From Apathy to Action

apathy

  • a behavior that shows no interest or energy and shows that someone is unwilling to act, especially over something important

 

Mark Feldman is the Founder and Managing Director of Cause Consulting, a social impact strategy and communications firm dedicated to simultaneously strengthening business and impacting society.

When reading Mark’s article, several points resonated with me. They’re aligned with my position on corporate responsibility as it relates not only to their shareholders and employees, but also to the causes that are important to their employees, community, and other stakeholders. Below are excerpts from Mark’s article:

During uncertain and potentially polarizing times, people will look for comfort and alignment with their beliefs. Their voices around the social issues that are important to them will rise even louder as they get more inspired and passionate, especially if they are scared. We need to be prepared to answer what our companies and brands stand for.

In the face of the many complex challenges that lie ahead, it might be easier to passively observe and wait for the pendulum to shift back, but ultimately that means being left behind. The role of corporate America around social issues is too important – and the opportunity too great — for us not to take carefully considered, strategic action.

Having worked with executives who act boldly and make a difference, here is what I optimistically expect to see more of from companies in the future:

  • They will be open about sharing their purpose and values. If they haven’t yet developed them, this is the time to do some corporate soul-searching and define what the organization or brand stands for. For companies with strong corporate citizenship programs, I expect to see increased articulation of their values and purpose, and even greater communication around their social impact work.
  • They will cultivate deeper engagement with stakeholders. They’ll listen to people and the frustrations of those who feel “unheard” by leadership. Many companies already have channels for soliciting and acting on stakeholder feedback and incorporating what they learn into business decisions. Those that don’t will need to create them.
  • They will recognize that a deep understanding of social issues is critical to their ability to make a difference. They will be more focused and strategic. These businesses will be more effective and smarter about their corporate citizenship thanks to this expertise.
  • They will take leadership roles around issues that are most important and relevant to their employees, consumers, and other stakeholders. Building upon years of corporate responsibility innovation, companies will apply a broad combination of expertise, product, financial, and advocacy resources to drive social impact.

 

Our task this year is to look deep inside our companies and ourselves and ask what is truly important. We’ll need a point of view, a lens to make decisions, and at times, the guts to go outside our comfort zone and stand up for what we believe in. I hope we will all choose to capitalize on opportunities to both strengthen business and impact society.

action

  • the process of doing something, especially when dealing with a problem or difficulty

 

iSeek’s Business Health Check resource is designed to take the pulse of your organization. The Health Check is a customized assessment that analyzes areas such as

  • How is the business dealing with the external factors beyond its control? Like environment and social impacts, competition, customers, including owners/shareholders.
  • What do you want the future of the business to be about?
    Objectives, Strategies, Purpose and Values: What actions do you need to take to make this vision a reality? 

 

To learn more about iSeek Solutions, please visit our website or contact us at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com

From Vision to Reality

“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”

-Joel A. Barker

At iSeek, we’ve been fortunate to partner with numerous great companies on impactful and innovative initiatives. Each initiative started as a vision and through the actions of many became a reality.

As a boutique consulting firm, we’re often looking forward for that next great opportunity. Today, I’d like to look backward at a few of the initiatives where iSeek played a major role in turning vision into reality.

City of Birmingham Police Department

The Birmingham Police Department’s world-class Real Time Crime Center utilizes technology and data driven intelligence to aid in prevention of crime and the apprehension of the offenders responsible. The technology provides immediate real time intelligence to responding officers and investigators on high risk calls for service which improves situational awareness and increases officer safety.

With the combined efforts of iSeek’s Enterprise Project Management Group, the Birmingham Police Department’s Technical Lead, and the City’s Capital Projects project manager the Real Time Crime Center went live in October 2021. [read more]

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a world-class educational and research institution with an innovative Information Technology (IT) organization. UAB IT, as a technology enablement organization for the campus, endeavors to align itself with the needs of the students, faculty, and staff by developing and maintaining solutions that support the ever-changing environment with applications, tools, and access to technology.

UAB IT partnered with iSeek to design a customized shared governance framework that aligns people, process and technology to the University’s enterprise. [read more]

Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County

The legislative voting system at the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (a.k.a. “Metro”) supports 40 Council members and several Metro departments as they develop important legislation for more than 700,000 constituents. The system is required to perform the essential functions critical to running a Council meeting, tabulating, and recording Council votes, as well as controlling display monitors and microphones. When the system began experiencing audio and technical failures, the Clerk’s Metro Office recognized the need to evaluate their options. In addition to the technical failures, the legacy solution lacked important functional features, such as storing information and automating any part of the legislative process.

After an extensive search, Metro selected iSeek to coordinate the effort, locate vendors, and oversee the implementation process. “We needed a partner to help us properly identify, procure, and deploy a fully integrated solution,” said Shannon Hall, Metro Clerk. “It was clear that iSeek understood our vision, could serve as liaison to external vendors, and would help us put the new system in place successfully.”

Cleary, our iSeek team is very thankful to have played a part in these and many other foundational, as well as state-of-the-art initiatives. We’re proud of the measurable results we produce and the personalized service we provide. We’re confident our clients feel the same about our contributions.

Please visit our website and read our case studies to learn more about these and other impactful iSeek engagements. Then contact us at info@iseeksolutionsinc.com to assist you in taking your initiative from vision to reality.