House of Hackney - 2024 impact report review
I’ve heard the House of Hackney leadership team speak on several occasions, in particular about how they’ve given Mother Nature & Future Generations a seat on their Board. And so I was interested to learn more about them in their impact report. It didn’t disappoint!
👍🏻 Three things I like:
1. OPERATIONALISING IMPACT
They’ve spent time operationalising their mission and values so everyone has clarity on how it affects their day-to-day behaviours and decision making.
For example, they’ve created “department guidelines that include questions to consider when making decisions” and have updated company policies and their approach to performance reviews.
2. WILLING TO TRY THINGS OUT
I love their willingness to walk an unbeaten path and try out new ways of working. There are examples throughout of where they’ve had an idea and just given it a go.
Their Mother Nature & Future Generations Guardian reflects “They don’t always get this right first time but their willingness to reflect, learn and regroup is second to none.”
In this evolving responsible (or regenerative in the case of House of Hackney) business space there is no blueprint and so we need people who aren’t afraid to try things out, make mistakes and learn.
3. APPROACH TO CHARITABLE DONATIONS
Their work to understand the true price of their products is influencing the charitable partners they support. I love this strategic approach to donations – they are supporting organisations and projects that have a positive impact in the places where their business model has negative impacts.
❓Three questions it raises:
1. HOW HAVE THEY LINKED DIRECTORS’ REMUNERATION TO MISSION?
The report hints at directors’ remuneration being linked to the mission. I believe this is a fundamental enabler of delivering positive impact at scale, and yet it is notoriously hard to implement and with very little guidance.
How have they done this? What can others learn from their experience?
2. WHAT LEARNINGS WOULD BE MOST USEFUL TO OTHER BUSINESSES?
With such a willingness to experiment, what are the learnings that they think would be most useful for other businesses trying to have a meaningful impact?
3. WHAT DO THEIR STAKEHOLDERS SAY?
I would love to learn more about the people behind the business and hear their voices and perspectives – e.g. employees, suppliers, customers, charity partners.
What do they feel about the business? What stories can they share about the impact House of Hackney has had on them?
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You can read the report for yourself here and let me know what you think.
If you’re preparing to write your own impact report, you might find my FREE Impact Reporting Roadmap helpful: