Its always interesting reading a book by someone you know. 

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!

I had the opportunity to work with the Laguna Foundation over the last several months to design and deliver their “State of the Science symposium”.  This year’s theme was Meeting the Challenge: Strategies for Adapting Watershed Ecosystems to Climate Change.  Over the three days, we saw over 200 scientists, land managers, public policy decision-makers, and non-profits.

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.

We are excited to be working with a group of fellow practitioners in the realm of sustainability to present the following workshop series:

Sustainability on a Shoe String  Click here to register now

A Practical Guide to Getting Work Done in a Changing Workplace

Managers as Facilitators: A Practical Guide to Getting the Work Done in a Changing Workplace has been one of those unexpected treasure troves of information.  The Christmas of 2006, we went to visit my sweetheart’s parents in Indiana.  His mother was just in the process of clearing out books, readying for retirement, and as a retired Human Resources Manager, what a library she had.  This was one book in  a large box that I picked out for myself.   I have  since recommended Managers as Facilitators to clients, who have “gained more in a scan than they have from entire classes on facilitation”,  as well as reading and re-reading it myself.  Now Terry, the principle at Global Genesis, also uses it when thinking about teams.

Managers as Facilitators does several things.

First, it is prescriptive: It tells you how to start a team well, clarifying from the very beginning things such as charge, purpose, roles, goals, and operating procedures.  As the title implies, it is meant for the manager to help their team move quickly through the stages of group development, and points out the tools needed from the manager’s perspective to help the team as a facilitator, not a manager.  The process it uses is thorough, matched with excellent questions to help you.  Their definition of “Facilitation” is best described in the model below – to serve the group by helping them accomplish their task. We might modify that to say, to help the group achieve the results they are looking for – but the emphasis is the same, on the group.

Facilitation Model

Second, it is inclusive: It includes not only the intellectually-based process tools, but discusses the finer nuances of facilitating group dynamics, of understanding conflict.  In Chapter 3, it discusses “Using Yourself as an Instrument” and “Group Dynamics” – explaining. for example, how theories such as Tuckman’s Model (Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing) apply to groups.  It also discusses how one can reflect what they are seeing to the group, checking your own assumptions about what is happening in a particular instance, and then using that to help the group make a break-through.

Finally, it is Subtle: One of the most challenging pieces of facilitation is knowing when to step in, and when to step back; how to deal with dysfunctional individuals; how to help groups work with conflict productively.

For example, Managers as Facilitators notes that process only works for as long as it works for the group; but as soon as it doesn’t, how do you deal with it?  Well, you check in with the group; you adjust and fine-tune; you “co-design.”  This book encourages that kind of subtlety – a point that if missed, could damage the facilitators credibility with the group, as well as the group’s satisfaction with the outcome.

It doesn’t shirk from the hard questions, either – the book also includes a great chapter on “What to do if” – for example, what to do if you have someone who is consistently late or otherwise distracted/distracting.  Or, “What to do if” you have a heated, personal conflict between two  individuals.  The authors do an excellent job of presenting ideas for action in a quick, easy-reference type fashion – you could, as a facilitator, take this with you in your bag, and whip it out quickly during a break if you were really stuck.

What one must be careful of: My criticisms are few of this book, but would probably be limited to that subject of subtlety.  They suggest that the “Team Charter” (the Purpose, Goals, Roles, and Operating Procedures) can be done in a day.  I would say, that is really an ideal situation – and at times, it could take less than that, and at others, it could take more.  The danger, always, of following a prescription is to lose your sense of intuition within the group; I would echo their warning that this is a guide, not a recipe.  Unlike baking -which requires some science, measurements are precise and determine the success of your product, Facilitation is an art. Your intuition serves you well while Facilitating.

The Authors, Richard G. Weaver and John D. Farrell are practitioners as well as teachers.  They have clients, students, (Mr. Weaver is a professor at the University of St. Thomas) and have obviously done a lot of thinking on the topic.  This book was written in the 90s in the big craze of self-determined teams, mission statements etc.; it seems to take the best of what is, and remains highly relevant for work-place teams of the day.

Some of you may know – the Sustainable Enterprise Conference is coming up on May 8, 2009 at Sonoma Mountain Village.  If you haven’t registered – you can register on May 7 online.

