Guayakí’s CEO Chris Mann on the Importance of Running a Transparent Company | Fast Company.

Collaborate only when necessary | WiserEarth Blog.

Networks that Work

It seems that, as organizations are grappling with an entirely different economic and social landscape, they are realizing that they must collaborate with organizations who at best they have been ignoring, or at worst fully competing with.

This book was a practical guide, laying out a framework for thinking about “Networks” (they point out that these networks are as often called “collaboratives” or “coalitions”).  They describe three different types of networks which require varying levels of risk on the part of their constituents:

1. Cooperative
2. Coordinating
3. Collaborating

Each varies in risk and complexity, (cooperative being the lowest, collaborating being the highest), and each serves a slightly different purpose.  The “collaborating network,” with its high risk, also lends itself to the highest impact outside of the group, and requires a commensurate amount of time, effort, and resource for it to be successful.

What I liked: I think what most impressed me about the book is the fact that even given its size (90 pages), it manages to clearly lay out the key elements needed for a successful network; how (and if!) to go about starting one; three ways to structure a network (Self-Governing, Lead Organization, and Network Manager); as well as directly answering many of the basic questions that come up when starting a multi-organization collaboration.

It also includes a robust appendix, with a sample network agreement or “charter”, a job description for a “network manager”, and several case studies that talk about both the successes and the challenges some networks faced in their process.

I also really appreciated their concluding summary of principles, found on page 61:

• Focus on shared purpose
• Start from pre-existing relationships
• Determine network member tolerance for risk
• Respect organizational and institutional autonomy
• Assure up-front commitment from key players
• Build new types of relationships
• Emphasize equal partnership
• Expect – even embrace – conflict, and develop practices for anticipating, surfacing, and resolving it
• Secure needed resources for operation without letting suppliers distort or diffuse the network purpose

This is a list and concepts that I can use when working with my own clients, and is accessible to inspire the busy executive who knows change is needed, and knows that collaboration is the only way to achieve their vision.

What I would change: This is one of those times when, in my effort to give a well-rounded book review, I have to scratch my head and say, what WOULD I change?  I really admire how the authors have addressed some of the fundamental pitfalls in such a clear and concise fashion.  And while I wouldn’t change their brevity, it does leave one with some questions like, “What is interest-based negotiating?”, “What are my references for dealing with conflict or power?” etc.  They list a few resources; and there are more that could be listed.

The nice thing, however – it leaves room for consultants like myself to explain what those ideas are.  Perhaps that is the ultimate intention – to encourage visionaries to get the kind of support they need to work through conflict, engage in good negotation, and run good meetings – support that external trainers and facilitators are skilled at assisting with.

A thank you to Paul Vandenveter and Myrna Mandell for writing this excellent booklet – and to Patricia and Jona for passing it along!

One of the panels discussed the topic of “Green Marketing in the Age of Transparency.“  Several innovateurs were represented, including Dara O Rourke from Goodguide.com (download the app if you haven’t already!), Wendy Cobdra at Earthsense, Chris Nelson of UL Environment, and Stephen Linaweaver of Green Order.  They said the fundamental challenge for companies who are attempting to integrate sustainability into their marketing plan (of which many can count themselves, now) is the consumer’s love-hate relationship with the companies that they rely on.

On the one hand, consumers want companies to step up and become sustainable.

On the other, they don’t believe that those organizations are doing what they say they are doing.

Further, while everyone knows what a sustainable company is NOT, no one has yet really agreed on what it IS.

This puts good intentioned organizations in a tough spot.  They are trying to do what is right, but at the best are blundering in what they say about their efforts, either sharing too much or raising expectations.  At the worst, they are confirming the suspicions of their customers, with incidences of fraud, exposes of poor environmental, labor, or quality practices, etc.  In an era of Enron, how DO we move forward?

To complicate matters – the “them” in this picture is “us.”  Many of the same people who work in these organizations are those people who distrust what the organizations do. Why that is, we can only speculate.  But it certainly makes for a complex picture.

Enter: the Authentically Sustainable Company.

If you read my last post on this topic, you will see I have noted a series of organizational realms – internally and externally, and at the individual and collective level.

