Episode 36: Why business leaders must embrace the responsibilities of citizenship | Michael Kelly

The Nick Halaris Show

This week on The Nick Halaris Show we are featuring civic leader, Michael Kelly. Michael is the Executive Director of the Drucker Institute and the longtime leader of the LA Coalition for the Economy and Jobs, an innovative civic activist group here in Los Angeles. With a long history working at the intersection of government and business, he has an impressive track record as a passionate advocate for practical, progressive solutions to the big problems of our day.

When I joined the LA Coalition back in the pre-pandemic days, Michael and I became fast friends over a shared passion and vision for what it means to be a good citizen. I wanted to have Michael on the show to discuss how he’s using his new role at the Drucker Institute to advocate for better leadership, governance, and corporate citizenship and to explore some the lessons he’s learned from a lifetime of service and activism.
Tune in to this fascinating episode to learn:

• How companies are using insights and ideas from Peter Drucker’s legendary body of work to not only achieve exceptional financial results but also become better corporate citizens
• The relationship between globalization and the decline in effective corporate citizenship
• Why the best companies in the world are so focused on people (especially their own employees) and community
• How ego often gets in the way of effective pro-business policy collaboration
• Why businesses struggle to wield collective political influence and end-up relying so much on issue-specific lobbying
• How Michael’s passion for working to create a better world and one simple cold-call to a campaign office led him to an entire career working at the intersection of government and business
• &Much, much more

We also learn how the powerful example of Michael’s father, a teacher who dedicated himself to service and citizenship, provided the impetus for Michael’s own inspiring journey.