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For many business owners, a strong commitment to social responsibility has become the norm in recent years. It is little wonder then that corporate social responsibility has become a central ethical facet of leading companies around the globe.

In order to be truly effective, however, social responsibility must be a company-wide value: It is all well and good that CEOs and managers should be civic-minded, but to elicit truly positive results from an outlook of social responsibility, civic engagement must also come from a company’s employees, who more often than not informally serve as company ambassadors when interacting with their communities.

Here are just a few ways that a business that works together as a whole can really make a difference in their community.

1. Combine Company Values with Team-Building Exercises
Team-building exercises not only help create trust and camaraderie among employees, they also unify the outlook that employees will share, and to really foster an atmosphere of corporate responsibility, it is vital for companies to bring their philosophy on community engagement into company exercises. When employees build a vision for the future together, in other words, anything becomes possible.

2. Lead by Example
It is undoubtedly the case that one of the best ways to encourage public-minded spirit in employees is to lead through example. More often than not, employees will look to company leadership to develop their own professional value systems. If employees see managers and executives putting forth effort to help their communities, employees will naturally follow suit. And that is leadership done right!

3. Understand the Value of Positive Reinforcement
As is so often the case in life, good follow-through often makes the difference between a successful policy and an unsuccessful policy. So when employees show initiative in promoting social responsibility, it is important to reward that behavior. Doing so will not only make employees feel great about their accomplishments, it will also show other employees that there is a benefit to community-mindedness. It’s a win-win all around that is essential for company growth.

4. Demonstrate the Positive Outcomes of Corporate Responsibility
To further reinforce positive values in a company’s culture, it is important to take time every so often to review the results of corporate stewardship within the community. Whether it’s through company-wide presentations or just regular email updates, employees will love seeing the value of their commitment to the community create tangible results.

With a renewed sense of purpose to their work, employees will feel pride that the business they work for is committed to helping others. And when a business truly comes together to assist the people around them, true success is within reach. Without a doubt, that is business at its best!