To be successful today as corporate citizenship / corporate social responsibility (CSR) professionals, there are few excuses for not knowing your company’s activities and business cold.
As hundreds of corporate executives gather for the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship Annual Conference, it is time for a POP QUIZ – how well do you know your business?
How did you do?
If you scored 5/6, well done! Our guess is that if you are that connected to your business, then are you are probably also driving citizenship activities toward business results. Most likely you are positioning CSR as a set of solutions and have already earned a seat at numerous strategy tables. Please share your journey with causenation.
If you scored 3/6, you get a “C.” This is average and might have been ok last year, but it won’t cut it in today’s marketplace. In order to turn CSR into opportunities for you and the company, you’ve got some learning and networking to do. You might start by using the quiz questions you missed to guide your curiousity.
If you scored 1/6, it is time for a major attitude and approach adjustment. First, catch a day at the spa, then scour your annual reports; listen to the analyst calls; put on an apron and work on the front line; and meet with operations people. You can do it; it is time to get engaged.
All CSR professional might consider the advice of Rick Martella, Vice President of Corporate Affairs for ARAMARK. In a recent blog post he says, “it is time to change our attitudes – we must be on the offense, not the defense. It is as much about how we behave, as it is what we do. Now, more than ever, we should ‘show up at the table’ confident, responsive and ready to talk about solutions.”
What other knowledge and skills are necessary for CSR pros today? Patricia Hurley and I will be quizzing participants at the conference and sharing insights on what we are hearing and learning, including the outcome of our workshops on Strategic Communications for Citizenship Professionals.
Please tell us: How did you score on the pop quiz?