I began writing this blog because I felt a lot of professionals, especially those in customer-facing roles, feel misaligned with employment that only leverages traditional business skills. Sometimes, an individual’s social values don’t align with some corporate missions. A growing population of young and experienced employees walk into a workplace equipped to get the job done but walk out feeling that their work — selling and delivering certain products — doesn’t make the world a better place. Hence, an immediate conflict arises. Medication or meditation keeps these folks sane.

A recent survey by Bloomberg shows Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) experience is not valued by recruiters when recruiting MBAs. Traditional hamster-wheel skills like sales, finance, high-tech, and marketing take the cake for top employers.

In a world that’s getting turned upside down, will there be a shift towards recruiting socially conscious workers? A new generation of empathetic problem-solvers, skilled healers, and mindful leaders with ESG skills deserve more opportunities. I believe the world has already shifted towards protecting humans not only as customers but as fellow citizens. Who would have imagined a crisis in 2020 where ventilators got produced by GM and faceguards got christened at a Boeing factory? Corporate America, led by Captain America, may save the day. 🤨

Salesforce has been a leader in bringing the ESG mindset to its workforce thanks to its leader Marc Benioff. However, many large companies lack a visionary purpose tied to their products. Greenwashing has overtaken social media. Sometimes, it takes a crisis to bring the global village together. Even before our current catastrophe, growing movements within these companies showed promise in delivering exceptional customer experiences through products that revolutionize the planet.

The following article by Atlanta-based consultant Andrew Dietz provides insights on how to grow a social venture and transform the customer experience, whether you are a social entrepreneur or corporate intrapreneur. This is a playbook to get buyers and fellow human beings to take notice. The “hierarchy of customer buying factors” is spelled out nicely. I’m sold by this approach by a product marketer. Ultimately, products drive social impact. It’s our job to win hearts and minds while connecting these dots. It’s much easier to focus on the ‘why’ when humanity depends on this new normal of living. Link

1. Product
2. Place
3. Promotion
4. Price
5. Purpose