Just read a note from my favorite heretic, Pascal Finette, who talked about culture being a living organism. It’s something you embody, not something you write down, put on a poster and hope will permeate through osmosis.
I couldn’t agree more. Take for instance TNG Real Estate, a company with three offices in Orange County and approximately 400 agents. Their Broker, Craig Martin, is a rare breed who instinctively believes in supporting his communities.
Earlier this year he hired me to create a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) culture, which would leverage his business resources and embody his faith and values.
The goal: help women and their children facing homelessness and domestic violence. Plus, support local arts, education and sustainability.
We started by creating a TNG Cares committee, and since February TNG Cares hosted a Free Paper Shred Day (saving 68 trees). They trained & hired one of the ladies within the U.S. Vets Advanced Women’s Program.
This month we’re spearheading a summer clothing drive for The Sheepfold, and last week we installed a swing set for impoverished mother’s and their children living at Colette’s Children’s Home.
What’s the take away? Everyone wins. The homeless mother who has a new life with a new career. The families with new summer clothes to wear. The children who have a safe, fun place to play. The planet which is being cared for. Equally beneficial is the pride the TNG Team feel by being part of a caring corporate leader and seeing joy permeate through people’s eyes.
That’s the CSR secret … it embodies a living, organic pride.