FILE – MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during a news conference Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, in Your Targets Are Moving: Do You Know How To Lead? Corporate leadership and business success depend on having clear targets. Financial performance, shareholder returns, diversity, climate goals, and community impact have become performance indicators that CEOs were expected to meet—often exceeding prior benchmarks year after year. However, Under the Trump administration, leadership has shifted to aiming for lowered or disappearing targets. This shift is particularly visible in the areas of diversity and climate change. In the U.S., targets in both categories are being challenged, weakened, or altogether dismantled. For instance, Major League Baseball has removed mentions of diversity from its careers webpage. It joins many companies changing their DEI measures in response to President Trump making these issues a focus for his second term. The Trump administration also plans to repeal significant environmental regulations, including pollution limits and protections for wetlands, according to the New York Times . At the same time, regulators and corporations in global markets are raising the bar on social and environmental compliance. New climate reporting standards such as the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) are forming the baseline for emerging mandatory sustainability reporting globally. Corporate leaders, especially in multinationals, must navigate two conflicting realities: one where they drive value globally through DEI and sustainability targets, and another where they are political risks at home. Leaders need to understand this complex territory and need new targets to ensure their companies thrive domestically and internationally. Diversity Targets In Reverse Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) had been a fast-rising priority in boardrooms and C-suites. Companies publicly announced hiring goals, equity audits, and racial justice initiatives. Diverse companies earned 36% more in profits than less diverse ones in 2019. This supports the […]