Hey, have you ever felt like you’re trying to do the right thing in your business, but it just feels like too much? Like you want to merge profit with purpose, but it seems overwhelming. You’re not alone. Many leaders struggle with this, and it can lead to burnout and exhaustion. Let’s tackle this together and find a way to align your values with your business practices without feeling overwhelmed.
My special guest is Bessi Graham
Today, we are honored to have Bessi Graham as our guest on the show, joining us from Melbourne, Australia. Bessi is a highly respected entrepreneur with over two decades of experience working closely with business owners, government entities, and major funding bodies. Her extensive involvement ranges from grassroots initiatives with business owners in the Pacific Islands to impactful contributions at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva. Bessi’s unparalleled perspective and deep understanding of merging profit and purpose have made her a sought-after authority in the realm of ethical and sustainable business practices. Her commitment to guiding individuals in aligning their values with their business endeavors has led to the creation of impactful legacies. With her wealth of experience in ethical and purpose-driven enterprises, Bessi brings invaluable insights to our discussion today.
I think regardless of where your leadership position is in the organization, it’s starting with those pieces of where do I have decision making control, or at least some influence, and then how do I shape things from there towards this idea of business where we’re unapologetically pursuing both? – Bessi Graham
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Discover how to merge profit and purpose for a more sustainable business model.
- Explore the importance of authentic leadership values in driving organizational success.
- Learn the benefits of embracing diversity in decision-making processes for better business outcomes.
- Humanize your leadership style to create a more inclusive and empowering workplace environment.
- Find out how to effectively balance profit with social impact for a meaningful and successful business.
Diversity in decision-making
Diversity fuels creativity, fosters a broader perspective, and aids in making more informed decisions. Bessi advocates for diverse perspectives in decision-making processes and leadership roles, believing it leads to a more inclusive and effective work environment. She stresses the value of stepping out of one’s comfort zone to gain a deeper understanding of various contexts, making decision-making a shared and holistic process.
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
- Visit Bessi Graham’s website at Bessigraham.com to learn more about her work and access valuable resources.
- Download a free resource from Bessi Graham’s website that includes five essential questions for decisive leaders to gain clarity on important decisions.
- Join the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/aWorldofDifference to access an exclusive interview with Bessi Graham, where she delves deeper into self-leadership and resilience for leaders.
You need to apprentice with the problem. Don’t just assume you understand something. Don’t think that good intentions are good enough. – Bessi Graham
Authentic leadership values
Leadership, as per Bessi, should echo authentic values. It is important that leaders’ actions align with their stated values to build trust, credibility, and influence. Moreover, these values should inform decision-making processes ensuring organisational integrity and fostering a culture of honesty and transparency.
The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:02 – Bridging Profit and Purpose
00:06:49 – Impact of Living Abroad
00:10:14 – Humanizing Leadership
00:14:06 – Influence of Values
00:15:14 – Meaningful Values
00:16:04 – The Importance of Core Values
00:17:10 – Aligning Values with Action
00:18:11 – Core Values in Organizations
00:19:03 – Decision Cascade and Clarity
00:25:00 – Bridging Systemic and Grassroots Perspectives
00:31:08 – Apprenticing with the Problem
00:36:17 – Balancing Purpose and Profit
00:39:57 – Shaping Decision-Making
00:42:19 – Purpose and Opportunity
00:43:44 – Connecting with Bessie
00:45:55 – Learning from Experience
00:46:32 – Resilience and Self-Leadership
00:47:07 – Taking a Break without Compromising Impact
00:47:45 – Embracing Individuality
We need to hold these two. This goes back to your both and mindset. Right. So as a leader, being able to hold two things that seem contradictory and say they’re equally true. – Bessi Graham
Merge profit and purpose
Bessi Graham emphasizes that profitability and purpose are not mutually exclusive. One can create a business model that aligns with personal values, promotes social impact, and ensures financial success. The trick lies in understanding customer value, and in finding ways to create and capture said value while benefiting society.
Timestamped summary of this episode:
00:00:02 – Bridging Profit and Purpose
Bessie discusses the importance of merging money and meaning in business. She emphasizes the need for leaders to uncover their unconscious beliefs about the purpose of business and how it impacts decision-making.
00:06:49 – Impact of Living Abroad
Bessie shares how her experiences living in different countries shaped her perspective as a leader. She highlights the value of diverse perspectives and the importance of intentionally seeking out different viewpoints in leadership.
00:10:14 – Humanizing Leadership
Bessie delves into the concept of humanizing leadership and the need to treat employees as more than just cogs in a wheel. She emphasizes the importance of integrating purpose into business decisions and creating a more holistic approach to leadership.
00:14:06 – Influence of Values
Bessie discusses the influence of values on decision-making as a leader. She emphasizes the need for leaders to understand and articulate their values, and how values drive behavior in business settings.
00:15:14 – Meaningful Values
Bessie explores the deeper meaning of values in business and challenges the superficial approach often taken. She emphasizes the importance of values as a guiding force in decision-making and living authentically as a leader.
00:16:04 – The Importance of Core Values
Bessi discusses the significance of identifying and living by core values. She emphasizes intentionally cultivating conditions that allow individuals to live in alignment with their values, leading to better decision-making and natural best performance.
00:17:10 – Aligning Values with Action
Bessi emphasizes the need for values to inform decision-making and actions. She highlights the importance of having values as filters for decision-making, particularly in fast-paced environments, to maintain integrity and alignment.
00:18:11 – Core Values in Organizations
Bessi stresses the need for clarity in company core values, cautioning against superficial or simplistic lists. She emphasizes the importance of aligning values with behavior and action, not just as aspirational values, to build trust and integrity within the organization.
00:19:03 – Decision Cascade and Clarity
Bessi introduces the concept of the decision cascade as a tool for unlocking clarity and decisiveness, particularly around values. She explains how breaking down decisions into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels can lead to smoother decision-making and prevent costly missteps.
00:25:00 – Bridging Systemic and Grassroots Perspectives
Bessi shares her experiences working at both grassroots and systemic levels, emphasizing the importance of understanding broader systems while still being connected to the ground reality. She highlights the value of expanding perspectives to bridge different worlds and drive innovation in leadership.
00:31:08 – Apprenticing with the Problem
Bessie shares Pamela Hardigan’s advice to “apprentice with the problem,” emphasizing curiosity, asking questions, and having conversations rather than assuming we know best. She also highlights the importance of holding seemingly contradictory ideas in our minds and working towards a balance.
00:36:17 – Balancing Purpose and Profit
Bessie discusses how many leaders feel overwhelmed by the idea of adding purpose to their business, seeing it as a distraction or expense. She challenges this perspective, encouraging leaders to merge money and meaning by pursuing competitive advantages that add value and relieve pressure.
00:39:57 – Shaping Decision-Making
Bessie emphasizes the importance of shaping decisions and influencing outcomes, even for middle managers. She encourages leaders to create psychologically safe spaces for their teams, shape how directives are shared, and cultivate a culture of unapologetically pursuing both purpose and profit.
00:42:19 – Purpose and Opportunity
Bessie speaks about the belief that money and meaning can be merged, leading to a self-reinforcing loop of delivering and capturing value. She encourages leaders to shift their perspective, innovate in their business models, and create win-win situations that relieve pressure and stress.
00:43:44 – Connecting with Bessie
Lori thanks Bessie for sharing her unique perspective and encourages listeners to visit Bessie’s website for more resources and insights. Bessie offers a free download of five essential questions
00:45:55 – Learning from Experience
Lori discusses the value of sharing knowledge and learning from others, highlighting Bessi Graham’s extensive experience working at the UN headquarters and in diverse locations like the Pacific islands and Melbourne, Australia.
00:46:32 – Resilience and Self-Leadership
The conversation delves into the importance of resilience and self-leadership, offering insights on how to navigate difficult circumstances and make congruent decisions to alleviate burnout.
00:47:07 – Taking a Break without Compromising Impact
Lori emphasizes the significance of taking breaks and self-care while continuing to make a difference in the world, encouraging listeners to stay true to themselves and bring their unique contributions to the table.
00:47:45 – Embracing Individuality
The episode concludes with a reminder to embrace individuality and show up authentically, highlighting the importance of being true to oneself and making a difference in the world. Lori urges listeners to take care of themselves and continue making an impact.
Missio Alliance Comment Policy
The Missio Alliance Writing Collectives exist as a ministry of writing to resource theological practitioners for mission. From our Leading Voices to our regular Writing Team and those invited to publish with us as Community Voices, we are creating a space for thoughtful engagement of critical issues and questions facing the North American Church in God’s mission. This sort of thoughtful engagement is something that we seek to engender not only in our publishing, but in conversations that unfold as a result in the comment section of our articles.
Unfortunately, because of the relational distance introduced by online communication, “thoughtful engagement” and “comment sections” seldom go hand in hand. At the same time, censorship of comments by those who disagree with points made by authors, whose anger or limited perspective taints their words, or who simply feel the need to express their own opinion on a topic without any meaningful engagement with the article or comment in question can mask an important window into the true state of Christian discourse. As such, Missio Alliance sets forth the following suggestions for those who wish to engage in conversation around our writing:
1. Seek to understand the author’s intent.
If you disagree with something the an author said, consider framing your response as, “I hear you as saying _________. Am I understanding you correctly? If so, here’s why I disagree. _____________.
2. Seek to make your own voice heard.
We deeply desire and value the voice and perspective of our readers. However you may react to an article we publish or a fellow commenter, we encourage you to set forth that reaction is the most constructive way possible. Use your voice and perspective to move conversation forward rather than shut it down.
3. Share your story.
One of our favorite tenants is that “an enemy is someone whose story we haven’t heard.” Very often disagreements and rants are the result of people talking past rather than to one another. Everyone’s perspective is intimately bound up with their own stories – their contexts and experiences. We encourage you to couch your comments in whatever aspect of your own story might help others understand where you are coming from.
In view of those suggestions for shaping conversation on our site and in an effort to curate a hospitable space of open conversation, Missio Alliance may delete comments and/or ban users who show no regard for constructive engagement, especially those whose comments are easily construed as trolling, threatening, or abusive.