The Edit: the simplicity of joy
What whales can teach us about joy, why employees are gaining more influence in the workplace and more in this week’s edit.
Purpose
The Edit: the simplicity of joy
What whales can teach us about joy, why employees are gaining more influence in the workplace and more in this week’s edit.
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Purpose
One year after George Floyd’s murder: has business changed for the better?
The death of George Floyd forced business leaders around the world to address their diversity issues. One year later, Tim Gibbon asks, has anything changed?
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Purpose
The Edit: Permanent Change
Post-lockdown anxiety, resistance to returning to the office, the pursuit of purpose and more in this week’s edit.
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One year after George Floyd’s murder: has business changed for the better?
The death of George Floyd forced business leaders around the world to address their diversity issues. One year later, Tim Gibbon asks, has anything changed?
The Edit: Permanent Change
Post-lockdown anxiety, resistance to returning to the office, the pursuit of purpose and more in this week’s edit.
Six fears preventing you from being the leader you want to be
From our work to our circle of family and friends, our spheres of impact can hold us back—but we can overcome them. Nell Derick Debevoise investigates.
Resources for supporting BLM
Collectively, we can all contribute to building an equal, just and anti-racist society. Here's our selection of some of the incredible resources available.
The Edit: A Year Later
In this week’s edit we look at the year following George Floyd’s murder, preventing further pandemics and the role of businesses in the 21st century.
The Edit: The impact of values
The power of values in uncertain times, how to talk to people who don’t want the vaccine and more in this week’s edit of the global conversation on purpose.
The Basics: Stakeholder Capitalism
Breaking down the essential questions of purposeful business.
Climate scientists: concept of net zero is a dangerous trap
Is the concept of net zero emissions being used to 'greenwash' a lack of commitment to solving global warming?
The Edit: Mental Health Awareness Week
This Mental Health Awareness Week, we take a look at what individuals and businesses can do to tackle the growing mental health crisis.
The fallacy of long hours: why working more doesn’t get the job done
Employees are crashing. Can we redesign the way we work to do better?
Josh Roberts: Breaking down the stigma around men’s mental health
Josh Roberts, author of Anxious Man, discusses his experiences with anxiety and how we can de-stigmatise men's mental health.
The Edit: Leadership in a time of crisis
How has leadership been altered in the past year, and what changes will endure post-lockdown?
Zaha Hadid: even more than her buildings, it’s her mind that left its mark
Thinking differently is key to progress. How did Zaha Hadid's radical architecture change the industry?
The Edit: World Immunisation Week
We reflect on how vaccines bring us closer and consider what new challenges immunisation programmes face today.
Will travel ever go back to normal?
With much of air travel grounded for over a year, we question whether the industry should ever return to its pre-pandemic state.
Ellen Windemuth: My Octopus Teacher and the importance of storytelling
Ellen Windemuth - producer of the BAFTA and Oscar winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher - discusses our relationship with nature and the incredible power of storytelling.
The Edit: reconnecting with the earth
In this week's edit, we reflect on Earth Day 2021. How does our connection with nature impact our understanding of purpose?
How much can leaders really change their minds?
It's often said that failure is an essential part of the journey to success, but how much can leaders legitimately change their course of action?
The Edit: Travel in the time of corona
In this week’s round up, we take a look at how the travel industry has been affected by the pandemic. What will the new version travel look like?
Procurement is Missing in Supply Chain Sustainability
Research reveals four ways to make procurement central to supply chain sustainability
The Edit: How can we nurture a healthier world?
In this week's round up, we reflect on how living a purpose-driven life can impact individual and global wellbeing after a year that saw the ground shift beneath the entire world's feet.
How to deal with a year of accumulated burnout from working at home
After a year of working from home, how can we combat the mental exhaustion of working in a pandemic?
The Edit: Is bigger always better?
With the Ever Green finally refloated, we are reminded that business can impact the entire world in this week’s round up of the global conversation on purpose.
