How CEOs and leaders can ‘stand their ground’ and resist the backlash on diversity, inclusion, & ESG
- Media Manager
- Oct 31, 2023
- 1 min read
Fortune
Written By: Anton Vincent and Cid Wilson
Published: October 31st, 2023
ESG is having a moment. CEOs face backlash to their efforts to support environmental, social, and governance initiatives in their companies. Detractors demand that management teams redirect their ESG and diversity and inclusion efforts to focus more on margins and balance sheets.
Despite that—maybe even because of it—ESG is increasingly at the forefront of executive conversations. And it’s not just talk. CEOs are taking concrete actions to move forward on ESG to drive positive societal change for all their stakeholders and create diverse and inclusive cultures for their employees.
While ESG may feel like it’s under assault, we are still accountable as leaders and must put actions behind our words. Measuring the success of social impact is most critical. We know there is a strong business case for ESG and diversity and inclusion–they benefit the bottom line and pave a path to business growth and better outcomes. Empirical data and research support this, which is why we implore CEOs and leaders to stand their ground on ESG.
