much more.

The conversation was warm, inviting, and generative, and sparked a flurry of great ideas and new chances for collaboration. Below are just a few key highlights from the discussion:

  • The future of work starts with students — and with how we ensure that they’re being prepared not just for the careers of today, but also to make family-sustaining wages. By partnering with large companies, community colleges in particular have an opportunity to be more thoughtful about designing curriculums that equip students with the real-world skills and connections they’ll need to land in-demand jobs. Micro-credentialing, upskilling, and financial literacy conversations — happening not just with students, but with corporate executives as well — can also help to create a climate of preparedness that will give applicants a competitive advantage.
  • Building a more equitable workforce will require us to take a more realistic look at the current set of challenges facing marginalized applicants. Taking into account the realities of violence and trauma that disproportionately impact some communities, companies looking to increasingly onboard new hires from nontraditional backgrounds will increasingly need to reevaluate their cultural competency training and provide more mental health, wellness, and wraparound support systems for future employees. 
  • To get more economically diverse applicants in the door, we will first need to “tear the paper ceiling.” Far too often, internships, fellowships, and other entry level opportunities require levels of experience or credentials, like a four-year college degree, that exploit and exacerbate existing societal inequities. In order to combat this and level the playing field, leaders will need to put out a clarion call to executives and hiring managers challenging them to reimagine their selection systems and hiring practices.
  • For those struggling under unreasonable credential requirements and barriers to entry, credential stacking could be a helpful pathway towards success. One way around this is through the stacking of credentials: building transferable skills through extracurricular experiences that count as elective credits, which can be immediately added to a resume in real time.
  • The pandemic has permanently reshaped our understanding of what counts as a “good job.” While there will always be a premium on the ability to earn a living wage, millennial and Gen Z workers have expectations of their employers that differ significantly from their predecessors. Interest in policies like unlimited paid time off and an increasing demand for health policies that respond to concerns about Roe v. Wade signal that, more and more often, people are choosing jobs and employers that align with their values.
  • Anticipating the challenges of the next 25 years will be critical in training the next generation of leaders. The challenges that young people will inevitably be forced to reckon with in the coming years are nothing short of enormous — not just in the world of work, but also involving climate change, globalization, wars, and growing social stratification. The question of how to develop and train young people as leaders in a more holistic way will be critical to anyone working with the next generation, and a particular premium will need to be placed on the “3 Cs”: connectedness, creativity and curiosity.
  • The interconnectedness of all people will continue to emerge as an important theme in the near future. Acknowledging those global challenges that young people will undoubtedly be facing will also require us to develop the deeper mindset that ‘my fate is interconnected with yours’ — not just in the U.S., but globally. Preparing young people for work will, increasingly, require us to grapple with an even bigger set of global challenges.

The NationSwell Council community brings together a diverse, curated community of bold individuals and organizations leading the way in social, economic, and environmental problem-solving. Learn more about the Council here.