I have been interested in collaboration for a long time, in parallel with my passion around sustainability.  What I have noticed is this: as people become empassioned about the “big” topics, and become empowered internally to make change, they naturally reach out to others.  Visionaries have realized that the only way they can really make a difference on these urgent, important issues (health; climate change; sustainability; the financial system; I could go on…), is that they must work together to make their vision happen.

This struck me so forcibly that last year (2010), I led a workshop called “Leadership Skills for the Visionary Collaborator.”  That day, along with 25 people who were leading change all over Sonoma County, we explored what leadership skills were specifically needed to lead effective collaborations – both within organizations, as well as between organizations.

For me, 2012 will be a year of exploring “what it takes” to be a visionary collaborator.  Many of my ideas are based on the leadership development training we already do at Global Genesis.  I am delighted by this topic; I feel that with a greater attention to the personal strengths and skills these visionaries bring, the more effective they can be.

And these days, the human race needs us to be effective.  Desperately.

So, what is a visionary collaborator?  How are they different from other types of leaders?

The visionary collaborator may be a CEO working with his suppliers and distributors  to set industry standards, like Jeff Mendelsohn at New Leaf Paper has done in the Paper Industry; they could be a set of non-profit leaders working together on enormous topics like Health, or Climate Change, like my colleagues at the Sonoma Valley Health Roundtable or the North Bay Climate Adaptation Initiative.  Or they could be  green champions in organizations, progressing change amongst various departments or throughout the organizational hieararchy.

Their task is made challenging, unique, rewarding and powerful because they are visionary, they are leaders, and because they know they must collaborate to be able to create their vision.  And they are both influencing change as well bringing their own original thoughts to the table, while navigating a group that must answer to multiple loyalties.

There is a classic diagram that we use in teambuilding, of many arrows pointing in opposite directions.  The task for the visionary collaborator is to help align those arrows in generally the same direction.    To state it simply, s/he is a person with original ideas about the future who is working with a group of unaffiliated people to achieve a common goal.  To do that they must use leadership, or  what I define as “the process of influencing others towards a specific goal(s). “

In essence, the visionary collaborator is honing her/himself to be an effective partner – one that others will flock to because they are trustworthy and able to create results.

I have been noticing that in this world, which is in crisis in so many ways – economically, environmentally, and socially – that collaboration has been an avenue for robust and extremely creative solutions to form.  Check out this interesting coalition as a start -

I have a belief that these skills can be taught, developed, and improved on over time – that leaders aren’t born, but are created.  That doesn’t mean they don’t have their own innate styles and strengths that can be brought to bear in these situations.  In fact, I would argue that given the complexity of collaboration, it is important to have a variety of styles and strengths for a collaboration to produce real, long-lasting results.

Here are some of the qualities that must be developed by the visionary collaborator:

1)      Self and organizational awareness.  One must be very aware of one’s own strengths, weaknesses, assets and liabilities; this awareness essentially allows one to partner fully with others.

2)      Ability to Achieve Results: These collaborators must be courageous, credible, urgent and tenacious.

3)      Ability to Cultivate  Relationship: These leaders must bring their own brand of patience, diplomacy, and consideration.

4)      Attention to Collaboration:  Finally, these unique people must be open, aware, empowerd, and discerning for their collaboration to succeed.

Over the next year, I will be exploring both qualities and skills that the visionary collaborator needs to succeed.  I will also look to many of my contemporaries in thinking about what makes a collaboration work, how to structure to succeed, and how to use the strengths that the individuals in the group bring to bear.  May it be a year of fruitful collaboration!

I will be facilitating Day 2 of this Summit.  NBCAI will be bringing together scientists, land managers, and policy makers from a multiplicity of disciplines – from health, to forestry, to emergency services.  They are keenly interested in the question, how WILL Sonoma County adapt and thrive in the face of Climate Change? The event is free – please join us! Register at the link above.

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?”

Six Key Lessons on Mapping Out a Business Case for Sustainability Initiatives | GreenBiz.com.

What resources do you refer to about sustainability?

What Stephen Gale (Stephen Gale & Associates) said about Getting Started:

Stephen Gale says: I like this site: The Global Footprint Network which began in 2003, and made popular the idea of the “Footprint”, or what they call “Resource Accounting.” The idea is that we all have an impact on the planet based on our own behaviours and choices, as well as on where we live. They help us see that by giving you an individualized “acreage” measurement. While not the endall of measurement tools, it is a great way to find out what your personal footprint is.

Find out YOUR footprint – Take the Footprint Quiz.

