2026 Look Ahead: Leading With Purpose In A Year That Demands Responsible Leadership

These themes reflect what we're hearing from CEOs and corporate leaders across our network. They also reflect the moment that we're in. That is a moment that demands courage, clarity, and a renewed commitment to long-term value by prioritizing resilience and sustainable growth.

Rebuilding Trust Through Local Connection

Companies are rediscovering the power of local connection and getting back to basics. Trust is built through listening, showing up, and responding to the most pressing community needs, such as housing, hunger, jobs, and education.

In 2026, the future of responsible capitalism starts at home. We're seeing a focus on repatriation with companies investing in local communities, rebuilding supply chains, and strengthening regional partnerships. This isn't just about risk mitigation. It's about relevance and shoring up the communities in which businesses operate.

Companies are also navigating new expectations around community investment, including the 1% threshold within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which establishes a floor on the deductibility of corporate charitable contributions, as well as employees' demand for more engaging volunteering opportunities. As companies assess how changes in tax law impact them, they're also reevaluating the full spectrum of how they invest in society, from philanthropic giving to non-cash giving (e.g., product and service donations, pro bono support, skills-based volunteering), which is on the rise. At the same time, many companies are feeling increased pressure, especially in the U.S., to deploy funds quickly in response to emergency issues, requiring faster decision-making and more agile partnerships. A recent CECP Pulse Survey showed that a third (31%) of companies plan to support local community organizations following the reduction/pause of SNAP benefits, signaling a meaningful commitment by a portion of the private sector to help address food insecurity, while recognizing that business efforts complement rather than replace government programs.

The Edelman Trust Barometer continues to show that business is the most trusted institution, but that trust is fragile. It depends on proximity, empathy, and action. It depends on leaders who find relevant local issues in which to invest and use language that connects instead of divides.

We've also been operating in an age of corporate grievance. From“economic blackout” boycotts to backlash against DEI initiatives, companies are being pulled into the cultural debate. While these pressures are not entirely new, the rise of social media has amplified and accelerated calls for accountability, making them more visible, immediate, and harder to ignore. What's different today is that these dynamics are being tracked and scrutinized in real time. The challenge for businesses is to reduce the harm they might be causing and stay true to their values while navigating complexity. Corporate purpose helps bridge that gap.

As CECP founder Paul Newman once said, companies must“do more.” That doesn't mean taking sides. It means taking responsibility. It means listening differently, responding locally, and leading with empathy.

CECP helps companies build trust through:

• Benchmarking & corporate trend data – Track peer practices and emerging trends to inform strategy and reporting decisions around employee engagement, sustainable business, and corporate societal engagement. With momentum building around quantifying“connection,” CECP provides data on volunteering and employee engagement, as well as thought leadership on the reputational value of volunteering and the tangible benefits it delivers in employee loyalty, culture, and retention.
• Fast-Track Consulting
• Advanced Advisories
• CEO and corporate leader convenings

In 2026, the most resilient companies will be those that reconnect with their communities as true partners, rather than viewing them solely as markets.

Reskilling for a Reshaped Workforce

AI is transforming the entire job trajectory. Entry-level roles are disappearing. Frontline workers are facing new pressures. And demographic shifts, including declining immigration, are creating talent gaps that rival the impact of tariffs.

Many CEOs are using KPIs like lower headcounts and reduced operating costs to signal efficiency. But beneath those metrics lies a deeper challenge: how do we build a workforce that's ready for what's next?

The answer isn't just automation, it's adaptation and recognizing which roles require uniquely human skills. Companies like Medtronic are investing in specialized roles-manufacturing technicians, biomedical engineers-that demand hands-on expertise that AI cannot replicate. It's about investing in people, especially those historically overlooked or entering new job markets like veterans, and creating pathways to good-paying, in-demand jobs that leverage human judgment and skill.

In 2026, we see a growing need for programs that prepare employees for these durable roles; collaborative initiatives that bring together employers, educators, and community partners to build specialized talent pipelines; as well as platforms for frontline employees to share their valuable insights about the work that truly requires human expertise.

CECP helps companies prepare for the future of work with:

• Accelerators – Professional development into priority areas to advance strategies and the field by upskilling teams on specific best practices. These gatherings incorporate CECP data and insights, peer learning, company case examples, and shared resources.
• AI Employee Voice Scorecard – A tool that enables companies to take point-in-time snapshots of employee engagement, track progress year-over-year, and drive real business impact.
• Responsible AI Community of Practice
• Employee engagement strategy support – Using insights drawn from our Giving in NumbersTM data, we help leaders design people-centered strategies though benchmarking, trend analysis, and identifying high-impact engagement levers across industries.

Changes happening in the job market due to AI are very real. But so is the opportunity to build a workforce that's more inclusive, more agile, and more aligned with purpose.

Reframing Language in a Polarized World

Language itself has become a fault line. Acronyms like ESG and DEI, once shorthand for responsible business, are now politicized flashpoints. Employees, communities, and investors are left questioning what companies truly mean when they use these terms. The challenge for leaders is not only to act responsibly, but to communicate responsibly, choosing words that connect instead of divide.

Corporate purpose provides the compass. By reframing language around people, communities, and long-term value, CEOs and their teams can cut through polarization and reinforce trust. This means shifting from jargon to clarity:“social human capital” becomes““sustainability” becomes“long-term success,”“governance” becomes“responsible leadership.” It means anchoring commitments in shared values that resonate across audiences. Instead of abstract, vague, and controversial terms, find concrete, specific, and common-sense examples. Equally important, leaders should explain values in business terms (e.g., innovation, new markets, retention, risk management) so that commitments are defensible as core business strategy. When values are tied to tangible outcomes, they are harder to dismiss as rhetoric and easier to champion as drivers of growth and resilience.

