Simon Mainwaring - Lead with We

Lead With We is what business desperately needs today to rise to the moment. It does not dwell on the WHY (those who still need a business case are not paying attention), and while it brings the WHAT to life with hundreds of well-researched examples, what is unique about Mainwarings book is the HOW blueprint it offers, with practical frameworks and potent questions that will inspire and enable all of us, and especially business leaders, to co-create an inclusive and regenerative future.

Virginie Helias, Chief Sustainability Officer, Procter & Gamble

Companies cannot survive in societies that fail. We need a new narrative for businessand for our lives. In this passionate and powerful book, Simon Mainwaring draws from years of experience working with leading-edge companies to show us what this looks like in practicedemonstrating how aligning our interests with those of the entire society can catalyze growth, build powerful brands, and ultimately create a private sector whose central goal is the good of the whole. The result is a roadmap for change that is both eminently actionable and deeply inspiring.

Rebecca Henderson, professor, Harvard Business School & author, Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire

The challenges facing humankind today are too big and too complex for government or philanthropy to meet alone. Business must step up. Lead With We is both a rally cry and a roadmap for collaborative leadership and how to harness that power in business to transform our lives and future.

Deval Patrick, former Governor of Massachusetts & Founder, Bain Capital Double Impact

COVID-19like the climate crisis, inequality, and so many of the worlds challengeshas proved that we must work together for the future of our planet. With a vacuum of coherent political leadership, who can step in to provide the narratives and actions that will bind us together? In this deeply insightful book, Simon Mainwaring argues that every one of us can lead with we, breaking down false barriers and working toward a common goal. With clear guidelines and specific steps, this is not only an inspiring call to action, but a practical blueprint for a better futureand the role we can all play in getting there.

Philip Thomas, Chairman, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity

Lead With We gets it right. We need a new narrative of what it means to lead: who leads, how, and to what end. It all begins [with] a shared collective purpose to create shared well-being on a healthy planet. Society needsand the market is demandingleaders who design for interdependence, invest for justice, and account for all stakeholders.

Jay Coen Gilbert, CEO, Imperative 21 and Cofounder, B Lab & the B Corp movement

Theres never been a better opportunity, and more dire need, to rewire capitalism. In Lead With We, Simon Mainwaring shows how we can engage all stakeholders in transformative change and embrace purpose as a competitive edge. The pandemic helped illustrate how everyone has a role to play in healing our economic system and our ecosystemthis is the playbook.

Seth Goldman, Cofounder, Honest Tea, Eat the Change & PLNT Burger & Chair, Beyond Meat

If you are a business leader or entrepreneur thats passionate about solving todays social and environmental challenges, grab Lead With We. It reveals a radical new vision for the role of business and how it works, and provides us the confidence and guidance to make it happen. Visionary, inspirational, actionable; its what business and our world needs now.

Amy Smith, Chief Strategy & Impact Officer, TOMS Shoes

Three assumptions. The crises (from inequality to climate) are now. Politicians cant take them on alone. The business community must and will step up. To lead with transparency and collaboratively in the interests of the planet. And then Mainwaring offers much practical wisdom: Business needs to support science and deny cynicism. Corporations dont need to look to their better angels. If there are no people, therell be no commerce. Mainwaring lays it out, as he must, from data. But its a compelling read as a prayer book as much as a playbook. I hope his readers take heed.

Sherry Turkle, professor, MIT & author of Alone Together, Reclaiming Conversation & most recently, The Empathy Diaries

The global pandemic and recent cultural crises have shined a brighter, more deliberate light on the need for businesses to lead with their purpose rather than what drives the bottom line. Simon has long been a leading voice signaling that, without brand purpose, businesses will be left behind. In many of my conversations with Simon, weve discussed at length that brands can no longer sit safely on the sidelines of important cultural and societal issues, but must instead become beacons for positive change by leveraging their platforms, resources, and initiatives to take a stand. To do this is not only the right thing to do as human beings but has now become an expectation of todays consumer, as more are choosing to align with brands that share personal beliefs. While the decision to commit to action on societal issues may result in some consumers choosing to no longer support your business, you must have the intestinal fortitude to be OK with that. As we all continue to navigate the intersection of consumer expectations and the role of brands in leading with purpose, Simons bookLead With Weis a must-have resource for any business leader or decision maker to have on hand.

Doug Palladini, Global Brand President, Vans

The relationship between society and business is fundamentally changing. Lead With We not only explains why this is happening, it provides a clear blueprint for how leadership can shape this process today and into the future. The central messagethat business and leadership can and must be part of the solution to societys greatest challengeshas never been more important.

Martin Whitaker, CEO, Just Capital

In the wake of the devastation caused by COVID-19, we all have an unparalleled opportunity to enable a deep transformation of our society, our economy, and our lives once and for all. Now is the time to face the challenges that were there pre-COVID, from the climate emergency to deep, structural racism and inequality, but in a COVID world have come into sharp relief, with the seemingly futile past attempts to solve for these challenges laid bare. We now understand planetary health equals human health and it just isnt possible to have a healthy economy without healthy people and a healthy planet. But how exactly do we seize this moment of profound and unsettling change and create the future we all want to see? This book goes a long way to spell out that blueprint. It provides practical guidance that could enable us to rewire the world around us to create the conditions in which all people flourish, and our fragile planet flourishes too. From shifting mindsets and narratives to shifting the very purpose of business and brands, Simon Mainwaring shows us the way. And the most important takeaway from this book? We all have a role to play. Every single one of us has agency. Its time to unlock our passion, our desire for something better, now. And create the future we want.

Dr. Sally Uren, OBE, Chief Executive, Forum for the Future

Lead With We is a roll up your sleeves, lets get to work, real results guide to leveraging businesss ingenuity, influence, and power to transform our society. The visionary ideas are grounded in research, case studies, and practical recommendations so that businesses of any size can start their journey. With this book, everyone can be part of the solution and improve our communities and environment in ways that also build their business.