“You’re losing me” Why a gap between what you say and what you do leads to disengagement

This quote from the Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, perfectly encapsulates the social and political climate today. It also highlights why trust in government is at an all-time low. It sums up what I mean when I talk to businesses about closing the gap between what you say (your values) and what you do (the action you take). If they are aligned, you build trust and engagement, when they are not, you lose people. 

Whatever your political leaning, it is hard not to take notice.

‘After all this, all the sacrifice and the loss, we can’t go back to business as usual. We can’t go back to a society where we clap our carers once a week but where half of our care workers are paid less than the real living wage. We can’t go back to a society where we pay tribute to the heroes of the Second World War, but see our care homes as an afterthought. And we can’t go back to a country where we don’t invest in our public services but expect our frontline workers to protect us.’

If you love the NHS, then support the key workers. Not just when it’s popular or expected. Don’t cut funding, decimate public services, and then tell me you care about the services they provide. Because it doesn’t stick. 

As Brené Brown outlines in her incredible book, Daring Greatly.

‘The space between our practised values and our aspirational values is what I call “the disengagement divide.” It’s where we lose our employees, our clients, our students, our teachers, our congregation, and even our children.’ 

As she quite rightly highlights, this goes way beyond the political debate.

Saying what you think people want to hear (at home).

When my kid tells me they love me, closely followed by request for more screen time. Though I would hazard a guess, they do. When that love is used as a means to an end, I feel like they are playing me. I switch off. 

The same is true in business. If the rhetoric feels disingenuous, somehow staged, you lose the very people that matter most.  

Losing sight of the values that bind your team (in business).

There’s not a business I’ve spoken to that isn’t remodelling the way they do business. I am not alone in thinking this poses a considerable threat to company culture.  

McKinsey’s recent article talks about making remote working a success. It highlights the importance of shared values and standards, but warns:

‘To lose sight of them (values) during a significant shift to virtual-working arrangements is to risk an erosion over the long term of the very trust, cohesion, and shared culture that often helps remote working and virtual collaboration to be effective in the short term.’

The virtual model presents risks but also opportunities, whether you are moving to an entirely virtual setup or a hybrid model. As you carve out your post-pandemic organisation, McKinsey suggests focusing on the ties that bind your people together:

‘...let it give birth to a new shared culture for all your employees that provides stability, social cohesion, identity, and belonging…’

Doing what is popular (in society).

The societal problems we face are going to get worse before they improve. With trust in government at an all-time low, employees are looking to business leaders to step in, and lead the charge on change. 

As the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer shows, 92% of employees expect CEO’s to speak out on the issues facing society. Yet, interestingly, the problems employees are seeking a voice on are not necessarily what you would expect (e.g. income inequality and immigration). 

There is an excellent opportunity for business to make a profound difference, but companies need to stop limiting their support to the prevalent causes and high profile topics. As Keir Starmer suggests, we are getting behind the NHS but not fighting for income equality. The issues run deep. 

Did you know there are over 160 thousand small and midsized charities in the UK (well, I challenge you to name 20)?  

The majority of support goes towards a tiny proportion of the UK’s nonprofits (0.4% receive 53% of charity sector income). Yet there are deep-rooted societal issues that need our attention, and quite often its smaller and highly specialised nonprofits that have the solutions. Innovators that in my experience, often struggle to be heard. There is an urgent need to widen the search beyond what is popular, to challenge ourselves to look beyond the usual suspects for lasting solutions.  

Deepen engagement, motivate change. 

There are deep-rooted societal issues that need more attention. Businesses struggling to unite their workforce in the face of fear and uncertainty. And nonprofits with innovative solutions that could transform our future. 

Now is the time to think more deeply about the causes you support and how you support them. There is a gaping opportunity right now to stand out, engage meaningfully with the experts and unite your customers and workforce.

We can’t go back to nonprofit partnerships as a bolt-on. A ‘doing our bit’. A ‘nice to have’. We can’t go back to seeing nonprofit’s as the lesser partner for our business. And we can’t go back to charity ‘box-ticking’ or ‘feel-good’ exercises. Nonprofits need businesses, just as businesses need nonprofits. 

Do you treat your nonprofit partners as the experts? And with the same priority and esteem as your business leaders, consultancies and agencies?  

Your values need to play out in everything you do, and nonprofit collaborations are no different. Everyone supporting your business and brand will know and feel the difference.