Russ Stoddard is the founder and CEO of Oliver Russell — a Boise, Idaho-based social impact agency with clients around the world.
Russ is recognized as an expert working at the confluence of business and social responsibility and a leader in the growing B Corp movement. He provides clients with brand strategy and consulting services that help social enterprises compete more effectively in the marketplace. He also teaches educational courses on transformative new business models. Russ is the author of the Amazon bestseller, Rise Up – How to Build a Socially Conscious Company; and a frequent contributor to Sustainable Brands, Conscious Company Media, B The Change, and Real Leaders.
Russ has recently co-founded of a new brewery, Works Progress Administration – a public benefit corporation; while also serving as an advisor to numerous social enterprise startups – including GoodWell, ShareTagg, and evox OmniMedia. He and his wife, Sarah Lunstrum, live on a small farm in Boise with their two dogs, Roux and Kali.
Russ Stoddard is tagged in 6 stories.
Leadership /
Dear CEO,
I know it’s lonely at the top. Each day you contend with a boiling stew of global competition, digital transformation, labor issues and challenging board members, to name a few. You walk this tightrope while hewing to a notion of shareholder primacy that has guided you throughout your career — the need to maximize financial profits and consider shareholders above all other stakeholders.
And now, here comes society nipping at your heels, demanding that you incorporate social purpose into your corporation. - 5 years ago
Marketing and Comms /
In my book, Rise Up: How to Build a Socially Conscious Company, I made a number of predictions about the future, ranging from the rise of women to a more equitable and influential role in the workplace to the growth of worker collectives, such as co-ops and employee-owned companies, in the marketplace.
I also predicted that ratings systems would proliferate in every walk of life, from companies to cities to individuals: - 5 years ago
Walking the Talk /
It’s said that Peter Drucker, world-renowned business management superstar, once famously commented, “Culture beats strategy.”
Or “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
While neither version has been authenticated as being said by Drucker, I understand the proposition, which places an importance on the value of culture to a business.
That said, I think it’s really missing the point because organizational culture is strategy. - 5 years ago
