On getting Ally accreditation for Parity by Blueprint
By Nik Govier, CEO and founder
Our purpose is depth. This means that we don’t do anything unless we do it properly. Last September, when many took the day off to support Greta’s climate strike, we went further and pledged to only work with businesses that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Applying – and receiving Ally status - for the BME PR Pros Blueprint is another example. Who are we to share a black square to support Black Lives Matter if we’re not willing to truly ask ourselves some tough questions about our own business and practices?
Having been through the process we can tell you it’s tough. 22 pages of font size ten toughness, and rightly so. But it was never something we were not going to do. Because not trying because it’s too hard, or not trying because we might fail is simply not in our DNA. And that’s also not the road to betterment.
The very act of applying has made us better. It made us critically review everything about our business in terms of diversity and inclusion and realise just how far we had (and have) to go.
And for those that might think this is the case, it’s not only about the number of non-white people in the team - and in Blurred’s world our cohorts - although that’s very important. What’s the point in hitting a quota, if unconscious bias means people don’t thrive?
It goes so much deeper than that. But that’s what makes this accreditation so important. Only those that believe it in their bones will get Blueprint status. All hail Alex and the team at Manifest.
But in addition to not just ticking a box, this crucially also isn’t about just ‘doing the right thing’. It’s about understanding that this is essential if we’re going to be an exceptional business.
Our purpose of ‘depth’ includes:
Depth of talent: A business born out of people who think and act differently
Depth of thinking: Unique insight, distinctive expertise and intuitive understanding that can only come from divergent perspectives.
Our clients have complex problems that require different experience and world views that don’t come from one sector of society. Diverse talent is key to succeeding on our vision. Our work is built around the principles of ESGP (Environmental, Social, Governance, Purpose). The essence of ESG is looking at risk – but not ‘what risks are there to this business’. More ‘what risk is this business to others’. And the P for purpose looks at what a business can truly offer the world.
We help businesses be better businesses. And that’s got to start at home. We push ourselves, team and clients to be better.
Always.
We’re delighted with our Ally status. It would not be right to receive the full Blueprint status because we’re simply not there yet. We have a way to go. But the feedback we’ve now received has opened our eyes to things we simply would never have considered. But we’re committed, on a deep – not superficial - level.
The process has been a crucial step on the journey. And we know we’ll get there.