In this era of rapid communication and what some may call “Radical Transparency,” companies who portray themselves must do so with integrity.  Here are some tips, both from the conference as well as my own thinking:

1. Define the Boundaries. Wendy Cobdra explained that many companies try to market themselves as a “sustainable company”, and then when something is leaked that doesn’t portray them in someone else’s brain as sustainable, they lose credibility.  If you are working on energy efficiency, then focus on that.  If your employees are satisfied and feel they are making a difference for their clients and their communities, let us know about that!
2. Strive for Integrity. Even with all of Wal-Mart’s hailed work around sustainability, the world is still deeply suspicious because of their labor practices (low-paying, low-benefits, etc.) and their tendency to squelch rather than enliven local commerce.  While they are still making truly astounding change, they will not make the kind of change that is needed.
3. Don’t sacrifice the good for the perfect. This is a reminder to all of us: a certain amount of compassion and encouragement is in order for all of us.  None of us has it right, yet, and as I have said in previous posts, inspiration is a fundamental avenue for change.

Now, having said all of that, we had a great conversation at the Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy recently about B-Corporations – which certainly encourage a holistic perspective on what  sustainability in businesses could be.  In his presentation, founding member Christopher Peck showed a slide that summed it up very succinctly:

One Planet.  One Experiment. No Backup.

Which leads me to ask, is greenwashing even the real problem, if we can’t figure out how to create “one planet businesses?”

Do you know of any “One Planet Businesses?”

I have just been promoted: here is a short announcement describing the change:

Genevieve Taylor has just been promoted to Vice President at Global Genesis, an organizational development training, and  consulting firm out of Sebastopol, CA.  Genevieve has just celebrated her 6th year at Global Genesis, having started part-time in 2004 and over time building a full-time position.  During that time, she has created new lines of business, including 360 Leadership Development Assessments and Conference Facilitation, along with becoming skilled in leadership development, strategic planning facilitation, teambuilding, and facilitating cultural change.  Terry Taylor, President of Global Genesis, says, “Genevieve has been an enormous contributor.  She has worked hard to hone her personal talents, and has also made Global Genesis a more robust entity.  Most exciting has been her ability to link our unique competencies to the global challenges of sustainability.”  As Vice President, she will help Global Genesis explore new realms of delivery and programs, such as creating effective training for the virtual world.   You can congratulate Genevieve at genevieve@ggenesis.com, and find out more about Genevieve and Global Genesis at http://www.ggenesis.com/about_us.html or on her blog at www.genevievetaylor.com.

Volunteer Center Non-Profit Conference – March 26, 2010

Genevieve and Terry will both be facilitating and presenting at the bi-annual Non-Profit Conference.  The theme this year is Leadership, Imagination, and Action.  Genevieve will be facilitating a plenary World Café Session in the morning, while Terry will be facilitating a special Leadership Session with Paul Ray, conference keynote and noted author of Cultural Creatives: How 50 million people are changing the world. Terry will also be leading a workshop on Risking Now for a Powerful Tomorrow: Managing innovation, Personal Change, and Cultural adaptation in the 2^nd workshop session, and our colleagues Susan Briski and John Stayton will be leading a session on Beyond Recycling: Sustainability & Change Leadership in the 3^rd session.

Where to Register: www.volunteernow.org

Cost: $85 – $135; Early Bird Registration available until March 15.

Sustainable Enterprise Conference 2010: Practical Tools for the Transition – May 7, 2010

Genevieve will be MCing the conference this year, and we hope to be presenting workshops on Change, Leadership, and Innovation.  This is THE conference for sustainability in the North Bay – cofounded by Terry and Genevieve more 5 years ago, we are always pleased to participate and support this informative and important regional gathering.  Stay tuned for more details on Global Genesis participation.