The stakes are high. In an era of corporate grievance, where backlash against DEI or boycotts can dominate headlines, words can either inflame or inspire. Courageous leaders will equip their teams with language that is authentic, intuitive, and nonpartisan. This is language that makes responsible business feel relevant to daily life. Reframing language is not semantics; it is strategy. It is how companies demonstrate character, build credibility, and ensure that purpose remains a unifying force in turbulent times.

CECP helps companies reframe language through:

• Purpose-led communications audits – Comprehensive reviews of corporate messaging across reports, websites, and more to identify jargon, politicized terminology, or inconsistencies. CECP provides actionable recommendations to replace abstract acronyms with values-driven clarity that resonates across stakeholder audiences.
• Messaging toolkits
• Integrated Long-Term Plan Framework – A unified roadmap that clearly communicates how a company will create enduring value over the long term. CECP helps companies communicate the connection between purpose and performance by linking a company's mission, strategy, and measurable outcomes in a clear, tangible way.
• Custom board presentations – Tailored briefings that use CECP's data and insights to help boards and executives adopt language that bridges divides and reinforces trust. These cover a range of key issue areas such as evolving reporting frameworks, dropping the labels and doing the work, and upskilling employees for the future.

By choosing words that unite rather than divide, companies can ensure their commitments are understood, trusted, and acted upon. The words leaders choose are central to how businesses earn trust in society.

Rethinking Transparency and the Future of Reporting

In 2026, the rules of corporate disclosure will continue to shift. Companies are navigating a new cadence of requirements, evolving expectations, and a growing tension between transparency and reputational risk. The rise in impact reporting has created both opportunities and anxieties: how do you share what matters without saying too much?

There is a delicate balance companies must strike between mitigating risk and exposing themselves to risk. Stakeholders have different information needs: investors want data-driven disclosures, while customers and employees seek values in action through compelling narratives. Regulatory shifts like the SEC's proposed move toward bi-annual reporting encourage this longer-term, strategic focus over short-term metrics. And reporting isn't just changing externally. It's being reshaped internally. Many companies are shifting ownership of corporate responsibility work-moving it from corporate affairs into legal or other functions-or rethinking the cadence and format of their disclosures altogether.

CECP's guidance is simple: let corporate purpose lead. Your corporate purpose is your North Star. It should guide what you report, how often, and to whom. It should shape the story that your data tell about both performance and impact. In fact, CECP's Giving in NumbersTM: 2025 Edition that 87% of companies now have a corporate purpose statement, and over 90% use it to guide both social investment and broader business decisions. Additionally, companies with metrics aligned to their corporate purpose reported 25% higher median revenue and 22% higher median pre-tax profit than those without such metrics. This underscores that purpose is no longer a communications exercise, but a strategic imperative.

Companies are increasingly embracing more meaningful data disclosures, shifting toward reporting designed for specific audiences-investors, employees, customers, and communities-that prioritizes relevance over volume. Instead of overwhelming audiences with fragmented metrics, leading firms are curating insights to what each stakeholder group values: rigorous data and benchmarks for investors, cultural and impact stories for employees and customers, backed by clear narratives that connect the data to real-world outcomes. Gathering insights from 500+ corporate leaders, a CECP Pulse Survey found that, in 2026, 78% of companies plan to publish a full report, while 13% will publish a summary or data index, reflecting a trend toward streamlined disclosure to meet transparency expectations.

CECP helps companies communicate transparently and strengthen their impact with:

• Integrated Long-Term Disclosure Assessment
• Communications support – Tailored and unified messaging that connects with specific stakeholders or unites a range of stakeholders who may have differing perspectives and expectations.
• Corporate purpose statement development – Support to clearly and authentically articulate a company's reason for being that connects with employees, customers, and communities.
• Impact report development – End-to-end support for companies developing their impact reports, to ensure streamlined and transparent communication, purpose-aligned messaging, and strategy-led storytelling while addressing measured progress on responsible business goals.

We help leaders identify the valuable data and stories they hold-not only in goods and services, but in the talent and expertise of their people-and how they can share it in ways that build trust, brand equity, and credibility.

In 2026, transparency isn't just about compliance. It's about clarity. It's about showing who you are, what your company stands for, and how you're creating value that lasts for the long haul.

The Role of Business in 2026

The role of business today goes beyond competition. It's about connection. To lead with values and integrity, even when the political climate is polarized. To build trust, share impact, and invest in people, all while staying focused on creating enduring value for the company for the long term.

Gallup research shows Americans are rethinking capitalism. They're asking what works, what doesn't, and what needs to change. Increasingly, they see responsible business as the key to shared prosperity and they're looking to businesses to lead the way.

In 2026, companies must rise to that challenge. They must take politics out of corporate purpose, not by avoiding hard conversations, but by anchoring in shared values. They must show that corporate purpose isn't a slogan, it's a strategy.

CECP is here to help. We offer tools, insights, and partnerships that support CEOs and corporate leaders to lead with clarity and courage. From reporting strategy to workforce engagement to community connection, we help companies turn corporate purpose into action.

Because in a world of uncertainty, lasting values are your greatest advantage

Let's get to work.

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