Stephen Gale also recommends an article by Business Week on the Sustainable Business Awards. He notes that the Awards slideshow segments nicely the issues that a business has to address in their sustainability process.

What Paul Hepperla(Energy & Emissions Expert) said about Getting Started:

There are a few important papers I provide when thinking about Sustainability, especially emissions:

The Business of Climate Change I & II - Lehman Brothers
Emissions: At What Cost – McKinsey

Both studies are a great reflection of the impact of climate change and emissions on business. What they show is that common sense when applied to a business creates sustainability, cost savings and a positive impact on the environment.

Sustainability and conservation are all about applied common sense. In the business world, many fail to make the connection between common sense and sustainability. Being too theoretical will cause folks to look at sustainability as a political issue rather than a critical business issue.

Movies To Watch:

David Hodgson says: I often suggest videos for people to watch, it can often be a quicker way to understand the roots.

Bill McDonaugh, leading designer, author of Cradle to Cradle, vanguard of the Eco-Industrial Movement, talks at Bioneers (an annual Conference in San Rafael, CA) in 2000 about how to design for sustainability. His presentation is hilarious and a great introduction to what we can all do to think about our business differently. (45 minutes)

The movie Baraka – photographs of the world set to music. Stunning. Gives a great sense of the beauty of the world, and what Bill Mcdonaugh calls the “Strategic Tragedy” that we are now in. (1 hour 36 min)

Manufactured Landscapes, a 2006 film by Edward Burtynsky that depicts the impact of industry on the environment. He says, “It is not a simple right or wrong. It requires a new way of thinking.” See the trailer at the website above.

Links that Don Carli Recommended for Getting Started :
World Business Council on Sustainable Development – A great site based out Europe and DC for information on Sustainable Development around the world.
Global Environment Management Initiative – They just produced a webtool to help businesses measure their climate impact.
UN Global Compact - The UN’s Foundation for helping businesses make committments to reduce their environmental impact. Has information on many different businesses around the world who are working on sustainability initiatives.

Books to Read:

Must Reads (Most Recommended by LinkedIn Community)

• Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken and Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins
• The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken
• Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Bill McDonaugh and Michael Braungart
• Green to Gold by Daniel C. Esty and Andrew S. Winston
• The Sustainability Advantage by Bob Willard

Books by Business Leaders:

• Mid-Course Correction by Ray Anderson, CEO, Interface
• Stirring it Up: How to Make Money and Save the World with Coupons by Gary Hishberg, “CE-Yo” of Stonyfield Farm Yogurt
• True to Our Roots: Fermenting a Business Revolution by Paul Dolan, former CEO of Fetzer, Current CEO of Parducci Winery, the first carbon-neutral winery in the United States.

Books about Sustainability, Leadership & Business:

• Leadership and the New Science, by Meg Wheatley (inter-disciplinary scientist)
• Worldchanging by Alex Steffen

Books about Making the Case for Sustainable Business:

• World Inc. : When it Comes to Solutions – Both Local and Global – Businesses are More Powerful than Government by Brice Piasecki
• Deep Economy by Bill McKibben
• Biomimicry – Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus
• Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumaker

Books about “How-To” Go Sustainable:

• Business Guide to Sustainability by Darcy Hitchcock & Marsha Willard
• The Sustainability Handbook – The Complete Management Guide to Achieving Social, Economic, and Environmental Sustainability by William R. Blackburn
• Plan B. 3.0 – Mobilizing to Save Civilization by Lester Brown
• Making Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing & Measuring Corporate Social & Environmental Impacts by Marc Epstein
• The Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best-run companies are Achieving Economic, Social, and Environmental Success by Andrew Savitz
• The Sustainable Company by Chris Laszlo
• Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth, and Humanity by Start Har
• The Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth by Mark Anielski

(Thank you to Pablo Päster, VP, GHG Management Innovations at ClimateCHECK , Gil Friend Founder of Natural Logic , Paul Hepperla Energy & Emissions Expert, Joseph McIntyre, Executive Director at Ag Innovations Network, Executive Director at Don Carli Senior Research Fellow at Institute for Sustainable Communication, Terry Taylor, President of Global Genesis, John Stayton, Director of The Green MBA at Dominican University, and David Hodgson VP of Engineering + Sustainability at OmDirect for contributing to this list).

Thanks, LinkedIn community, for your contributions to a robust resource list; they will be posted as part of a continuously updated page of resources on this blog.

For the rest of you –

What are your resources? What resources do you wish you had more of?