Where to register: http://www.sustainableenterpriseconference.com/2010/registration

Cost: $129 – $195 – Early bird registration until April 1, 2010

I use the Speed of Trust, by Stephen M. R. Covey (son of Stephen Covey) as a first recommendation for people who are looking to develop their leadership.  He focuses on how do individuals build “trustworthiness.”  Highly Recommended.
The SPEED of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything

I also recommend Getting to Yes - a book on negotiations and conflict resolution.  It is the book that first introduced the “Win/Win” concept, but it really reminds you of how to deal with any situation where the stakes are high – whether you are overtly negotiating, in a conflict, or merely trying to give feedback and are seeking a change to match that feedback. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In

Finally, a book on Time Management that I reread every year while doing my own planning: First Things First , a book by Stephen Covey (the father, this time, and the same person who wrote 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.) It goes from the largest perspective of what is your personal vision and mission, and then helps you map that down into your weekly and daily calendar. Nicely done, and my time management class is significantly influenced by this work.

On Management:

Another book that has been very helpful in helping managers understand styles and how to get the best from other styles is the 4-Dimensional Manager by Julie Straw. This book uses the DiSC assessment as its base, which has a situational perspective on styles, and talks about how to adapt your style to give feedback, solve problems, motivate, compliment, and delegate to other styles. Very useful. The 4 Dimensional Manager: DiSC Strategies for Managing Different People in the Best Ways (Inscape Guide)

Also highly recommended for leaders who are trying to instill Discipline in their staff Without Punishment (ie, helping employees see the business implications for their actions, and instilling a sense of focus and alignment) is the book by the same name, Discipline Without Punishment. My colleague Cathy, an HR Generalist and Manager for 20 years, uses the philosophies in this book with great success. Discipline Without Punishment: The Proven Strategy That Turns Problem Employees into Superior Performers

Local environmental restoration organizations collaborate on climate change

By Wade Belew  November 5, 2009 06:24 pm
Sonoma County can be proud of its leadership role as the first in the nation for all cities and the county to set meaningful goals and take significant actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But climate change is already happening. Even if we meet objectives such as 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere, the lag time for the climate to correct itself could take decades.
What can environmental restoration practitioners do to adapt to a changing climate? That was the overarching question at a recent three-day conference hosted by the Laguna Foundation and attended by environmental organizations, government resource agencies, scientists, restoration professionals and elected officials. It was agreed that the preservation and restoration of riparian corridors (streamside ecosystems) is a top priority.
Previously, rain and stormwater were viewed as an inconvenience to be moved out of town as fast as possible. This strategy was misguided for three main reasons. First, today’s rain and stormwater is tomorrow’s groundwater, upon which literally tens of thousands of wells in Sonoma County depend. Agricultural and developed lands were graded and drained to convey water to the nearest creek as quickly as possible. Many urban streams were channelized, straightened, and stripped of significant vegetation to increase flows. This “pave and pipe” approach limits the infiltration of water into the ground for future use.
Second, increased stormwater discharge and stream velocity leads to erosion and flooding downstream. Not only does flooding cause costly damage to downstream communities like the lower Russian River, but loss of soil is a serious problem. Once eroded, soil sediments are on a one-way trip to the ocean, polluting drinking water, diminishing aquatic habitat, and clogging streams along the way.
Third, biodiversity leads to resilience and stability. Healthy riparian systems are among the most biodiverse habitats, harboring a wide variety of plants, insects, amphibians, birds and mammals. To maximize tillable land, vineyards often remove vegetation from and narrow riparian corridors, eliminating habitat for beneficial insects. When the glassy-winged sharpshooter arrived carrying Pierce’s disease, there was no natural control available from native insects, and the resulting damage costs millions of dollars to the industry and taxpayers.
How will restoring and protecting riparian corridors help to mitigate for, and adapt to, climate change? Besides reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we need to reduce the carbon already in the atmosphere. By planting trees, shrubs and perennial grasses, CO2 is absorbed and held (sequestered) in plant tissues both above and below ground. Deep, penetrating root systems increase the ability of water to infiltrate and become groundwater. This means that less water has to be pumped in from outside the area, reducing energy costs and carbon emissions. More water stored in the soil means less water is needed for irrigation.
Root systems hold the soil in place, reducing erosion and loss of topsoil, and improving water quality. This helps protect against property and infrastructure damage during flood events that are expected to become more severe. Riparian understory plants filter out sediment in surface water flows, further improving quality of drinking water supplies and aquatic habitats.
Shady tree canopies reduce water temperatures, essential for native fish such as salmon and steelhead, and other aquatic organisms. Cooler water lowers bacteria levels, already a problem for drinking water supplies and recreational usage, like swimming, in many of our streams. Healthy, contiguous riparian corridors will allow animals to migrate and seek out climatic conditions necessary for their survival. The potential exists to engage thousands of private landowners, bringing them willingly into better land and water use practices.
The good news is that the local environmental community is poised and eager to take on this significant challenge. The Sonoma County Water Agency owns and manages over 100 miles of stream channels and has a long-term goal of developing tree canopy over the entire extent. The Agency has access roads next to many of their streams and is making many of these available as pedestrian and bike paths, offering transportation and recreation opportunities free from carbon emissions.
At the conclusion of the recent conference, a working group of restoration professionals was formed to increase awareness of the benefits of riparian restoration and to further collaborations that will increase efficiency and effectiveness in these difficult economic times when funding is scarce.

