One of the most pressing questions for business leaders today is how to continue to create positive impact while minimizing risk and maximizing business value. In this context, many companies are afraid of being targeted by political and cultural forces and are pulling back, or staying quiet. However, this retrenchment also creates new opportunities for impact leadership. And, new ways to engage employees and other stakeholders in crafting approaches to impact initiatives and communications that mitigate risk and strengthen trust, build brand loyalty, and gain competitive advantage.
Here are 8 playbooks, based on observations and evidence today, along with my experience in this space, that corporate leaders can use to reduce risk, deliver more business value, and have more impact.
1. Engage Employees in Defining What—and How—Impact Happens
Involving employees in setting impact priorities has always been important. But today, it’s vital to go deeper by inviting them into the "how" as well as the "what." For example, Salesforce’s Equality Groups empower employees to influence both initiatives and execution, making programs more authentic and resilient.
Why It Matters: Employees want a voice. According to the 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, 74% of employees expect to have a meaningful role in shaping company values and policies.
Taking Action: Create structured internal councils representing a diversity of voices. Give them the opportunity to help shape both the initiatives you pursue and the language and methods you use to deliver impact.
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2.Engage Stakeholders in Defining New Impact Language
As companies roll back "DEI" programs the opportunity is to work collaboratively with employees, consumers, and community partners to define new language that reflects shared goals.
Why It Matters: Language evolves. A new lexicon can preserve core values without unnecessarily provoking backlash.
Taking Action: Host "language innovation" workshops with stakeholders to co-create terminology that resonates across political divides but still represents meaningful commitments.
3. Make Sure Impact Partnerships Reflect The Voices of Employees and Communities
Rather than transactional donations, companies should co-create initiatives with nonprofit partners that deeply involve employees and amplify voices of lived experience. For example, Patagonia Action Works connects employees directly with grassroots nonprofit projects, enabling personal involvement and amplifying community impact.
Why It Matters: Deeper engagement builds credibility, trust and impact.
Taking Action: Redesign nonprofit relationships to prioritize active participation—through volunteering, pro bono work, or shared governance structures.
4. Establish Impact Compliance As An Investment
Pushback against investing in environmental, social and governance (ESG) is growing in the United States. However, sustainability investments are predicted to double in the U.S. and rise by 53% in Europe by 2026 according to PwC.
Why It Matters: Faraz Khan, CEO of Spectreco believes there are three key business reasons why firms must view compliance as an investment. First, regulations and penalties for neglecting ESG practices are growing. Second, ESG practices are driving capital attraction. Third, ESG practices directly affect reputation and brand value.
Taking Action: Typically, ESG reporting has emphasized environmental performance because activities and impact are more easily quantified and regulations are more specific. Corporations can do more to integrate “social” KPIs such as employee and community engagement in impact initiatives as well as outcomes related to specific social issues.
5. Repurpose Philanthropic Capital for Impact Investments
Instead of isolating philanthropy from the core business, companies should allocate a portion toward impact investments that deliver both social change and financial returns. For example, Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund is committing $1 billion into impact investments targeting sustainability solutions and delivering measurable returns.
Why It Matters: Blended impact investment models can de-risk social investment by attracting commercial capital to areas like affordable housing, climate, healthcare, and socio-economic inclusion.
Taking Action: Dedicate 10–20% of corporate philanthropy budgets to provide grants, first-loss guarantees, or concessional capital to make investments in social enterprises, green bonds, or community funds more attractive for traditional investors.
6. Create Two Impact Playbooks
It’s not too soon for companies to plan for two impact scenarios: one optimized for operating under today’s restrictive political climate, and another ready to advance impact more openly under a future administration.
Why It Matters: Planning for dual scenarios ensures continuity, compliance, and credibility. It enables organizations to maintain core impact infrastructure—like ESG data collection, supplier screening, and employee engagement—even if communications or positioning are temporarily adjusted for risk mitigation.
Taking Action: Engage leaders, employees and stakeholders in building a "minimum viable impact" baseline for today’s environment, and an "accelerator plan" for the future. The goal is to maintain essential actions—such as ESG data collection and pre-develop scalable initiatives, partnerships, and innovations that can be activated when the political and regulatory climate shifts.
7. Build an Impact “Trust Playbook”
At a time when trust in government and business is eroding, companies and their leaders have an opportunity to differentiate themselves by earning stakeholder trust.
Why It Matters: Trust is a leading driver of brand loyalty and employee engagement. For example, Patagonia consistently scores significantly higher in customer loyalty rates—22% higher than industry averages, according to Statista 2024.
Taking Action: Engage employees, consumers, investors, and community partners as co-creators to define core pillars of trust, such as transparency, fairness, and accountability, and translate them into operating principles and communications.
8. When Others Retreat From Impact, Be Bold!
In every recession, bold companies distance themselves while cautious companies shrink into irrelevance." — Harvard Business Review, May 2024. In other words, when competitors are retracting, bold companies will benefit from differentiating themselves.
Why It Matters: During a time when many companies are retreating, those that lead with courage on issues like climate, diversity, equity, and community will build deeper trust, stronger loyalty, and greater long-term value. According to Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer, 63% of consumers say they now buy based on a brand’s beliefs, not just its products.
Taking Action: Take public stands on issues that matter to your stakeholders, expand proven impact initiatives, and actively recruit talent disillusioned with companies that are pulling back.
The companies that will emerge stronger, today and in the future, are not the ones who retreat, but those who use this time as an opportunity to improve. In my experience, corporate impact isn’t about louder statements; it’s about deeper alignment with employees, consumers, and communities who expect leadership grounded in action, not words and slogans.
Leaders who embrace these new playbooks—engaging employees, reinventing language, strengthening partnerships, safeguarding ESG infrastructure and investments, and being bold—won’t just minimize risk and maximize value. They’ll define the next generation of impact leadership, forging brands that endure, inspire, and lead regardless of whatever political and cultural change lies ahead.
