A Higher Purpose

I find that younger people want a higher purpose. And I think from that perspective in a lot of ways, the world has changed, and it's not going to go back. And that's a really, really good thing

It is. And so therefore your leadership has to change, your style of leadership.

You're absolutely right. And you've got to be a better listener. You've got to be more in tune with trends. You've got to, even as the CEO, you sometimes have to make a stand. And this is complicated when you're at the American Red Cross, because one of our fundamental principles, we have seven of them for the entire Red Cross movement. One of them is neutrality. You don't want to take a political side, but you know, that doesn't mean that you can't abhor racism and be really vocal about equality and inclusivity and making sure that everyone feels welcomed in our shelters. So it's a different world and the leaders that embrace that, and aren't afraid to be vulnerable at times, I think are going to be more successful. And I'm seeing Fortune 500 CEOs really shift their style a bit and realize that they have more responsibilities than just to their shareholders.

We've certainly seen that with the Black Lives Matter movement, for example, where there are a number of very prominent black business leaders who have stepped forward to speak out about racism and also about voter suppression.

No, you're absolutely right. And I think the list of companies that jump into those waters is going to just continue to grow. Their employees are demanding it. And all kinds of research shows that if your employees are happy, your customers will be happy. And if your customers are happy, your financials are going to be happy. So, there is a role of corporate responsibility that every CEO has got to engage in. And I'm seeing leaders that probably would never have thought this way five years ago. I think there's been an awakening and I think it's been a painful awakening, but also a really good awakening for our country.