Activating responsible leadership

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, business and political leaders recognized that the 2020s require new strategies and commitments to address the world’s most pressing problems: climate change, economic fragility and inequality, the skills challenge and the negative consequences of some new technologies. Responsible leadership is crucial to creating value for all stakeholders.

In January 2020, Accenture and the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders and Global Shapers communities launched the Responsible Leadership program to create a new framework for responsible leadership and to help organizations cultivate environments in which it can flourish.

Our report Seeking New Leadership identified the five key elements of responsible leadership that help leaders deliver value on three fronts: organizational performance, continuous innovation, and sustainability & trust. It showed that companies that combine top-tier innovation with top-tier sustainability & trust, outperform their industry peers, with 3.1% higher operating profits and greater returns to shareholders.