Brand, purpose, vision and climate

Why is it important for companies to maintain momentum on purpose? Purpose is a vital element of brand, and brand is crucial because it lives on to deliver value when other parameters of a business change. Purpose also helps companies operationalise sustainability. This is why they should be clear on their purpose, think about their strategy for delivering it, have a plan to operationalise it, develop a scorecard for measuring it and build a remuneration programme for supporting it.

This is a time to be clear about vision too – another vital element of brand – but a company’s vision must be attached to something doable. Members tell us scenario planning is helpful in determining their vision. Pre-competitive collaborations – i.e. bringing together numerous stakeholders within sectors – are also making their mark, if clear governance mechanisms are in place; and radical collaboration across economies are also useful pathways to vision. But companies would do well to drop the language of warfare and use the language of relationships instead.

Change happens through emotional connections. We have not been good at expressing sustainability in human language to date, but the tide is turning and to be effective we need to describe climate action in straightforward language and use creativity to connect with others. Let’s remember that transition planning is a human endeavour; it takes empathy and courageous leadership.

To accelerate climate action, we need to hear new and unexpected voices – not only the same people with the same vocabulary that has gone before. Communicating creatively about climate sparks action. That is what we should all aim to achieve.