 

Wade Belew is Stewardship Coordinator of the Cotati Creek Critters and President Elect of the California Native Grasslands Association. He can be contacted at wade@creeks.cotati.info.

Profit is fairly easily understood; the definition wikipedia uses for “normal profit” is

The return the entrepreneur can expect to earn or the profit that a business owner considers necessary to make running the business worth his/her while.

Questions about what the owner considers “necessary” arise, but we will leave those questions to other posts.

“Planet,” perhaps a little more challenging, is still graspable – if we imagine our natural resources as bank account, from which we draw the interest,  we can understand that our actions could (are) diving into the “reserves” of the planet; thus, we need to change our actions to minimize our planetary expenditures and perhaps to restore and build our planetary reserves again – building our planetary bottomline, and balancing that bottomline against our eonomic bottomline.

However, how do you build the reserves of the bottom line of “people”?  It is a nebulous question in many ways – what “people” are we referring to, first, and then, how do we “build” it, “balance” it, or do whatever else is needed in order to achieve sustainability in a company?  Finally, how does this relate to social responsibility, living wage, social equity, and all of the other ideas that get lumped together in this general category?

Defining People

The first step is to define what we mean by “people.”  One model that has been helpful to me: a matrix defining the organizational territory as being composed of Individuals and Collectives, who likewise each have Internal and External Landscapes.  First discussed by Ken Wilbur (who doubtless based his thinking on many others) and then connected to the “Enterprise” by Christopher Peck and John Stayton in a class about Sustainable Local Enterprise they used to teach for the Green MBA, the following matrix has helped me articulate well the organizational terrain.

developed by John Stayton, Christopher Peck based on Ken Wilbur's Work

As the model illustrates, there are four “Realms” in an organization: the Individual Internal, the Individual External, the Collective Internal, and the Collective External.  By defining “people” we have actually created a doorway into what I would call “Authentic Sustainability.”

I would posit that for a company to be authentically sustainable – it needs to have sustainability infused into each of these Realms.  And here is where the definition for the Triple Bottom Line doesn’t yield enough – we are left with the question unanswered of how can we infuse planet, profit, and people into each of these four areas?

To answer this question, I go back to Bill McDonough, author of Cradle to Cradle and Green Designer.  When defining sustainability, he takes as his operational quest the following:

How do we love all the children, of all species, for all time?

With this quote, McDonaugh points to the quest that is at the center of all authentic sustainability efforts: the quest for life.  To me, the nature of  sustainability in business is a three-fold quest:

1. a quest for to sustain and improve the well-being of the life of the organization
2. a quest to sustain the lives and well-being of the people and species (natural resources) internal to its organization – its employees, the natural resources needed for its products and services
3. a quest to sustain the lives and well-being of the people and species (natural resources) external to its organization – its customers, its suppliers and stakeholders, the environment its products, processes and services effect.

Ultimately, the path of the sustainable organization is one that is life-affirming. This means both good news and bad news for the sustainability champion.

The good news? There is a lot that we are already doing in our organizations that is inherently life-affirming.  Think in your own organization; when we see our employees as people, with aspirations and needs of their own (an effort that would rest in the internal individual quadrant), we are affirming life.  When we pay our employees what they deserve (external individual), and have honest conversations with them when we can’t, yet again we are affirming life.  The teambuilding efforts, the collaborative engagement dollars spent on developing an organizational vision, establishing teamwork between departments are also all life-affirming and key components to affirming the life of the organization and the people who work inside of it.  Practices for authentic sustainability are, in reality, good business practices that sustain the organization, the people it serves, and the environment it is a part of.

