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Informing the Way Forward with Thomson Reuters

After two years of a pandemic and the need for many employees to work from home, creating connections has never been more important – to your coworkers, company, and work. Thomson Reuters recognized the significance of these connections and the need to facilitate them, especially given that the company formed a new operating entity and welcomed a new CEO days before the pandemic began.

The answer was purpose – but Thomson Reuters’ purpose still needed to be defined. Knowing that an authentic purpose is driven from the inside out, Thomson Reuters embarked on a process of collecting employee insights, experiences, and stories, coupled with the power of its AI. With insights from over 800 employees and, eventually, 4,000 customers, Thomson Reuters found its purpose: Inform the Way Forward.

We invited Alex Thompson, CCO of Thomson Reuters, to share the story of uncovering Inform the Way Forward and how it has unleashed the passion, power, and unlimited potential of Thomson Reuters.

Listen for Alex’s insights on:

How to purpose can unite siloed employees and enable them to understand and appreciate each other’s contributions.
Why purpose needs time to settle so it can be fully embraced.
How to engage employees and their expertise in advancing social objectives.
Why you should invite critics to be your counselors, and how to select them.
How to communicate individual and departmental victories at a corporate level to inform and motivate colleagues.

Links & Notes

(00:00) – Welcome to Purpose 360
(00:13) – Alex Thompson, Thomson Reuters Institute
(03:16) – Alex’s Background
(05:57) – What Does Thomson Reuters Do?
(07:46) – Trust Principles
(09:40) – TR’s Purpose
(12:45) – The Process
(14:11) – Interviews
(16:53) – Embedding the Purpose
(19:55) – Call to Action
(23:17) – Deeper Connections
(26:21) – Surprises
(27:48) – Global
(29:50) – Board’s Role
(31:26) – Decision to Make the Shift
(34:28) – Initial Conversation
(36:03) – CEO Letter
(39:18) – Superbowl Sex Trafficking
(41:44) – Inform the Way Forward
(47:27) – West Law Edge
(50:25) – Pro Bono Work
(53:16) – Tips
(56:07) – Identifying Critics
(57:05) – Last Thoughts
(57:59) – Wrap Up

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Business is an unlikely hero: a force for good working to solve society’s most pressing challenges, while boosting bottom line. This is social purpose at work. And it’s a dynamic journey.

Purpose 360 is a masterclass in unlocking the potential of social purpose to ignite business and social impact. We illuminate the growing impacts of purpose, from engaging employees and fostering deeper consumer loyalty to inspiring product innovation and increasing market share.