Social responsibility and corporate ethics

A modern business needs to be:

• Safe for all—members, employees and the community.

• Inclusive—welcoming diverse backgrounds and diverse viewpoints, and understanding that diversity is a strength.

• Upstanding—honest, dependable, trustworthy and professional.

Don’t accept unsafe, exclusive or unethical acts from anyone—whether staff or members. You, and your facility, need to be pillars of the community. As such, you should not only host events for the community, but also you should support local events, organizations and activities as much as you can. 

For instance, sponsor youth sports and events, support local nonprofits, join professional groups and business networks, and sponsor or support health-related events (fun runs, health fairs, etc.). Also, partner with local businesses in complementary niches. In this regard, consider your ideal members—where do they shop or hang out? If you can connect with these other businesses and then cross-promote, then everyone wins.

When it comes to you and your business or facility, consider these questions:

• Do you know your club’s ratings on Yelp, Google, etc.? Have you searched your club online to see the results? If so, what did you find?

• Do you feel your club is inclusive and ethical? How can you improve in these areas?

• How would you have your club show positive support for its community?

Take the high road with your business, and you’ll be on the path to even greater success.

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Tim Bainton is the Managing Partner of Blue Chip Sports Management. This blog is adapted from the Blue Chip Learning Lab.