We live in a remarkable era, as we navigate our leadership roles in Business — defined by profound economic shifts, rapid technological advances such as the rise of AI, and an ever-urgent climate crisis.
Looking back eight years, I felt — as did many of us — that the more progressive leaders were driving solutions to these challenges through a successful ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) agenda.
At Siemens and other organisations I’ve supported over the past three decades, I’ve seen first hand just how important it is that we build businesses that focus on positive societal impact, that are transparent, and inclusive.
Two decades into my career, I felt for the first time that I could bring my whole self to work — not the authoritarian, alpha-male leader that had been expected of me before. It was liberating, was definitely driving a more enjoyable workplace culture, a faster pace of innovation, better company results and having a more positive impact on society.
And as a nation we have been making rather good progress:
- 50% of our energy now comes from renewable sources.
- We’ve halved emissions since 1990 and closed our last coal-fired power station.
- The discussion around industrial strategy and how to create value from new technologies and industries is gaining momentum again.
- Inclusion has made significant strides — gone are the all-male meetings that were once the norm, in engineering sectors I work in.
It all felt rather good!
But change doesn’t come without resistance. Unfortunately, while we believe we are taking the right long-term actions, we haven’t shown enough tangible value for consumers and society.
Communities have seen energy prices soar and inflation rise, with living standards dropping for over a decade. Life feels increasingly unpredictable.
Populist forces seized this opportunity, which impacts not only politics, but has a profound effect on us in Business. After Brexit and immigration, their attention soon turned to ESG and climate action, — and progressive leaders — were simplistically labelled “woke.” Their rhetoric often includes toxic, racist, misogynistic, and anti-LGBT undertones.
Companies passionate about driving a socially inclusive agenda, even those demonstrating positive social impact through ESG-friendly practices, have struggled to respond effectively. As progressive leaders we have struggled to respond with our natural reaction being defensive and angry. And why wouldn’t we be? After all, our progressive leadership styles aim to create positive value:
- Protect the marginalised: Supporting underrepresented groups harms no one. Failing to stand up, however, empowers those who seek to suppress them.
- Meet societal expectations: The Edelman Trust Barometer reveals that 60% of employees want their CEO to speak out on societal issues, and 80% expect CEOs to engage publicly on policy matters.
- Inspire teams: Authentic, socially progressive leadership attracts talent and inspires teams. People see the values you embody and want to be part of that vision.
- Drive competitive advantage and more sustainable company results.
However, it’s clear that the more populist messaging is resonating with many in our communities, and being overly defensive and attacking populists hasn’t worked, indeed it has mostly fanned the flames for more populist discourse.
Instead, we must stick to our values, take the high ground, and improve our ability to demonstrate and communicate the worth of those values that we deliver as the business community:
- Show how inclusive, sustainable approaches lead to better long-term outcomes for society.
- Make the positive case for climate action — emphasising cleaner air, that it does produce cheaper energy, job creation as societal benefits, and ultimately be the enabler for a just transition from the oil and gas industry.
- Addressing increasing poverty and improve living standards, even if solving these issues isn’t solely the responsibility of business.
Most importantly, we need to tell the positive stories of the value we create for society.
This, in my view, is where we’ve failed the most. Increasingly, I speak to progressive senior business leaders who admit they’re “keeping their heads down” or have no more “energy to keep up the fight.”
I attended and spoke in late 2024 at the Employee Ownership Association conference and I was in my element. Company after company were demonstrating on stage how their very inclusive and social value driven cultures were driving their excellent company results. Yet when I talked to them about telling their fantastic stories to broader society, or the media, most were less enthusiastic.
As Edmund Burke famously said:
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”
Now is not the time to give up or keep our heads down. I don’t advocate for us, the business community entering a massive fight — as I have said, that hasn’t worked and purely serves to inflame culture wars, that we would rather calm down. Instead, I urge socially progressive leaders in business to speak up and and collaborate with others in business, government, and policymaking to drive progressive change.
I close with a call to action for all progressive leaders to enter 2025 with optimism and conviction about the social value we create — and to communicate that publicly. Let us be the first generation of leaders to truly harness the transformative power of ESG principles. Let’s not give up and ensure we aren’t the last generation to fail to understand them.
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Juergen Maier is the co-founder of vocL, a leadership programme that helps future business leaders build skills to positively position and communicate societal value, influence policy, and navigate challenges as described in this piece. vocL encourages individual voices and as such this piece represents the personal views of the author, and not speaking on behalf of the vocL community.
To learn more about vocL, visit www.vocL.uk. To inquire about the vocL leadership programme, contact Achim Kram at [email protected].