Only good guys win medals
How our unconscious expectations influence the behaviour of others.
Why cycling is key to reaching net-zero carbon cities
Global warming can feel overwhelming, but cycling is one practical way that individuals can make a difference.
The Edit: Shifting to a Stakeholder Mindset
Our weekly round up of the individuals and organisations creatively pursuing purpose everyday.
How Patagonia and Allbirds Set the Pace on Their Journey as Sustainable Leaders
The CEO’s of Patagonia and Allbirds discuss how they’re tackling the climate crisis while sharing innovative practices and materials.
The Edit: How do we want to live in a post-pandemic world?
Our weekly round up of the individuals and organisations creatively pursuing purpose everyday.
In 2021, we need female leaders more than ever
As we face the pressing issues of the 21st century, we need a multi-dimensional style of leadership.
Changing the world through collaboration
The superpower behind the coronavirus vaccine success.
Open: The Story of Human Progress
Author Johan Norberg makes the case that progress is intrinsically linked to connectivity.
The great office reset
To understand the future of the office we need to look at its history
Can global innovation competitions help unearth the next sustainability solution?
Entrepreneurs from low and middle income countries face many obstacles. These programs help their breakthrough ideas see the light of day.
From fear to flow: how a flow state can help you get through lockdown
Research shows that flow-inducing activities can boost mental well-being in uncertain times.
A case for ambivalence: how can we escape our echo chambers?
In a world of polarised opinions and fake news, can we trust our own beliefs?
What are the possibilities when Greta Thunberg and the Dalai Lama join forces?
What can Greta Thunberg, the Dalai Lama, and leading climate scientists teach us about how we can combat the climate crisis?
How can we use memory to become more resilient?
We might be inclined to forget 2020 and our summer break entirely. But there is value even in memories of stressful events.
Our 2020 purpose audit: has this year made businesses more or less focussed on purpose beyond profit?
Has the watershed year of 2020 changed the way individuals and businesses think about their role in the world?
Henrietta Fore: How can businesses connect with their communities?
Why is purpose essential to solving complex community issues, from education to water to public health?
A shift towards a purpose-first economy: the key players helping build the world better
After the pandemic, how can we build a world that is more equal, more sustainable and more resilient?
Dylan Taylor: How can space help us see beyond ourselves?
We need to reimagine what is possible in order to drive change in the here and now. But how do we get that perspective?
Paul Polman: Why business can’t be a bystander in a post-Covid world?
What can businesses learn from the pandemic to start thinking about things differently?
Feike Sijbesma: How can organisations make purpose authentic?
Where does purpose-led leadership begin?
Emmanuel Lulin: Why is trust a businesses’ most valuable currency?
What happens when organisations don’t follow up pledges with real action?
Dr James Mwangi: How can we apply personal purpose to business and society?
How can the single purpose of an individual transform the lives of many?
All Human Beings: How can we bring human rights to life?
How can we take something written over seventy years ago, and make it still feel relevant to people today?
How can constraints enhance creativity?
In narrowing available resources or abilities, limitations are momentous sources of potential for organisations.
How can we rise above the blame game?
How can understanding the psychology of blame help us get to the root of complex issues?
What if consciousness is not what drives the human mind?
It’s easy to assume that we are in control of our thoughts. But what if the contents of our consciousness are generated by non-conscious systems?
Militant optimism: a state of mind that can help us find hope in dark times
Can changing our mindset help us navigate crisis?
Greed Is Good. Except When It’s Bad.
Fifty years after it was written, how relevant is Milton Friedman’s “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits” today?
How can finance become stakeholder led?
How can the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative's 'Principles for Responsible Banking' impact people and planet?
The secret to creativity – according to science
Why do we seem to differ so dramatically in our ability to imagine? And can we train ourselves to become more imaginative?
Purpose and Business: Key Principles from the British Academy
What can the British Academy's ‘Principles for Purposeful Business’ teach us about purposeful business amidst the pandemic?
