On the Rise Volume 6: Values should be more than just words

Welcome back to On the Rise. Last month, we talked about finding out what you stand for. This month, those values are being put to the test with the crisis unfolding in Ukraine.

As someone who preaches the importance of a values-based business, I often feel the tension between being performative and trying to do something real.

I posted on LinkedIn the measures Pavilion is taking in response to the invasion of Ukraine — including relocation assistance, donations to two organizations recommended by Nicolas and Alina Vandenberghe of ChiliPiper, and free access to Pavilion University trainings.

But this was far from my first draft.

I started with a true, but ultimately hollow, statement that at Pavilion we choose to come from kindness. As if being against foreign invasions was some kind of principled stance.

Sometimes saying something is important if only to show people that you truly care.  But, as someone whose primary commitment is to authenticity, I’m worried and perhaps too self-conscious that with every major global event, cultural issue, or political crisis, we’ll all feel compelled to say, “Here’s what I think about this important issue.” On Instagram. Right before an ad for Athletic Greens.

So much of social media is simply performance. Virtue signaling.

And what good are these social media platitudes when families are being separated, cities are being shelled, and war is breaking out?

For me, saying what you stand for is not enough. There needs to be action to back it up. It’s only when people and businesses of integrity actively live their values that we can make a real impact on the world.

And even writing this sounds self-aggrandizing. I’m not here to tell you how to live.  I’m saying that it’s hard. And heartbreaking to see innocent people die, lose their families, flee their homes, and suffer in any number of untold ways. Simply because some kleptocratic asshole is scared he’ll die without enough toys.

So let’s do what we can. Please join me and the rest of Pavilion HQ in helping those in need.

Ways you can help

• Join us in donating to Techfugees or International Social Service (ISS)
• Support marginalized refugees, including BIPOC and LGBTQ+, with resources in this list
• Outright International is also collecting donations on behalf of local LGBTIQ organizations
• Provide aid on the ground through Global Empowerment Mission
• Follow The Kyiv Independent, an English-language Ukrainian newspaper reporting on the crisis
• Reach out to individuals in Ukraine that you know or that you work with and see if they need financial assistance
• Review this list of further organizations in need of donations

If you know of any other initiatives that could use our support, please let me know at sam@joinpavilion.com.  

Take care of each other,

Sam

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