As a part of the publicity, I was asked to do an interviewer with Coach Betty on Green Think Radio.

She was a great interviewer, and we had a wonderful conversation about the beginnings of the conference, about what we are doing at the conference, and about my personal vision and passion for sustainability.

Really fun! www.womenonair.biz to listen to the interview.

April Capil wrote a beautiful blog entry noting her own struggle with breast cancer, and the very real comparisons to business at large, to change, and to why sustainability matters. Thanks April!

When it rains, it pours.

Over the last several months, we have had an abundance of blessings – my sweetheart and I have purchased a fixer-upper house, and have been in the throes of ripping out carpet, ripping down wall paper, painting, putting in new flooring, moving, and finally, hosting 17 people for Thanksgiving. Rewarding, and highly stressful (they say moving is amongst the most stressful events in a human beings’ life.) This along with the challenges all of us have faced over the last few months of anxiety over the elections, massive fluctuations in the market, and watching people lose their homes, their jobs, and at times, their communities. (Christopher, my sweetheart, is in the financial sector – you can imagine the stress that creates.)

So how, in all of this, does one maintain one’s own sanity, health, good temper – essentially, one’s personal sustainability?

This has been an important question for me (floating amongst all of the other important questions, like what paint to use, or, how will the market affect our clients?)

It has not been an easy one. In fact, as I sit here, writing for the first time in two months, it is clear to me how fast all of those good habits of meditation, writing, exercise, good food, and time with friends was thrown out the window.

Can we always do everything? No. So, how do we choose what is most important?

I lived on an organic fruit farm for about a year and a half, through two pruning seasons. And during that time, I learned how to prune grapes – they had about 20 varieties of heirloom table groups that were just stunning in their variety and flavor.

Pruning grapes turned out to be one of the most challenging and rewarding tasks I took on, and is a metaphor I refer to a lot when I am having to focus on what’s most important.

Imagine a grape vine, bare of leaves. Every vine has about 25 woody “shoots” or spurs, that are growing from the vine, looking like a crazy bush of muppet rastafarian hair. Your job is to take this vine and these shoots from 30 to around 10. So, how?

Grapes before they are pruned

The first step is to use simple processes of prioritization – is the shoot oriented correctly, is it big and healthy or small and puny, is it diseased, is it spaced well? After clipping those off down to the vine, that leaves you with about 16 big, healthy shoots, just waiting to burst forth with leaves and juicy grapes the next year. But wait – you still need to take 6 off!

And this is the hardest part of the process. Because, at this point it is pure judgment call. You don’t know if one will do better than the other, or will stay healthier longer. For some reason, that first year, it was agonizing for me – what if I chose the wrong one - and marred the plant, or worse, killed the plant by taking off too many? It took me forever to get through a row, and although my farm-mates encouraged me to just “make a decision, already!” I found that my concern slowed me to a snail’s pace.

I have the same habit in the rest of life – I am so in love with opportunities, that “clipping a shoot” literally feels like I am killing an opportunity? And the same line of questions runs through my brain – what if its the wrong one?

Grapes after they are pruned

The second year, though, I went out there, with the benefit of having seen the results of the first year’s pruning. The places where I had pruned more intensely were fine – in fact, they were vigorous and healthy. Guess what – I hadn’t killed the vine! It helped to see the logic of pruning, the results of my efforts, and how I could fine-tune the second time.

I found that not only was I faster at pruning, but that I was able to teach others, and feel confident doing so; I saw the plant in an entirely different way – more about cultivating grapes, than cutting off woody stems. I became (almost) as fast as the good folks who had been doing it for years.

The whole point of pruning is to be able to send more energy to the things that you know are most important. It is, literally, to cultivate the best possible opportunities to grow the best possible grapes, when they are still months and months away from growing.

These last few weeks, I have had to prune, at least temporarily, so that my finite time, energy and resources could go to the things that were truly most urgent AND important. The results? I sit in my warm, new home, relaxing this Thanksgiving weekend. My sweetheart and I are even more in love. And I am learning to be increasingly efficient AND effective with my time. Some of the pieces I have pruned from my life are not doing so well – but surprisingly, some of the other pieces I have pruned are doing much better without my attention; it has allowed other leaders to step up, and for me to recreate my role in those projects.

