It’s the first fall in a new office and as the leaves on the trees around the wetlands just beyond the parking lot start to change, things out the window look pretty nice. Beyond that, though, things aren’t changing.
Just as it was in May, when we shared with you the first time what’s really happening in business, what we see “out there” includes a degree of fear that continues to increase. Yes, it’s actually more than it was just five months ago and a survey we ran across recently tells the story.
It’s not just economic fears, about inflation and tariffs and all of the things that affect dollars and cents. We’ve seen that before, having started our firm at the dawn of The Great Recession. This is exacerbated fear of the federal government that is affecting what businesses, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations will and won’t say, permeating through all of their communications decisions.
The survey focused on the sustainability sector, something companies were tripping over each other to talk about, not too long ago. Now, Axios reports,, while 88 percent of CEOs believe the business case for sustainability is stronger than it was just five years ago, only 50 percent are comfortable talking about it. That means the other half are simply afraid.
Afraid of what? We’ve heard it all in recent months, including fears that just a year ago would be in the “that would never happen” category. Fear of losing federal funding. Fear of a Truth Social post. Fear of an ICE raid in their place of business. Fear of a Department of Justice investigation.
In the case of sustainability, it seems half of CEOs would rather keep quiet than have to use their imaginations about what it would take to risk their careers or even their companies. “Keep your head down so it doesn’t get shot off” used to be a coward’s metaphor. Now, for some, it just might be good business. At least they feel like it’s safe business, for now.
As communicators, about all we can do is listen to our clients and help them make the best ethical decisions that are in best interests of their enterprises. But in an age where “thought leadership” has become more of a priority for any sound communications plan, leadership and silence are not an effective pairing.
I share this again not to offer a to-do list, but rather to offer a warning: This is real. This is an actual on the ground report, backed up by data. If you’re getting a rosy picture by simply looking at the stock market, the talking heads on cable news or what your algorithm shows you, I ask you to please consider this reality and decide how you feel about it.