From Good to Great: Why Social is Important for Long-Term Business Success

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." As Sir Winston Churchill brightly stated, personal greatness is linked to generosity, to what we give to others. When I think about leaders I admire, I think about Nelson Mandela or Hillary Clinton. I admire them because of their achievements, and great human values. Each one, in their own way, gave a lot of themselves, their time, skills, influence and sometimes money, to help others. It is their generosity and personal values that make them admired leaders.

For a business, it is the same. A company can be a good, profitable and reputable business, but what will make it great is the impact and value it brings to society. Corporate social engagement is what makes the shift from a good to a great and admired company.

At Alcatel-Lucent, social engagement is led by the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation.

Building the Company Personality and Long-Term Impact

When I took the reins of the Foundation, the Board members and I felt it was the right time to refresh the mission and strategy of the Foundation. Our company was already transforming with the Shift Plan, and we wanted to make sure that the Foundation remained relevant and could become a key contributor to the new Alcatel-Lucent.

This work resulted in a clear mission statement: The Foundation is preparing youth to participate and innovate in the connected world. We do this through employee volunteerism, developing focused partnerships and making in-kind donations in our communities around the globe.

The availability and reliability of ultra-broadband and cloud-based services are great enablers of economic growth and empowerment of populations. Through the Alcatel-Lucent Foundation, we want to make sure the next generation has the skills to benefit from new opportunities offered by the digital economy and can innovate leveraging the network.

Read the full blog post on Alcatel Lucent Foundation's Blog here.