In a quiet so loud
An Open Letter of Resistance from SYLVAIN
Vol. 04: 2025
A different approach to SYLVAIN’s annual impact assessments in response to the chaos of now.
What do you do when even the biggest fish are afraid?
The world feels out of control right now. And it’s not as if things had been steady these past few years. Chaos has become the status quo, volatility the baseline. Free speech is on everyone’s lips, but even the powerful are scared to speak. Moral challenges once met with resistance now elicit a chilling silence. The line between ally and adversary has become so blurred, it may never be clear again.
Markets are tanking. Supply chains are fractured. DEI commitments and stakeholder values are besieged. And recession looms like a storm that never fully arrives—but never quite clears, either. Did France just ask for the Statue of Liberty back?
For leaders, there is threat in chaos, and so the instinct is to retreat. When there are monsters in the dark forest, it feels safer to run. Hide. Camouflage. There’s a seductive logic to that, a kind of Corporate Darwinism that rewards survival over principle. We even have sayings to justify it: “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.” And more recently, “Survive till ’25.” (Though that one has lately become less prescient.)
Companies (and people) are acting out of fear.
Fear of reprisal from a new administration. Fear of digilantes. Fear of AI. Fear of rate hikes, bear markets, hard landings, stagflation. Fear of obsolescence. Fear our voices won’t be heard.
Here’s the rub. Fear—even if biologically rooted and inherently understandable—is a bad business strategy.
And maybe we’re naive, but we don’t believe smart leaders invested billions in digital, social and environmental transformation just to ghost when things got hard. People inside these organizations believed (and still believe) in these things. They had (and still have) hope—that fairness, cooperation, progress, and justice can make companies, and society, better. And, for what it’s worth, we happen to believe they’re right.
Our values were not written in disappearing ink.
This isn’t a manifesto. It isn’t even a full impact assessment. But it is a reminder. The work of progress—messy, meaningful, often misunderstood—rarely feels urgent until it’s too late. So we act now. Quietly, stubbornly, steadily.
Regression is not an option, and surrender isn’t safety. So, we urge you, our clients and colleagues, to stay the course. There will be a new bloom after the burn.
We have never engaged with the world in search of agreement. We’re not proselytizing for converts. But our mission has always been one of subversion. What difference can a team of 70-some people make? When you’re working with some of the world’s most influential organizations, if we honor our clients while staying firmly grounded in our values, the answer can be more than you think.
That means holding the line when others retreat. Naming truths when others go quiet. And so below, we reaffirm some of the simple truths that have guided our company and actions for 15 years—and will continue to guide us.
Advocating for kindness and decency doesn’t make us heroes. But it is an antiseptic for the silence.
Consider this an act of quiet hope—and faith that hope might be contagious. Will you join us?
—The Team at SYLVAIN
If you can, consider donating to the Alain Sylvain Creative Fund and help us nurture a new generation of young, kindred spirits. It’s more important now than ever.
WE WILL NEVER STOP:
Leveraging the might of corporations for the greatest good.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
Because our clients shape culture,
and culture shapes everything.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
+ Work with organizations that have the most sway, even—and especially—the imperfect ones. The goal is to steer them in better directions, even if big ships take time to turn.
+ Say no to work that doesn’t align with our vision of progress. If it compromises who we are, it's not worth doing.
Keeping our structure flat and our voices loud.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
Because everyone benefits when no
one is afraid to speak up.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
+ Encourage junior team members to take up space, voice their concerns, and own their ideas—just like anyone else in the room. The best ideas can come from anyone.
+ Make sure no one is too important to be challenged. It's the only way to keep egos, blind spots, and group think in check.
Lifting up the voices of those historically marginalized.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
Because following new perspectives
accelerates progress.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
+ Hire people with different backgrounds, worldviews, and lived experiences—on purpose. It’s not just the right thing to do; it makes our work more human.
+ Center marginalized perspectives. Incorporating overlooked points of view creates solutions for a larger population.
Saying the quiet parts out loud.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
Because truth moves the world
forward, even when it stings.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
+ Practice active transparency with our teams about what’s working, what’s not, and what we’re still figuring out. We respect that everyone has a stake in SYLVAIN's future.
+ Push ourselves and our clients to face hard truths, even when they’re uncomfortable. Honesty makes for smarter work—and a healthier world.
Choosing kindness, even when the world rewards cruelty.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
Because a miserable place of business
is never truly successful.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
+ Honor humanity in business as our greatest asset. Not just in dealing with one another, but in creating the work—because that's how people are moved.
+ Remember that clients are people, not contracts. And with the right support, any one of us can instigate change.
Growing people, even if they outgrow us.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
Because the instinct to improve ourselves
pushes the whole world forward.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
+ Foster ambition, curiosity, and courage for our team, no matter where their journeys lead. We’d rather be a chapter in their success story than their unsatisfying conclusion.
+ Help people figure out what “better” looks like for them, and walk alongside them while they go for it. Cultivating others’ courage is more meaningful than any deck.
Holding the consulting industry to the highest standard.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
Because advisors should be held to
the same scrutiny as their clients.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
+ Call out the world of business when it furthers injustice, social decay, and economic disparity. There can be no conflict of interest when it comes to telling the truth.
+ Own our wins and our missteps, so we can keep getting better. Maybe it helps others do the same.
Creating what the world doesn’t see coming.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
Because innovation is rarely
found where you expect it.
WE WILL ALWAYS...
+ Think sideways, diagonally, and upside down if that’s what it takes to unlock meaningful change for our clients. Creativity is a catalyst for progress.
+ Treat art and expression as strategy. People don’t rally around facts, but around what moves them.