Darcelle Lahr, MBA
Professor of Business Practice at Lorry I. Lokey School of Business and Public Policy, Mills College
How has the nature of mission-driven business changed in the last decade?
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of socially-driven for-profit companies. For these ventures, improving social and community outcomes is integral to the purpose of the organization and the process of generating profit.
What is the mark of an effective social or environmental impact program?
In my courses, we explore the critical need for the purposeful development of processes and metrics to ensure that social, community and environmental goals are met. It’s through a true commitment to the integration of these shared goals that an organization can catalyze change.
How can we prepare young professionals for a career in social impact?
Here at Mills, the crucial roles of social mission, inclusive culture, equity and ethical leadership are fundamental tenets of our core courses. Based on these tenets, students work with local business and policy organizations to drive change through their co-curricular activities as well as in the classroom.
What is the single biggest obstacle to successful corporate responsibility implementation?
The pressure to meet financial metrics tends to push companies toward short-term financial gain rather than long-term community impact. In our Lokey School business courses, we emphasize the need for leaders to establish clear social and environmental goals in order to overcome these short-term financial pressures.
Why is social inclusion so crucial to a successful mission-driven business model?
In order to guide decision-making that best serves communities, constituents and stakeholders, our leadership and workforce need to fully represent the cultures and perspectives of those we serve. We at Lokey benefit tremendously from our commitment to diversity and inclusion through the enriching interactions among our students, faculty and staff.
Jonathan Romine
Principal and Director of Landscape Architecture, EnSite Inc.
How has the nature of mission-driven business changed in the last decade?
Naturally, business in general has changed with the widespread adoption of technology, and consumers have the motivation and tools for examining corporate values. In a world of 140-character soundbites and smart phones, anyone can influence public perception of a business. Transparency is one of our core values to ensure that those soundbites are always aligned with our mission.
What is the mark of an effective social or environmental impact program?
Measurability must be the prime consideration in any new initiative. Specifically, how will we know it will be successful? It’s important that we can quantifiably and qualitatively measure our reach. For instance, we can say that more than 50,000 students, parents, teachers, school administration officials and community members now have first-hand knowledge of the importance of science, technology, engineering and math discipline skills for achieving employment in fields that can influence a community’s planning and policies to make it a better, more livable place.
How can we prepare young professionals for a career in social impact?
With today’s tools, it is so easy to just spout off behind a keyboard and screen. Saying it is the truth doesn’t make it the truth; verifying it does. We need to encourage young people to ask questions, especially when they don’t think something is right or fair. We must lead them — not because we are in charge, but because we have something to offer them. Leading by example prepares them to do so in the future.
What is the single biggest obstacle to successful corporate responsibility implementation?
This is an incisive question for our company, especially as it relates to our regional character. In Southwest Florida, having a corporate social responsibility plan and a sustainability focus makes us an oddball. We endured some ridicule, but we’ve never lost sight of our mission. It took time, but we lived our mission and thus became an industry leader for our region.
Why is social inclusion so crucial to a successful mission-driven business model?
No matter what you do, you are affecting other people and environments and it’s our responsibility to know that whatever we do, we have a broader impact than we may realize. We want to make the world better for our kids, to lead them by example. We have a genuine mission that revolves around doing good and making the world a better place.
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