The pursuit of meaning; not happiness
In order to make sense of the challenges around us, are we better off reframing our search for pleasure or happiness, to one of meaning?
Lockdown singing: the science of why music helps us connect in isolation
How can we stay connected to each other when we have to keep apart?
Do we actually grow from adversity?
Was Nietzsche onto something when he said, “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger”?
Trust when we are all remote – how to build psychological safety
How do we cultivate psychologically safe work environments, even when we are working from home?
Navigating adversity with Purpose: Episode five of ‘The Leaders Series’
Businesses now accept that they have a responsibility to consider climate change. But can they really steer the solutions?
How we can overcome prejudice and bias?
How can learning about biases help us overcome them?
“Labels are for bottles”: Can brand advertising have a positive social impact?
How can we distinguish ‘woke-washing’ from authentic brand activism?
Purpose is personal: Episode four of ‘The Leaders Series’
What does it mean to live with and lead with purpose?
After the dust has settled: The Value of Slowness with Rob Orchard
How does a single magazine, Delayed Gratifcation, want to change the way we consume news and engage with the world?
Tackling charged topics with humanity
How do we tackle communications around poverty to move beyond a fatalistic understanding to one where it is a solvable societal issue?
Solving supply chain transparency: Episode three of ‘The Leaders Series’
As scrutiny on supply chains increases and the ethics of trade are being questioned, how can businesses improve their transparency?
Investment is personal: Episode two of ‘The Leaders Series’
What does it really mean to live by your values when money is at stake?
Why faux-purpose will not last: Episode one of the ‘Leaders Series’
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Why do we need the arts in times of crisis?
How can we use art to navigate an unfamiliar present and start thinking about a rejuvinated future?
The Beautiful Truth presents ‘Leaders Series’ – the trailer
We spoke to five business leaders about the 'why' driving the leadership. How, despite challenges, do they stay comitted to a higher cause?
Alone together: the psychology of touch in a socially distanced world
Can any amount of virtual book groups or yoga sessions or WhatsApp group chats fill the space of a handshake, a hug, a holding of the hand?
Curiosity: the super-power we might have overlooked.
What is the value in being curious?
COVID-19: The Psychology of Panic and the Philosophy of Care
To feel sane in times of crisis, we must reconnect with each other, experiencing ourselves as belonging to something bigger, recognising that in our actions, we are responsible for others beyond ourselves.
Spontaneous introspection
Over the past few weeks and into the next few months it feels as though many people are going to go on this journey. Spontaneous, or at least triggered, introspection.
The power of stories: from houswives to firefighters
Changing the stories that are publicly available to us changes the way we tell stories to ourselves.
3 ways to tell if corporations are genuine about fighting climate change
“It takes leadership and a certain kind of courage to admit that change is needed,” wrote Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune at CNBC. “Now we must keep the pressure on.”
Feelings: what’s the point of rational thought if emotions always take over?
Even the most emotional person uses rational thought when deciding, and even the most rational person is affected by emotions when making decisions.
The stories we tell ourselves
Which stories dictate our lives and how can we change them?
Three financial firms could change the direction of the climate crisis
A silent revolution is happening in investing. How can it impact climate change?
The Value of One: What Can We Learn from Case Studies?
Sometimes it takes multitudes to reveal scientific truth. But is this always necessary?
Science is sometimes wrong. That’s okay.
As much as we’d like to believe that published research and scientific facts are infallible, they aren’t.
How behavioural science could help us reach zero emissions
How can we find out what it would take to motivate people to take practical steps to reduce emissions?
By dwelling on the downsides of bioplastics, we’re hobbling efforts to make them part of the solution
How can we reconceputalise challenges into opportunities that we can take advantage of?
Climate crisis: we are not individuals fighting a faceless system – we are the system that needs to change
What happens when we start thinking ourselves as part of a collective?
Science is deeply imaginative: why is this treated as a secret?
The sciences and the arts aren't as seperate as we might think.
