GSIF09 SUMMARIES

Plenary 7: Taking the Helm for a Better World

Saturday, 3 October

• John Hope Bryant • Suhas Gopinath • Janice Hulse • Ting Choon Meng • Judith Low

Moderated by • Penny Low

  • Personal and corporate behavioral codes are important. Ethics and values are not something just to put on the websites; business leaders should believe in them because they have to be held accountable to stakeholders.

  • The process of imbuing values in a company starts from its leaders, and it’s a commitment to a process. It’s not a top-down approach but rather, looking at oneself and one’s values first and foremost. From there, the grassroots will be influenced by the values that leaders hold true.

  • Many people say that there is a conflict between being profitable and being socially accountable. But that is not the case if the company internalizes the values that it believes in, and its employees will start believing in them. 

  • Many people love things and use other people when they should love other people and use things instead. This is not a recession but a reset, a crisis of values. People get desperate and trade their values for the dollar. But profits are the only way to sustain a company, and so it is important to be profitable. Only when one focuses too much on it, will it be destructive to one’s company and its stakeholders.

  • To measure the success of other non-financial aspects of a company, there could be an ethical economic index, where stakeholders give feedback to the company. Gather the stakeholders, start a conversation with them and keeping it going. The right way that we should advocate for corporations is: The company that gives is the company that flourishes.  

  • On the basic and personal levels, treat others as you want to be treated; keep promises. Find out what you’re good at, do it, and influence the people around you. It’s about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, e.g., giving dignity to someone else; taking a moment to acknowledge people; and celebrating both failures and successes.  

  • Cultivate a culture of giving at a young age; children should learn how to give till it hurts.

Download GSIF09 Plenary 7 - Summary.