Pruning does not always result the way we wish it – but by keeping your eye on your job of cultivating what you want to achieve, as opposed to focusing on what throws itself at you, it becomes easier and easier to prune, year by year.

There comes a time in everyone’s life when one must become very, very clear on priorities, to get through a particularly challenging time. I believe our nation is in the midst of such a time – where we have to remember what is important, what will keep us going in the long term, and we have to choose where we want our finite resources to go. What an opportunity to cultivate clarity!

Winter-time, with its short, cold days is a time that lends itself to introspection. The next few posts I will do will be on managing time, cultivating clarity, and remembering what is truly most important. Much of this is based off of the training that I do in time management. May you find it useful.

I picked up the Complete MBA for Dummies a couple of weeks ago, curious as to whether one could actually get a Complete MBA through reading a 414-page (including the index) book. While I can’t answer that question, I was struck by the first chapter. They said that the thing each organization needs to be prepared for, to expect, to relish, is… (drum roll please)…

The Prospect, the Countenance, the Reality of Change.

It was, to say the least, very confirming.

The truth of it, in these days, with the rapidity of change, the complete turnover of technology (where did the analog system go?), most businesses, non-profits, and everyone else are aware of the need to be prepared for change.

And yet, we still have trouble adjusting for change, building for it, preparing for it. Oh, maybe at the beginning of an organization’s life, when everything is being created, it is easier. Structures are malleable, and people are open. But, as Terry Taylor says…

Nothing Fails Like Success.

Success breeds satisfaction, rigidity. And while we don’t need to imitate Mao with a Cultural Revolution (aka purge) every 10 years, we do need to keep the learning curve fresh for ourselves. Keeping the Learning Curve – essentially, the ability to innovate, fresh is one of the key reasons that so many large organizations have attempted to create smaller entrepreneurial organizations within.

So, how can you design an organization so it is fully ready to surf the wave of change?

How can you ready your people? How can you predict curves and swoops of change, and take advantage of it through strategy and precise action?

The Reconfigurable Organization:

A fantastic book, Designing Dynamic Organizations, suggests the Reconfigurable Organization as a strategy. It says that there are five components to organizational design, and how you handle each of them will directly impact your ability to maneuver change – and have negative consequences if you fail to do so.

The five components of organizational design:

1. Strategy – The strategy for the organization must be integrated into the organizational design. The direction of the company – its goals, its vision, the reality of the economy, environment, and market must all inform how an organization is designed.
2. Structure - The authors refer to the structure as the home, the body of the organization. How functions are organized, and how roles are defined, will have a subtle and not-so-subtle impact on how energy in the organization is channeled, how work is accomplished, and on the focus of the organization.
3. Processes and Lateral Capability - Specialization of function, while it has its obvious strengths, naturally creates boundaries and barriers to collaboration. This can be overcome by looking at the interpersonal communication networks, informal and formal, the technological networks, and by specifically naming integrative roles that, as the authors point out, form the “glue” of the organization.
4. Reward Systems - How people are rewarded signifies how the organization measures success. What types of results and behaviors is the organization looking for? How can it encourage those by what it measures, incentivizes, and discourages?
5. People Practices – Depending on what the organization needs, the skills, competencies, and resources of its people could significantly change. How you are selecting, developing, and what you are giving feedback on should evolve in tandem with the how the organization evolves.

The authors make the point that if any of these pieces do not reflect the organization’s current needs, it could lead to confusion, friction(inability to execute), gridlock (no collaboration), internal competition, and low performance. Any of these problems sound familiar?

Their solution? The Reconfigurable Organization – an organization that by its very design is ready to change and evolve with the organization’s needs; that encourages collaboration and execution. They point out -

If change is constant, why not design the organization to be constantly and quickly changeable?

The Reconfigurable Organization is characterized by…

• Active Leadership
• Knowledge Management
• Learning
• Flexibility
• Integration
• Employee Commitment
• Change Readiness

Designing Dynamic Organizations walks you through the process of organizational re-design, discussing everything from focus groups to the design process. They are thorough, accessible, and really intending the group for leaders and practitioners, pointing out that top leaders and HR Directors will find this very useful. It is the best book I have found on looking at how an organization can be designed to meet the needs of its most fundamental asset – its people.

How Ready for Change is Your Organization?

