BUSINESSES, civic leaders and citizens must connect with their humanity to foster a culture of caring if they are to deal effectively with financial, social and political change.

That was the message to business leaders from Kersten England, chief executive of City of York Council, and corporate philosopher Professor Roger Steare, speaking at York St John Business School’s annual lecture.

A new ethical mindset was required to handle the fallout from the global economic downturn, climate change and growing social inequality, they told 85 local business leaders, public service providers, academics and students at the event.

Ms England urged the people of York to get involved in local Government.

Prof Steare said society as a whole would benefit greatly if boardrooms were filled with corporate leaders who brought their humanity into the workplace.

He said if leaders did not bring their whole “self” to work, including their empathy, they lacked integrity, and objectives such as hitting sales targets were achieved at the expense of the values they normally stood for outside the workplace. “Although love is deep rooted in human nature, all too often it is absent from the business world.”