In the zone: the psychology of optimum performance
What can the psychology of 'flow' teach us about how we can work better?
How to really hold business to account on their carbon footprint: include their supply chains
If businesses are to prosper in this climate, it is now essential that they include their whole supply chain.
Leaders on Purpose: how to walk the talk and transition into a purpose-led business
What do Leaders on Purpose tell us about leading a successful, purpos-driven corporation?
How B Lab is changing the role of businesses in society
Over 3000 companies spanning 150 industries are currently a certified B Corp. What does the certification mean?
Escaping the self: the transcendental experience of awe
Can experiencing awe make us more altruistic?
Singing sea levels: finding creative solutions to communicate the climate crisis
The climate crisis is a human catastrophe, human lives are being taken before our eyes, and it is those on the margins who are suffering most...
Is there a limit to human compassion?
Compassion Fatigue There are 320,000 homeless people in the UK. How can we get people to care? The harsh reality is that we can’t, not…
From coffee to cosmetics, companies are looking for ways to protect the plants their products are made from
As crop varieties disappear, boosting biodiversity becomes smart business. “The food system that we’ve built over the last century is a dead end for…
Why we should keep playing as adults
To play is to “engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose.” A quick search of the word “playing”…
Humanity and nature are not separate – we must see them as one to fix the climate crisis
From transport and housing to food production and fashion, our civilisation is driving climate and ecological breakdown. It’s no coincidence that almost every single sector of industry is contributing to the planet’s downfall,…
How can we actually create happy societies?
Imagine two different societies. In the first, people tend to be stressed, tense, irritable, distracted and self-absorbed. In the second, people tend to be at…
How Can We Help People Authentically Connect?
How can we authentically connect with ideas, businesses, brands and most importantly: each other? Speaking at the 2019 Social Media in Pharma event, Adam, co-founder…
Purpose in Governance
by Elliot Wilson What is purpose? Research shows that people with a hard-wired sense of purpose do better in life. Jaak Panksepp, the esteemed Estonian…
How can we fight against language pollution?
How can we wade through the buzzwords of environmental crisis and distinguish the companies and corporations committed to real change? ‘When fabulousness meets sustainability’ In…
Science needs myths to thrive
I can still remember the horror of discovering that everything I had worked on was wrong. I was a PhD candidate just starting my second…
For a sustainable future, we need to reconnect with what we’re eating – and each other
Eating alone, once considered an oddity, has become commonplace for many across the Western world.
How creativity helped solve logistical challenges
What-3-Words creatively designed a new system to navigate the world. Thinking outside the box, Sheldrick has done so much more than help friends meet up...
Exploding the myth of the scientific vs artistic mind
It’s a stereotype, but many of us have made the assumption that scientists are a bit rigid and less artistic than others. Artists, on…
How a sense of purpose can link creativity to happiness
How are creativity and happiness linked? Does happiness make us more creative or does creativity make us happy? Most of the research so far seems to indicate that a positive mood enhances creativity.
Venture Capital: towards a fair venture?
Shift in VC investment: players who prioritise purpose are next big earners.
Communicating climate change: Focus on the framing, not just the facts
Humans are currently in a war against global warming. Or is it a race against global warming? Or maybe it’s just a problem we have to deal with?
How companies can action the Business Roundtable Statement
Following the Business Roundtable Statement, here are three ways that businesses can start creating more people-focused companies.
Navi Radjou on realising our potential
Navi Radjou discusses how creative problem-solving can address some of today's biggest global issues.
Potential Project founder Rasmus Hougaard on developing people-centric leaders
Rasmus Hougaard, founder and managing director of Potential Project, discusses the desire to do good in business and the place for compassionate leadership.
Data literacy for human understanding
Anna Rosling is the co-author of Factfulness and co-founder of the Gapminder Foundation, a digital hub dedicated to addressing misconceptions about global development by taking…
Want to be happier? Try getting to know yourself
The unexamined life is not worth living, said the Greek philosopher Socrates. He was reflecting on the expression “Know Thyself” – an aphorism inscribed on the temple…
Five ways to become a really effective altruist
For an effective altruist, the core question is: “Of all the possible ways to make a difference, how can I make the greatest difference?”
Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds
New discoveries about the human mind show the limitations of reason, writes Elizabeth Kolbert staff writer at The New Yorker.
Pure altruism: why we help strangers
Steve Taylor, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Leeds Beckett University on why empathy is the reason why we help one another.
Private Equity: Purpose beyond Pound Sterling
With private equity assets now common in investor portfolios, investors have upped their non-financial performance demands
Towards a fairer capitalism
Business can and ought to have higher ideals that go beyond shareholder value. If we are going to answer some of the most complex…
The Africa Centre: defining culture
When The Africa Centre opened its doors in London in 1964 it was a “home away from home” for the African diaspora, a cultural centre…
How companies manipulate our desire for freedom
Simon McCarthy-Jones delves into the the nooks and crannies of free will and corporate messaging.
How creativity can help us cultivate moral imagination
Elizabeth Reid Boyd on the connection between empathy, creativity and better ways of being.
Values and purpose: the secret to M&A success
The C-suite must engage with the deeper values and purpose of the business, ensuring they are understood by all stakeholders.
Welcome to the bioeconomy
Circularity requires less resource extraction and is designed to have a longer shelf-life to minimise the impact of waste.
Is it rational to trust your gut feelings?
Neuroscientist Valerie van Mulukom on the role our gut instinct plays when making decisions.
Seeing differently for ingenuity
Creative thinking is one of the qualities attributed to entrepreneurs and inventors.
Exploring the Purpose of Life
What is your purpose? Research shows that humanity’s purpose rests in the spectacular drive of our minds to extract meaning from the world around us.
Calling time on single-use plastics
The drastic change needed to clean up our waterways cannot depend alone on consumers to change their relationship to plastic.
Fashion Industry: Is Transparency Enough?
The themes of transparency and supply chain disruption are taking central stage at this year's Fashion Revolution Week. Are high street brands doing enough?
Extinction Rebellion: Activism for Change
Extinction Rebellion in the UK and around the world is forcing mainstream news to start giving the politics of climate change the attention it deserves.
How Pharma Can Navigate Change with Purpose
Healthcare and Pharma are facing more disruption than ever. How can the industry leverage purpose as a behavioral compass to navigate through change?
A Mind of its Own: How Reliable is Your Memory?
When recalling the past, we rarely doubt the first memories which jump to mind. But are they reliable? Experts explain how they change more than we realise.
A Conversation with Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein reveals her thoughts on the current political landscape, and discusses how the emerging concept of brand purpose impacts the corporate space.
Microfinance and Female Empowerment
Can microfinance empower women and increase equality? Cath Everett examines the impact of money apps and microfinance organisations on women in rural Kenya.
Simon Sinek and The Infinite Game
Simon Sinek encourages an infinite mindset - in both business and how we perceive ourselves. We look at the five key elements of the infinite game.
Christa Gyori on Purpose
Christa Gyori, CEO and co-founder of "Leaders on Purpose," discusses the immense business potential that lies in the United Nations’ SDGs.
Building For Tomorrow
Cities are growing faster than ever. Mass migration poses a major challenge, and the demands on the construction and architectural industries are immense.
Is Altruism Hardwired into the Brain?
Is altruism “hard wired” into the human brain? Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have used science to try and find out.
Turning the Tide on Plastics
Awareness of how much plastic is polluting our ecosystem is growing, and highlighting climate disasters through narrative is now more important than ever.
Donna Edgell on Human Values at Work
Donna Edgell, Internal Communications & Engagement Manager at Travis Perkins, discusses the benefits of communicating corporate strategy to employees.
Gemma Brady on The Power of Storytelling
Documentary film director Gemma Brady talks about the power of storytelling and the profound impact stories have when we relate them to our own experiences.