How can an organization be designed to innovate and work with change effectively? What are the design components of an organization that is truly “Ready for Change”?

It is useful to think first about the work of Ichak Adizes, who wrote The Corporate Life Cycle in 1988. He notes that similar to biological systems, organizations are “born,” they learn, they peak, then they (can) fade. He talks about the Business Function of Organizations, and how the needs of the organization change over time. He also talks about how by understanding where your organization is, you can figure out how to give it the “nutrients” (my words) it needs to re-energize.

The Corporate Lifecycle, by Ichak Adizes (1988)

This slide to the side summarizes his ideas. When an organization is in the early stages, it is merely focused on performing services. “Just do it!!” is the idea. As an organization matures, it becomes more and more necessary to focus on how the service is being provided. After that, the organization is looking to be one step ahead of the curve – how can we anticipate the competition. Many best practices have been established in the organization, but the organization must not rest on its laurels. Finally, the organization moves on to integration – whether through vertical or horizontal mergers, externally, or through looking to its people, and thinking about their long-term success.

It is easy to see this pattern in an organization I have been a part of for the last several years, the Sustainable Enterprise Conference. The process that it took to get the conference to be the success it is now very much mimics the path that Adizes notes.

2005: The conference started when Robert Girling, a friend and colleague, went to a large conference in Marin called Bioneers, and came back with the idea of having a conference in the North Bay. He invited a number of people to come brainstorm with him – community activists, Sonoma State & Green MBA professors, business people who were interested or working in sustainable business. I was in that organizing meeting, and ended up being the “Director” for the conference, organizing the efforts of the many volunteers over the course of the next several months. In April, 2006 we thought we would get 150 people – we were shocked when we “sold out” at 220, turning people away.

That year, there was a huge learning curve – and boy was it a rock & roll roller-coaster as we learned about sustainability, how to run and market a conference, how to work together, and clarified, over the course of time, what our true purpose was. In terms of the Adizes model, we implemented systems as we could – but really, the focus was on producing that one day. We had to prove the “business” of the conference was a success.

In 2007, the second year, I was director again. We decided to expand the conference to two days, and to increase our number of targeted guests. That year, I became much more organized; we structured the work differently; there were many more volunteers who had much more ownership. My job became more manageable as a result, although I found myself working much harder as volunteer coordinator than I had the first year. When I compare that year to the Adizes model, we were clearly in stage 2, Administer. Systems became much more important; we didn’t want to “reinvent the wheel”. We were much more focused on fine-tuning.

In 2008, I decided that it was time for people who had a different set of skills to take the director-ship. As a group, the Steering Committee had decided it didn’t want to rely on volunteers as much; it wanted professionals to take the helm on logistics, coordinating sponsors once we had made contact, and otherwise managing the flow of the conference. So, we hired two “co-directors” of the conference, Deborah Grace Kraft & Stacey Ward, and one marketing director, Ryn Longmaid, in addition to our steadfast webmaster Oren Wool & graphic artist Alana Jelinik. These people brought specialization in detail & event management, in marketing; and Oren & Alana were benefiting from having worked in their capacity in previous years. The team took the “Administer” stage of the Adizes model to a new level; writing policy, clarifying decision-making processes; establishing strong working relationships.

As we prepare for 2009, we are clearly in the Entrepreneurial stage, with forays into the Integrative Stage. We are attempting to figure out what is “cutting edge.” Particularly now that “sustainability” and “green” are mainstream words, the question is, how do we help our local enterprises continue to push and challenge their own edge.  We are also re-examining our organizational structure, something we do every year, formalizing different committees and roles that are greater than function, and speak to the purpose of the conference.  More on that later.

Where is your organization?

In the next article, we will talk about how knowing where your organization is can help you design systems that will help you work most effectively and efficiently.

In the last post, we talked about managing the psychological impacts of change. We talked about how change is inevitable, as are the emotional consequence of change. Lets dive a little deeper in how you negotiate the waves of change for your own, and others’, benefit.

The Leader of Influence

Covey's Circle of Focus

In the post, Tactics for Leading Change, I made the argument that a Leader’s most effective long-term tool is that of influence. Influence, while being a less direct route to making change, has a much larger impact.

