The McPherson Memo: The Get Down to Business Edition

Dear all,

It’s that time of the year again, Mother’s Day. Whether you are a mom, have a mom, have lost your mom, or have faced any of the challenges associated with motherhood or lack thereof, my heart goes out to you.

It's been almost 38 years since I felt the safety of my mom’s hugs and the calmness of her soothing voice.? But every year on this day, I recall her words: "Susan, remember it’s a Hallmark holiday and every day is Mother's Day." She, like me, lost her mom tragically at a very young age, so it’s no wonder she expressed those words year after year.

So yes, every day is Mother's Day. This Sunday, let’s spread love, joy and celebrate those around us who epitomize motherhood with their kindness, care, compassion and support.

As always,

Susan

P.S. If you have not yet seen the Tony-nominated musical, Suffs, I highly recommend it. (I'm an investor.) It's a dazzling testament to the power of women, our strength and our fortitude. "We keep marching."

ON OUR MINDS

Brought to you this week by Vice President, Strategy and Culture Ilena Parker, who is getting into a trendy new hobby: bird watching.

Where to Start with Mental Health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an opportunity to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health issues. But do mental health awareness campaigns actually help improve mental health? Last year, a study by researchers at the University of Oxford suggested that awareness campaigns might be contributing to mental health disorders in teens through a dynamic they call “prevalence inflation,” in which society — and social media in particular — is so saturated with discussion of mental health that any kind of suffering gets interpreted as symptoms of a medical disorder. When everyone from the Surgeon General to Oprah is calling the crisis in teen mental health one of the most pressing issues of our time, there’s a growing need to raise awareness of how the crisis may be perpetuating itself. That’s why it’s great to see this year’s Mental Health America?campaign acknowledging the impact of world events on all of us, with a theme focused on ‘Where to Start’ when it comes to taking care of your own well-being.

History Doesn’t Repeat, It Rhymes

On Tuesday, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum hosted its annual Remembrance Day ceremony, against the backdrop of a national conversation about protests on college campuses pitting?Jewish safety against free speech. In his speech, President Biden warned about the rising threat of anti-semitism in the U.S., drawing comparisons between Hamas’ attack on Israel and the Holocaust. Holocaust analogies are a regular feature of American political discourse and have been frequently used on both sides in arguments about Israel and Gaza. At a time when ‘Never Again’ is a rallying cry for both sides, it’s important to be aware of the ways these comparisons are often used to stoke further division. “They are ideological weapons of mass distraction," Holocaust Memorial Museum board member John Benjamin wrote in Time. “Almost always, they’re used only to incite hatred and touch already raw nerves.” At the same time, Holocaust education and commemoration that includes careful comparative analysis can help us better understand our world, bring communities together, and guide political action. In the paper “History Never Repeats Itself, but Sometimes it Rhymes,” the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance outlines some pitfalls and best practices for comparing atrocities.

Moving from Crisis to Action

The react-and-respond phase of the early 2020s is over and businesses are shifting to a more proactive forward-looking approach, Benevity argues in its 2024 The State of Corporate Purpose report. While companies are being more cautious about when they take a stand – a trend that reflects learnings from early 2020s crisis response — Benevity found they are investing more in social impact, with 63% of impact leaders expecting a budget increase in 2024. McPherson client BSR’s Center for Business and Social Justice recently released a new guide for companies seeking to move beyond crisis management to sustained action, which provides a roadmap for building an ecosystem to support businesses in integrating a social justice approach with core business operations. In a monumental election year with wide-reaching impact around the globe, civic engagement is becoming a particular impact area of focus. NationSwell’s new Civics Inc. resource provides another helpful framework for business leaders to understand levers they can pull to promote a healthy democracy.

ON OUR RADAR

Learn:

• The gender pay gap is a societal problem, not an individual one. But everyone could still benefit from better negotiation skills. Susan McPherson highlights the importance of active listening for negotiation in Forbes.
• Groundbreaking research released by McPherson client Project CETI in Nature Communications this week revealed that sperm whale communication has complex features similar to human language — which CETI hopes will inspire us to do more to protect these incredible creatures and their habitats.
• More than 80% of local election officials are women, so our democracy is only as strong as the women who protect it, Joanna Lydgate from States United Democracy Center argues in a blog post for Pivotal Ventures.?
• Gen Z not only thinks brands should be making a social impact, they also want brands to do more. DeNora Getachew from DoSomething breaks down the ‘woke capitalism’ critiques that won’t have staying power with a new generation of consumers and employees

Read:

• Susan’s writing on authenticity at work is featured in Harvard Business Review’s new Work Smart series for early-career professionals, coming out on Tuesday, May 14.
• In her new book, The Guarantee: Inside the Fight for America’s Next Economy, Natalie Foster, the president of the Economic Security Project outlines her vision for what government should — and could — be doing to build better lives for all Americans.
• With her second book Burnt Out to Lit Up: How to Reignite the Joy of Leading People (now available for pre-order), inclusion leader Daisy Auger-Domínguez creates a roadmap for business leaders and people managers struggling with complacency and burnout.
• In The Myth of Making It: A Workplace Reckoning (available for pre-order), Samhita Mukhopadhyay, the former executive editor of Teen Vogue and Feministing, traces the origins and reckonings of girlboss myths, and argues for collective responsibility to reimagine work as we know it.

Cheer:

• In an effort to be more inclusive, Boy Scouts of America is changing its name to Scouting America.?
• Through the Sounds Right music initiative, nature sounds can inspire millions of fans to take environmental action while generating royalties to support conservation.
• For Jewish American Heritage Month, Reboot teamed up with Paramount Global on This is What Jewish Looks Like, a new video short that challenges stereotypes and preconceived notions of identity at a time when tensions are especially high among American Jews.
• L.L.Bean is taking a break from posting on social media during Mental Health Awareness Awareness Month to encourage people to spend time outside.?
• Pulitzer Prizes were awarded this week, and the Pulitzer Board offered a special commendation for student journalists covering campus protests — and often placing themselves "in the face of great personal and academic risk" to do it.

Listen:

• Susan joined the “Hype Women” podcast to talk about mixing personal connections in business and play ‘Five degrees of Susan McPherson.’?
• The 19th’s “The Amendment” podcast takes a deep dive into the links between climate change and reproductive justice.?
• McPherson client Tulaine Montgomery talks to HipHopEd founder Dr. Chris Emdin about the role of hip hop culture in the future of the American classroom on the latest episode of “Say More with Tulaine Montgomery.”

Apply:

• McPherson client Alight, a global humanitarian organization, is searching for a Chief People Officer, ideally based in their Nairobi office.?
• UN Global Compact Network is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, and they are looking for a Head of Engagement to help deliver on the SDGs by fostering corporate leadership.?
• McPherson client Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Ford Motor Company, has an opening for a Marketing and Communications Manager.
• YVote is looking for someone passionate about youth action, social justice, and civic learning to be their Director of Development and Communications.