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WHAT KIND OF CEO WOULD YOU BE?

Most CEOs talk up their company’s environmental credentials and social values. But there’s a big difference between businesses that are “less bad” and companies which actually make the world better. Or, in other words, have a Net Positive impact. If you ran a big corporation, would you be a “less bad” or “Net Positive” CEO? Answer these 6 questions to find out.

Take the Quiz

1
1 OUT OF 6
A Net Positive business…

  • This is classic “less bad” behaviour. We can do better! Try again.

  • Yes! Net Positive companies restore and regenerate our environment.

  • We can do better! Try again.

2
2 OUT OF 6
You run a major fashion company. How do you pay?

  • Did you read the other answers? Try again.

  • Hmm…better than A, but you can do more.

  • Yes! Net Positive companies serve all their stakeholders, including their suppliers, and are a force for equity and human dignity.

3
3 OUT OF 6
You run a successful soap company . The United Nations asks you to provide unbranded bars for its aid packages.

  • This is what Paul did at Unilever. Net Positive companies try to fix big societal problems, like tackling disease through better handwashing. The business can and should benefit as well.

  • A gesture with some glossy PR. Try again.

  • You’re still in the “less bad” space. Think bigger.

4
4 OUT OF 6
You run a giant social media platform, and it’s full of posts claiming that climate change is a hoax.

  • It’s hard when long-held values – in this case free speech – conflict with newer challenges like climate change. But you’re sitting on the sidelines when the future of humanity is at stake. Try again.

  • This is a first step. You can do more.

  • You’re taking an active stand for truth, science and for the survival of our planet, and working with others for this greater good.

5
5 OUT OF 6
It’s election time and some of the candidates are attacking immigrants. You run a large construction company which relies heavily on migrant labour.

  • This is what Net Positive leadership looks like.

  • You might be trying to stay neutral, but you’re avoiding your duty to stand up for what’s right.

  • Not bad. You can do even better.

6
6 OUT OF 6
It’s your first week running a consumer goods giant. You announce an end to 90-day reporting so your executives can stop obsessing over short-term profit targets and focus on long-term value. A bunch of shareholders threaten to walk.

  • You’re giving up too easily. Try again.

  • You’ve got it. Net Positive leaders have courage and take risks. And they attract the right investors by building resilient, successful companies that play the long game.

  • It’s hard to push ahead when vested interests try to stop you. But be brave and stick to your guns. Try again.

Before you find out if you are a Net Positive CEO, a “be less bad” CEO, or somewhere in between, tell us if you’d like a free chapter from Paul Polman and Andrew Winston’s Net Positive: how courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take.

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Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take
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Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take

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