Leadership Choices became the first German coaching company to join the global B Corp movement in March 2024 - what's that all about?
Karsten Drath: The Benefit Corporation, or B Corp for short, describes an international standard for the social, welfare-orientated and ecological dimension of entrepreneurial activity that creates added value, a benefit, for all stakeholders. The international movement, which was founded in the USA in 2006 and has since certified over 5,000 companies in more than 70 countries, combines entrepreneurship, sustainability and social responsibility to create a different form of market economy: B Corp certified companies strive to be the best companies for the world and no longer just the best in the world. Anyone wishing to join the movement is audited by the non-profit organisation B Lab in a lengthy process. This begins with the amendment of the company's purpose in its articles of association and continues through to the introduction and implementation of minimum standards for all company representatives. Leadership Choices is now officially part of the global B Corporations movement. The certification underpins our mission "Better Leadership - Better Organisations - Better World" and shows that we are serious about it. We will continue our social commitment and our sustainable and charitable work with even more enthusiasm in the future.
How did you come up with the idea of joining the B-Corp movement?
From the point of view of my colleague Uwe Achterholt and myself, it was a logical next step in the development of our company. If we really take our corporate mantra seriously, then we have to demonstrate this credibly on the one hand and be measured against this high standard on the other. We particularly like the fact that our company is also scrutinised every three years, just like the recertification of our coaches. This minimises greenwashing, which makes the certification even more valuable for us.
How did the B Corp certification process work for you?
For our application, we first filled out an extensive list of questions about our company and submitted it to the B Lab organisation. Our information was then carefully reviewed by an internal working group of the organisation. This included, for example, our business model, our operating processes, the diversity of our workforce, the recording of employee satisfaction, our carbon footprint, our social commitment and much more. We had already introduced many things in one way or another before the audit, e.g. a CO2 balance sheet with compensation for the resulting footprint or the recording of our employees' satisfaction. Other steps, such as the regular review of our suppliers and partners, still had to be implemented.
What are you actually doing to act in a more community-orientated way and reduce your carbon footprint?
For many of our coaches, topics such as meaning, social impact, belonging and learning are of great importance in addition to earning money. On the one hand, we cater to this with our specialist communities. This is where our experts on topics such as resilience, team coaching, diversity and organisational development come together, exchange ideas on ongoing projects and learn from each other. On the other hand, we have been implementing support projects in the NGO environment in our Better World Community for many years. For example, around 20 colleagues have provided coaching support to an aid organisation in the Ahr valley, the Dachzeltnomaden, for over two years. We recently launched a support project for the Future for Ukraine Foundation in Kiev. Here, too, we are helping the core team with coaching. As far as reducing the carbon footprint is concerned: as we don't produce any physical goods, but are active in the service sector, this is mainly about the coaches' travelling and maintaining the offices. Today, our coaches usually travel by train and no longer by plane as they used to. We also ensure that face-to-face coaching sessions are conducted by colleagues in the immediate vicinity of the respective client. We run our office on renewable electricity and our operational processes are highly standardised and digitalised - which makes us quite cost-efficient. What remains of our CO2 footprint is offset with carbon credits.
What are the benefits of joining the B Corp movement?
Firstly, B Corp certification is a kind of fitness training for social and sustainable behaviour. We have to undergo regular audits and fulfil the B Corp standards in order to be part of the movement. This motivates us to stay on the ball and improve - and this is particularly important in times of crisis, when ethical and ecological behaviour is in demand from many employees and customers: being part of the B Corp movement can help to strengthen employee loyalty within the company and have a positive impact on client acquisition. Furthermore, shortly after our certification, we realised that many of the companies we already work with are also certified B Corps, which simply reinforces the trust and curiosity to do more together. Deepening this collaboration is something we will continue to pursue in the future.
What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who are interested in joining the B Corp movement?
Definitely do it. Seriously, if you really care about the well-being of future generations, this is an important step, but not one to be taken lightly. There are many decisions to be made that affect the entire organisation. We also recommend finding a consultant who is familiar with B Corp certification. As the B Corporation originates from the USA, the catalogue of questions, for example, is primarily formulated according to the American business environment, so that certain things have to be adapted to German conditions or translated accordingly: For example, topics such as minimum wage, holiday entitlement and continued salary payment in the event of illness have greater relevance in the USA, as they are not regulated by law. The inclusion of different ethnic groups also has a different explosiveness there than in Germany. Without the advice of an expert, certification would be unnecessarily difficult.
The interview was conducted by Janine Dengel