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One of the first things I ask of an audience when running my Strategic Thinking workshops is "raise your hand if you think you are a strategic thinker". I am always amazed at how few people raise their hands straight away - probably about a fifth if that, and then a few do the slight raising lowering thing which implies they think they maybe,...
Read MoreSmall and medium-sized businesses constitute the backbone of the North American economy. They make up a staggering 98% of all businesses and generate approximately 40% of total business revenue. Of those, around 60 to 70% are supplying other businesses (B2B) - as opposed to serving an end customer directly (B2C). Therefore, most businesses are...
Read MoreI spend a lot of time in coffee shops. I enjoy a good cup of coffee, fresh baking, ambiance, meeting people, and the opportunity to be somewhere different while trying to work. Many coffee shops meet my needs, but I don't particularly have one that I always go to, I am indifferent to their differences. That was until recently. I found a new...
Read Morecircular economy However, while many business owners and CEOs like the idea of doing good for the environment, and society, the reality is that the business has to be prosperous - and the more prosperous it is, then the more opportunity there is for undertaking further projects that contribute to the triple bottom line (PPP or
Read MoreUnlike the traditional linear 'value chain' model which follows a "take-make-dispose" pattern, the circular economy approach aims to minimise the 'take and dispose' elements. It does this by focusing on creating closed-loop systems where products, materials, and resources are reused, refurbished, or recycled to extend their lifecycles. The goal...
Read MoreA sense of purpose is a crucial element of the well-being of any individual. Similarly, a sense of purpose can be a crucial aspect of any company’s culture and health. We like to think of a company’s purpose as being something much bigger than the company itself, something the company maybe couldn't achieve alone, something that they would...
Read MoreTo be fair, while some companies (certain large corporations for example) may have a deliberate approach to greenwashing (disinformation), many other companies may genuinely want to make a positive contribution to the environment and society, and yet get caught up in felt need to use 'green' jargon, or they may themselves be making assumptions...
Read MoreMost businesses do not have ESG reporting requirements; but there is increasing societal expectation that businesses will do the ‘right thing’. Considering the environmental aspect of ESG, as the impact of climate change becomes more felt and real to larger proportions of the population (rather than abstract and something people elsewhere...
Read MoreEach of these is in itself a massive area; it's no wonder that we try to break it down into manageable chunks. But these 3 elements are actually inseparable. They form 3 key components of an ecological 'complex system'; achieving and maintaining balance is the goal, and sustainability is the outcome. For example, profit can be (and has been)...
Read MorePlanet, People & Profit (sometimes considered as Prosperity) is also an increasingly well-known acronym. ESG and PPP map onto each other (Environment – Planet, Social – People, Governance – Prosperity). They are not just 3 random elements that have been cobbled together; ESG and PPP both have origins in the field of ecological systems, where...
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