Choosing Courage over Conformity

I run an organization founded 10 years ago to confront “business as usual.” The B Team consists of just over 30 global leaders, many of whom serve (or have served) as CEOs of multinational corporations while others lead (and have led) civil society organizations, labor unions, national governments and international institutions like the World Bank. Each leader is invited by their peers to join our collective — an invitation prompted by their demonstrated commitment to the type of leadership the world now needs.

The CEOs in our ranks believe that a better way of doing business is possible, profitable and urgently needed. They bravely aim to lead by example to catalyze new leadership, and not because it’s easy; indeed, it’s not. The incentives in our economic systems make for fierce headwinds, and each B Team leader would candidly tell you they’re not doing enough yet, nor are our governments.

It’s a scientific fact that we’ve got a long way to go and not much time to get there. Yet “business as usual” continues to rule the world, from capital markets to corporate boardrooms to business schools, which by and large still train managers to maintain the crisis of conformity rather than end it.

Brave leadership in a broken system comes with considerable risk. Many CEOs who prioritize people and planet alongside profit have lost their jobs, including a few of our B Team leaders. I’m encouraged that more and more leaders, when faced with difficult decisions, are choosing self-respect and integrity. To paraphrase one of our B Team leaders:

Would you rather lose your job — or lose integrity in the eyes of your children?

I believe most business leaders would like to hold onto both! And I base this belief on years of conversations with CEOs around the world. They share with me stories of how their own children (and also their employees) have called them to courage, emboldened them to contribute to climate solutions, not climate breakdown. This is just one reason why I believe in the transformational power of intergenerational dialogue and collaboration, and the role it can play in building a safe, sustainable future.

Delivering this future will take more than collaboration across generations, though we’ll need that dearly. It will also require stakeholders within the worlds of business and business education to raise their individual and collective ambition, and lead with real actions. This is why, as part of our 10-year anniversary, The B Team chose to convene not only our own leaders but also business school faculty and deans, board directors, entrepreneurs and young activists. At the start of the UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC, we spent the better part of a Sunday working out how we unlock courageous leadership and align incentives to support courage over conformity.

No matter the age or leadership lifecycle stage of participants, everyone agreed that governments must stop subsidizing the past and urgently work to “right the rules” of the global economy. Similarly, all participants agreed that “business schools as usual” are no longer an option. Perhaps most importantly, each participant agreed that courage is the missing piece — and we must work together to catalyze courageous leadership in ourselves as well as others.

I am deeply grateful to Chobani CEO and B Team leader Hamdi Ulukaya and his team for graciously hosting us on this special day and invite you to reflect upon these words of American poet Mary Oliver as you contemplate your choice, courage or conformity?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?