Upstanding

Introduction

“Sometimes the longest journey we make is the sixteen inches from our heads to our hearts.”

—Elena Avila

Upstanding company character is essential to achieving and sustaining peak performance.

I've learned more in the last 18 months than in 35 years in business. The combinations of a global pandemic, recession, and social justice movements are unlike anything we've experienced in our lifetime, and we're all dealing with the heightened expectations that employees, customers, and investors have of the business sector to lead the way through daily change. But these conditions have accelerated a huge shift that demands action if you and your business want to remain relevant.

How you show up, what you stand for, and what actions you take to that end—as an individual and as a leader in your organization—are now gating factors to lasting success. Today, the degree to which what you say and what you do are tightly aligned will often be a stronger success indicator than traditional professional or business fundamentals. There was a time when we separated our personal and professional personas, leaving opinions unrelated to work at home. Those days are gone.

People are holding companies accountable for societal, environmental, and governance practices with little to no patience for inaction. Growing and protecting brand value, whether it's for consumers or business-to-business, is contingent on organizations navigating uncharted waters of social change in hyperpolarized ...