S03E10 Purposeful Workplace Culture and the Impact of Micro-Giving, with Masami Sato

“It’s not about charity, it’s about impact… unlocking the human potential through making people see that enormous power they have in making a difference.”

S03E10 of the Rethink Culture podcast shines the spotlight on Masami Sato, founder of B1G1, a global social enterprise dedicated to integrating impactful giving into everyday business operations. Masami is a 2-time TEDx speaker, Amazon bestselling author of four books, and a transformative leader whose B1G1 movement has delivered over 360 million giving impacts worldwide. Her diverse background, from studying architecture to becoming a chef and ultimately leading a social initiative, reflects her creative and adaptable approach to life and leadership. Fresh off celebrating her 50th birthday, Masami shares her approach to building workplace cultures where purpose and business thrive together.

In this episode, Masami highlights innovative ways businesses can integrate social impact into their workflows. She discusses how micro-giving, embedding small, meaningful acts of generosity into day-to-day business activities, can profoundly influence employee engagement and satisfaction. She shares practical examples, such as empowering employees to choose causes they care about and gamifying giving initiatives to make them engaging and fun. She emphasizes the power of gradual, authentic cultural shifts over large, top-down initiatives. Drawing from her Japanese heritage, she emphasizes the importance of long-term thinking, trust-building, and the essence of family-business values in fostering lasting cultural success. Leaders are encouraged to reflect on their own sense of purpose, ensuring their vision enriches both themselves and their teams.

The podcast is produced by Rethink Culture (rethinkculture.co). Our Culture Health Score provides an X-ray of your organisational culture, allowing you to measure and manage it.

Production, video, and audio editing by Evangelia Alexaki of Musicove Productions.

Listen to this episode to discover:
• How micro-giving transforms workplace culture through small, everyday actions.
• Why gradual, authentic changes resonate more with employees than top-down initiatives.
• The power of letting employees choose causes they care about for deeper engagement.
• Creative ways to gamify social impact and celebrate achievements collectively.
• How aligning day-to-day tasks with a larger mission fosters purpose at work.
• Insights from Japanese business culture about long-term trust and sustainability.
• Why purpose-driven leadership enhances workplace fulfilment and impact.
• Must-read resources for embedding social giving into your business strategy.

Further resources:
• B1G1 Website: https://b1g1.com/
• Masami on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/masamisato/ 
• Giving Business: Creating the Maximum Impact in a Meaning-Driven World, by Masami Sato: https://www.amazon.com/Giving-Business-Creating-Maximum-Meaning-Driven-ebook/dp/B01FFA28VI 
• Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take, by Paul Polman & Andrew Winston: https://www.amazon.com/Net-Positive-Courageous-Companies-Thrive-ebook/dp/B08TCHX4FY

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