Quarterly Publication - Ed. 02-May6 - Flipbook - Page 34
NEW
WORLD,
NEW
RULES OF
ENGAGEMENT
By Jen Couldrey, Executive Director,
The Upside Foundation of Canada;
Co-Founder, The HomeFront
How our Canadian entrepreneurs
can reframe global challenges as
opportunities for positive impact
i n a p o s t - C OV I D w o r l d
C
OVID-19 has made visible so many
things that need to be changed about
our world. It has laid bare societal
inequities, outdated systems that can’t
adapt, crucial supply chains with single points of
failure, and external dependencies that leave us
vulnerable. This is a direct challenge to Canada’s
entrepreneurs: let’s figure out how to solve those
problems.
In the noisiest, messiest, fastest changing
period we’ve ever known, our job as leaders
remains the same as ever: we must find a way to
get above the noise and figure out what’s next.
Our teams need this of us, our customers need
this of us, the world needs this of us. We need to
think big picture, look at the trends, understand
what a post-COVID world looks like, and start
building towards that.
What Canada needs at the other end of
COVID is prosperous companies that solve
real problems. Companies that have a massive
economic impact while not forgetting the other
critical roles of companies: to solve the world’s
hardest problems, provide great jobs, and contribute positively to their communities.
Building something that matters right now
requires asking important questions:
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GRIT
•
What has this situation clarified for me in
terms of what is wrong, outdated, or broken
with the world and needs to be addressed?
•
What fundamental choices can I make
about how I run my business that will ensure
that we are having a positive impact in the
world around us?
•
What resources do I have access to that can
make a difference, today and tomorrow?
•
What kind of company do my employees
want to work for? Do I want to be proud
of running?
People speak of a yearning for things to
‘get back to normal’. But it’s becoming painfully
clear that ‘normal’ wasn’t really working for most
people. What a shame it would be if we missed
this opportunity to press reset. To question the
fundamental assumptions about how and why we
do what we do. It’s time to rethink the way things
were done in the old world. Who better to lead
that charge but our Canadian entrepreneurs? I
look forward to working alongside you to build
companies that make a positive impact for
Canada and for the world.
Jen Couldrey helps business leaders build a
blueprint for making a positive impact through
their business. She is widely known and respected
in the Canadian tech community as a champion
of social responsibility. As the Executive Director
of The Upside Foundation, Jen works with founders of scaling companies across Canada who
want to make a difference in the world, enabling
donations of equity rather than cash.
COVID SUPPORT
The HomeFront is a volunteer-led organization
working in partnership with registered charity
The Upside Foundation, acting as a central hub
to help Frontline Healthcare Workers get the
support they need during COVID-19. We want
to keep our heroes safe and help you to act as
heroes as well!
GRIT
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