The bad news? Being a sustainable company isn’t cut and dry.  In fact, once you start this journey, it can impose standards that are challenging to meet – one reaction could be, Gee, you mean I have to be all that, too? Yes, in reality, you have to be that too.  Why?  Being accused of greenwashing could be damaging – most likely undoing your efforts.

Next post?  How striving for “authentic” sustainability will help you avoid greenwashing, AND create a business, a planet, and a staff that will be around for the long haul.

The Truth about Green Business

by Gil Friend, Natural Logic

is by Gil Friend, a colleague of ours for several years.  Gil Friend is charming, articulate, direct to the point of “terseness” (as he calls it in chapter – “Truth” 4), and remarkably clear-sighted.  His book is much like him, and will do an extraordinary amount to forward the sustainability movement – just as he himself has.

About the book: The Truth about Green Business lists 52 truths, in 12 categories ranging from the basics of “What is a Green Business”, to more technical issues such as marketing, design, procurement, on to Management, Finance, and even “Future-Proofing.”  Each “truth” is a 3-5 page chapter, and he encourages us to either read it straight through, or to jump around to “Truths” that suit us.  The book is really a web; each chapter points the reader to other chapters that further clarify certain points.

What I loved: His claim to “truths” is a correct one;  he summarizes underlying principles of green business, underlining them with examples occurring in mainstream business as well as from his own experience.  The most inspiring chapter to me was Truth 7: “How Green is Good Enough”, where he challenges his readers to set Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals – and “bet the farm” if necessary.

“Do Less Harm,” he writes, “simply isn’t good enough – not when you could thrive by regenerating and enriching the living systems on which our economy depends.” (p. 28)

I agree with Gil – there is so much more possibility  for action than to just “comply”, “do less harm,” etc.  He offers a new term (to me, anyway)  – “regulatory insulation” – his definition being “to deliver products and servics so good and processes so efficient that you don’t care what the regulators want because you’re years ahead of their wildest dreams.” (p. 32)  With ideas backed by solid business sense, he pushes his readers to think beyond just enough to what’s possible?

Finally I also really just liked the way the book felt; I wondered if there were some new material it used, as Natural Capitalism did in producing its “tree-less” book.

What I want more of: One of the reasons I enjoyed reading this is is because of its brevity and clarity; its “Choose Your Own Adventure” feeling, its apt examples,  its  internal cross-referencing and organization.   On the other side of the coin – the writing style tends towards brief, declarative sentences, lending itself well to the feeling of the “field guide”, but not to a sense of the “quest.”  Given that on the ground, sustainability can look very different from company to company, having case studies or more indepth examples would have been a helpful addition.    Perhaps I would have had a different sense if, there had been a section called “Tales from the Trenches,” or “Overcoming Obstacles.”

But that would have made the book much longer, and dilute the power that lies in brevity.  Perhaps another book?

In sum – I would highly recommend this book to any person who is thinking about “taking their business to the next step” – whether it is someone who is new or a veteran to  sustainable business.   It will answer questions many sustainability champions will ask at one point or another in their effort, and also give them a foundation of important principles of sustainability.  Great job, Gil, and looking forward to the next one!

To ensure that the conference met its outcomes of building community and engaging audience participation, we used the World Cafe Methodology, gathering small groups of people into 15-20 minute conversations to discuss how the learnings gained from the presentations could be applied to the challenges of climate change for the Laguna Watershed.  They will be producing a “proceedings” document which will detail the list of likely impacts we generated, as well as possible management strategies; but most exciting was the formation of three working groups who will be “sustaining the momentum” on into the future.

I had some amazing volunteer facilitators from The Halle Group and Global Genesis, alumnae and master’s students from the  Sonoma State Organizational Development Department, Reos Partners, and the Green MBA at Dominican University.  While a lot of work was done prior to design the three days, the real magic came as we collaborated to refine and “adapt” the process to meet the needs of the conference participants.  It was such a pleasure working with all of these folks!

Finally, this is an article about the Laguna de Santa Rosa, with a mention of the conference.