When Is It Time For CEOs Speak Up?

This post isn’t about the moral argument for social purpose business, nor is it about the business case—strong as it is. It’s about a particular role CEOs have in the face of local, regional, national, and international issues and problems: When should a CEO speak up? And when should they join together to take a collective stand?

Consider the devastating complexities of our world, today:

• Climate heating is driving massive flooding one month and raging wildfires the next.
• The world’s richest boast hundreds of billions in assets, but workers’ real wages are stagnant or worse. 
• Unfair and exclusive societal norms continue to push people to the margins even as they fight for access and inclusion.
• The list, of course, goes on—including the many local issues you may see in your region.

While solutions may seem out of reach, surely in a healthy society we strive for them anyway! And all societal actors have their roles to play—governments, civil society, and significantly, businesses.

When Should CEOs Take a Stand?

Some CEOs speak out on issues they care about personally. Perhaps they are themselves members of an oppressed group. Perhaps people close to them are directly affected. Or perhaps they simply feel an empathetic passion for a cause.

Passion is of course important, but so too is the organization’s capacity to contribute to solutions. Even the biggest, wealthiest businesses have limits on their resources and must therefore decide where to invest their ‘talent and treasure.’

Choose Well and Wisely

In March of 2024, the annual B Corp ‘Champions Retreat’ was held in Vancouver for the first time. On the day before the conference, CEOs of certified B Corps were invited to a day of dialogue, during which Junxion and our friends at Provoc and The Opt-in collaborated to deliver a workshop, ‘When And How to Speak Up for Your Values.’ It covered five topics that CEOs need to consider when they’re contemplating speaking up.

Live your corporate social purpose. The business case for social purpose is clear. When it’s time to stand up and speak out on an issue, look first to assess alignment with your company’s social purpose. 

Clarify your contribution. Determine if and how your company is uniquely positioned to contribute and collaborate toward solving the issue at hand. Do you have a role to play? Perhaps your voice is enough…. Perhaps if you only use your voice and don’t put words into action, you’re really just virtue signalling. This is both personal and professional: CEOs may hold back from speaking up for many personal reasons, but they’re the foremost ambassadors for their businesses and brands. Constituents might expect them to speak up. And bluntly, it’s part of the job.

Take care to listen. While CEOs are frequently spokespeople, they’re rarely alone. Staff, clients or customers, and other stakeholders are likely to be supportive when the issue is one that’s relevant to the brand. Take the time to investigate how the issue affects your key stakeholders by listening to what they have to say. If the issue doesn’t affect your key audiences, it might not be the one you address directly. Or it may at least help you calibrate how deeply you engage.

Act! If it’s the right issue, then engage. Speak up. Bring organizational resources toward solutions. But recognize from the outset that your actions may not be (deemed) enough—so maintain your humility and keep lines of communication with stakeholders open. You’ll learn as you go and may refine your messaging and strategy. You’re putting your reputation on the line for an issue you and your company care about, so manage the inherent risks by staying in empathetic, supportive, and open conversation.

Maintain accountability. Show and share your plans, track the impacts of your actions, and monitor and report on your progress. Be accountable to the contribution you make (or choose not to make).

You’re Not Alone….

All of this applies to regional issues or those with limited effects on your business or sector. But what about the bigger issues (like those listed at the top of this post)—the ones that affect us all?

Our communities, societies, and indeed the whole world are facing challenges that require everyone’s attention and action. While we don’t expect any individual citizen or business to solve for massive issues like climate heating, we do expect each of them to make what contributions they can. 

Of course, as Adam Kahane reminds us, “In complex and conflictual situations, we cannot control what other people do.” But we can watch for moments of collective inspiration, instigation, or change. When the scale of a problem justifies collective action, the CEO must shift their thinking from directing efforts (which they can do inside their own company) to co-creating with others. Those others may be fellow CEOs, Executive Directors of nonprofits or NGOs, officials in government or elected office, or any other stripe of influential citizen.

What binds these groups together is a shared commitment to solutions—but not necessarily any particular solution. To hold to a social purpose in business is to work consistently to optimize the contribution your company will make. And in collective efforts, your contribution may be a small or a big part, but it’s a part that perhaps can uniquely be played by you.

From Opportunity to Impact

By embracing social purpose and speaking up for your values, you can drive positive change in the world while also achieving business success. It’s not always easy, but with the right framework and support, it’s definitely possible.

Remember, you’re not alone in this journey. There is a growing community of businesses that are committed to using their power for good. By working together, we can create a more just, sustainable, and prosperous world for all.

Are world issues affecting your work or community? For over 25 years, we’ve been helping companies and non-profits build the resilience to survive and thrive through times of turbulence. Let’s talk.