Greening up the Beautiful Game
Helen Taylor, former CEO of Forest Green Rovers, is inspired by the desire to prove that the sports industry can start “doing things differently.”
Your ‘Eureka’ moment explained
Scientists claim to have discovered a key part of the process by which people come to an ‘aha’ or ‘eureka’ moment when trying to work something out.
Collaborative technology: working with humans
For some, The Fourth Revolution conjures up a dystopic vision of the world of work where robots take over the world of work, resulting in…
Timothy Henry on defining Purpose
Timothy Henry, founding member of the Conscious Capitalism movement, discusses a different, more holistic way of doing business.
Two Ways of Improving Decision Making
Jess Whittlestone, Postdoctoral Research Associate at Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence shares her view on high stakes decision making. People sometimes talk about…
Blockchain and the new social contract
Don Tapscott, Executive Chairman of The Blockchain Research Institute, forsaw the profound affect information technology would have on business and society.
Be More Pirate: sea change starts with you
Be More Pirate: Or How to Take on the World and Win is a rallying cry for anyone who wants to embrace their rebellious…
A Creative Fashion Revolution
Orsola de Castro talks about creativity as a force for change, in an industry that has enormous social and environmental impact on the world’s resources.
Monzo for the unbanked
Opening a bank account is a difficult thing to do. Challenger Monzo has launched a new initiative to improve access to financial services for everyone.
When best intentions and big business collide
There’s nothing moral about promoting big business. Before making a purchase, should consumers consider what the company stands for?
Adam Penny on Creativity in Filmmaking
Adam Penny, Executive Creative Director of Connected Pictures, gets to the heart of what creative strategies make a showstopper brand level film.
Rory Sutherland on thinking fast and slow
In this School of Life sermon, Sutherland discusses the main tenets of the binary cognitive processing system of behavioural economics.
Trust Gone Mad
More and more purpose-driven companies coming to the fore purporting a better world for everyone. However, when some brands deliver on their brand promise, they…
Tagging Germany Creatively
When you think of senior citizens, entering their autumnal years and giving up work, what comes to mind? Intrepid travellers, who are finally going on…
William McDonough on Cradle to Cradle
William McDonough, architect, author and pioneer of the circular economy, talks to us about design principles for the creating in today’s world.
A View to Innovate with Purpose
Innovation driven by purpose is bringing the world of digital books to the visually impaired and those managing sight loss.
Communicating Purpose
We caught up with Kathryn Kneller, an Internal Communications consultant whose career spans 15 years at blue chip companies in sectors ranging from tech, financial…
Building Tribal Trust with Authenticity
Effective communication starts with an authentic narrative that is created by building trust.
Afghan Cycles
We take cycling for granted as just another mode of transport regardless of gender. However, not everyone the world over has that privilege.
Authenticity and Into The Uncharted
For this brand film, Molton Brown wanted to capturing authenticity. Into The Uncharted works because the perfumer focused on an inspiring narrative.
Creativity and the fourth revolution
Creativity is one of the top three skills needed for the future of work, the ability to think creatively will drive success in the fourth revolution.
The male image and Lynx
The rule book on what makes up the male image is changing, so too should unhelpful stereotypes that prevent men from moving away from a toxic masculinity.
Meaning at work: the art of give and take
Purpose-driven companies outperform the rest of the market by a huge 42%. Smart businesses know that higher purpose and motivation are linked.
Simon Sinek and The Golden Circle
Inspired organisations start with Simon Sinek's golden circle. They define their purpose so that they can unlock great leadership.
In pursuit of The Beautiful Truth
Rediscovering our purpose and defining The Beautiful Truth has brought meaning back to our business, and to our own stories as people.
Beyond maximising shareholder value
Shareholder value has been the corporate mantra for decades, but the tide is changing and purpose-driven businesses are outperforming the competition.
Conscious Capitalism in the Age of Amazon
How does being owned by Amazon square with the Conscious Capitalism movement originally founded by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods?
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