Happy Father’s Day

To all the fab fathers, soon-to-be fathers, wish-they-weren’t-fathers, and frankly-exhausted fathers.

Father’s Day, like Mother’s Day, provides the perfect excuse for us all to stop what we’re doing, remember what matters and say a heartfelt thank you to the people that raised us. The people we love.  

But what if you don’t know your father?

Or you don’t get on with your father?

Perhaps this is the perfect time to reunite, to start a dialogue again and hopefully resolve your differences?

Or perhaps, as for many of us in this modern world living in modern families, it’s not a day for fathers at all. It’s simply a good opportunity to connect with the people we do love and take the time to thank them, just for being who they are.

Aunties, uncles, grandparents, siblings, partners, colleagues or friends. Who are the people you trust? Who do you love spending time with? Who do you turn to when you need a shoulder to cry on? Or a good laugh? Or some advice?

Those are the people to treasure. So why not take a moment this week to send a message, pick up the phone or knock on the door of your most beloved pals.

Say hello.

Say thank you.

Say you love them.

And if you haven’t got anyone you can think of, it’s time to make some more meaningful connections in this world. Put yourself out there, take time for your friends, and you’ll soon find it reciprocated.

Think like an MBAer

Without the huge cost and time investment. Sound good? I thought so too.

I’d always been intrigued by the idea of doing an MBA. I wasn’t brought up in a high-powered business family, in fact quite the opposite. I was brought up in an artsy, spiritual and soul-seeking environment. I was brought up in a way that was open, accepting, supportive, constantly loving and frankly, wonderful.

Then I landed my first job in the fast-paced, results-driven corporate world and I was hooked. Fascinated. Intrigued. And desperate to fly along with the fastest, highest top performers I could find.

Now I’m not saying that businesses can’t be supportive, loving and accepting.

Nor am I saying that a supportive environment at home can’t produce business tycoons of the future.

I’m simply sharing my roundabout route into the world of the MBA. As soon as I got the buzz for business, I wanted more. I felt like there were things I’d missed out on during my Psychology training that would benefit me in this corporate world. Surely everyone else had the answers I was desperately seeking? Was I on the outside looking in? Would MBA status get my foot through the door and give me an invite to the business-school-members-only club I was sure everyone else was a part of?

Well, no. In fact, if I’ve learnt anything in my career it’s that if you don’t have an answer, there are a million ways in today’s technological age that you can find it. Fast. It’s about being critical as well as creative; practical as well as pioneering. It’s about mindset and confidence rather than what the CV says.

So I decided to read around the subject. I decided to make the most of my time, freedom and love of reading to gain the insights that an MBA graduate gets, from the comfort of my own home.

Which led me to Nicholas Bate’s book, ‘Instant MBA’.

And there I found a kindred spirit, inspirational thinker and provocative writer that gave me just enough of the WHAT I wanted to know, with an awful lot more of the HOW I needed to be to get there.

I downloaded the book onto my iPad’s Kindle and within a few days, I’d devoured its contents, coming out of the other side feeling inspired, energised and hungry for more. Not a bad place for business.

Rather than drowning you in concepts and jargon, the book challenges you to think for yourself.

Rather than trying to impress you with technical speak or ‘Psychobabble’, the book provides common sense suggestions that force you to get off the sofa and act.

If you’ve ever thought about doing an MBA, wondered how to increase your business acumen, wished you could set up your own business or perform better at work, I implore you to read this book.

It might not change your world. But, I have no doubt it will motivate you to change it yourself. 

(Read more from Nicholas Bate at http://nicholasbate.typepad.com/)

Business, Done Better

As discussed in the last blog, when it comes to leading a socially responsible business, you might have an advantage if you’re just starting out and can dedicate your entire mission, vision and business strategy toward your charitable purpose or sustainable goal (demonstrated beautifully by TOMS Shoes).

But what about the well-established global multi-national companies that grew during a booming economy and built business strategies focused upon profits and expansion?

A few notable exceptions aside (i.e. WWF, Greenpeace, Human Rights Watch), most global organizations are only now getting around to the question of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability.

But it’s a hot topic and it’s fascinating to observe how different companies are approaching the challenge. You can see signs of it everywhere you look;

• In Starbucks, the Ethos® Water bottle you buy contributes money to providing children with access to clean water as part of the Starbucks Foundation.
• This Spring, H&M launched a new ‘Conscious Collection’ of clothing made from organic linen, recycled PET bottles and Tencel, a fabric produced with minimal environmental impact.
• Nike, too, has an entire ‘Better World’ product line with shorts, trainers and pants made from recycled materials. Their innovative production and marketing enables the customer to see exactly what impact they’re having on the world through their responsible purchase: “Nike Zoom and Flywire technology turn feet into explosive devices. 100% green rubber in the outsole eliminates the majority of toxic compounds, so your only impact is on the court.” (From http://www.nikebetterworld.com/product)

Nike’s ‘Better World’ strapline, “Kick Ass without Kicking the Planet’s Ass” nicely sums up the challenge of socially responsible business. And everyone seems to be responding to the call in different ways; some through Foundations and donations; some through socially responsible product lines; some through dramatically altering the way they run every part of their business to become more sustainable.

In 2009, Unilever took a bold step as a multi-national consumer goods company, declaring a new business mission “to double the size of the business while reducing our overall environmental impact across our entire value chain.”  They soon transformed this mammoth goal into specific achievable targets as part of the ‘Unilever Sustainable Living Plan’.

The Leadership Team set the mission. And a chunky one at that.

Individual employees, managers, teams and volunteers work tirelessly to deliver it.

This is an excellent model for other multi-nationals to take on board. It can seem a daunting task to change the way a successful business is run, to take the time to look into the inner workings of every single part of the company and ask yourself – is there a better, more sustainable or more socially responsible way to do this/ produce this/ deliver this?

Without change, though, your customers will be drawn to competitors that do demonstrate how well they’re thinking of society and the planet. And in cases where all other factors match up, it’s hard to imagine that customers will turn down the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes with a charitable action.

Alex Hannant writes for Sustainable Brands about a model for Social Innovation delivered by getting behind your talent. Without repeating his excellent article, well worthy of a read itself, I will quote one important line, that “…if you want a low-carbon society, don’t get too hung-up on the technology or regulation – what you really need is holistic and iterative approaches that enable new models of social leadership, collaboration and innovation to emerge.”

Hannant goes on to describe a three pillar approach used at the Hikurangi Foundation in New Zealand. First, developing competencies required to conceive of and lead change, secondly facilitating the platforms (spaces, events or processes) that allow people to build relationships and align their goals, and finally developing the solutions that will change whole systems.

The first part of this solution must be the most critical because, if you can get the PEOPLE bit right, the rest will follow.

The role of leaders is to set sustainable goals and clarify boundaries, and then to step back and allow creativity to flourish. Before you know it, your company will be finding answers from within, connecting with the community in ways you couldn’t have imagined and initiating important viral change.

Develop talent, yes, but ensure that you inspire leaders, engage employees, equip managers and reward teams too. It’s a whole-world challenge, so it makes perfect sense to give it a whole-system answer.