The tool shown here is modified from Stephen Covey’s “Circle of Focus” first described in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The Circle of Focus contains anything whose behavior you can directly control. This includes you, your dog (possibly), your small child (before they begin walking, maybe), and, for a very short time, anyone who you are able to exercise direct power and authority over. I say a short time, because if you have to exercise direct power and authority for long periods of time, you are likely engaged in a power struggle which can tend towards dysfunctional, passive-aggressive behaviors.

So, lets say that the Circle of Focus contains, essentially and most functionally, you. The Circle of Influence contains anything that you have some degree of, well, influence, that directly affects you and thus warrants you exercising your influence. Typically, you must work with others in this circle – you can’t effectively get the outcome most beneficial to you without the help of others. Thus, we spend much of our time in the Circle of Influence.

Finally, the Circle of Concern contains everything that concerns you, but that you don’t have any control over. There are times, particularly in the short term, when it is important to realize those things – that realization can bring a lot of relief.  IE, your children may do what they do; the polar bears may die; China may soon take over the world in carbon; etc.

However, the trick to this circle, is to be expanding the Circle of Influence into that Circle of Concern. Thus, much of Sustainability change is about helping individuals, companies, governments, non-profits, know that they CAN do something that will positively impact the environment, future generations, and their global community.

Working in your Circle of Influence

There are books and books written on how to “Increase Your Influence NOW!” and “Be a More Influential Person!” They describe mainly tactics – not fundamentals – for increasing your influence, including trading favors, complimenting the right person, putting your best foot forward. And while these tactics may be helpful when used wisely, they are like dust in comparison to a person who is filled with integrity and character, whose results and competence are trusted, and who shows discernment in how they exert and increase their influence.

So, how do you expand your Circle of Influence? Here are a few fundamentals.

1. Know Thyself. The fundamental lives on. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses, seeking feedbackand making appropriate changes, knowing your values and vision for your personal life is where you have to begin. Starting from there, you will attract people and build respect because of your clarity.

2. Be Trustworthy. If you say you are going to do something, do it. Live to your commitments to yourself and to others. By doing that, you build trust which you can draw on when you need it most – making a change for something you believe in.

3. Exhibit Competence & Follow-Through. Trust does not come without Respect. Let me repeat – Trust does not come without Respect. In our intellectually driven, outcomes-oriented culture, respect comes when people show they “can get the job done.” Doing whatever it takes to be really, really good at what you do, whether it is developing skills, exhibiting willpower and perserverence, or being clear about what you can and can’t do, delivering results based on competence and character is the fastest way to build respect.

I am a huge fan of a book written by Stephen Covey’s son, Stephen M. R. Covey, called The Speed of Trust. There, he talks about how business happens much faster – and I would add that change happens much easier – when there is trust. He also discusses how people can build their own “trustworthiness”, through exhibiting character, integrity, competence, and results, and gives some keys to developing trustworthiness yourself. Highly recommended read.

Using Influence to Create Change

Back to change. A leader who wants to make a fundamental change – whether or not this leader has authority – can do so by weaving a wide web of influence. Building trust amongst your community (professional, personal, and everything in between) builds your influence.

In a sense, you have built up, over time, the slow way, a sort of “Influence bank account.” Stephen M.R. Covey goes so far as to call it a “Trust Account.” So how do you spend it?

A few tips on Creating Change by Using Your Influence:

1. Choosing your battles. In this world, discerning which battles are worth taking on is an important one. Battling everything and everyone to get your way (or the way of a select few) can pay off if there are results. But if the strain of the risk is too great, and it doesn’t “pan out” (a reference to the might risky business of panning for gold) it can actually break down people’s willingness to follow you when they most need to.

2. You have to spend it to make it. Building “social capital” by making introductions, helping people out, taking risks on changes you and your team believe it actually builds trust not only in your team, but also in the organization at large. Because you are choosing your battles, you develop a reputation for taking thoughtful risks – and when you believe strongly that something needs to change, people will pay attention because of that.

3. Keep your eye on what’s best for the collective, and make sure it stays there. As soon as people know that you are promoting self over the collective, they will begin to question your motives. If your “trust account” is high, that is not a big deal, particularly if you are transparent about it. But the greater the change you are proposing, the greater the need for a large “trust account”, and the more you need to keep an eye on promoting the collective over the self.

Next post, we will talk about how an organization can be designed to innovate and work with change effectively.