I know you'd like to be a leader who contributes to sustainability. I imagine you want your company to be sustainable, not only economically, but also socially and environmentally. I know you'd like to one day tell your children or grandchildren that you did everything in your power within your organization to protect the environment, employees, and ethics.
I also know you're facing pressure from investors, new employees, and consumers to make your company sustainable. You've even started reporting data on your organization's ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance), which is proving very challenging.
It's a growing dilemma to balance increased revenue with sustainability requirements, but in reality, companies that meet these requirements are more resilient and earn more. Let's look at some examples:
- In the environmental field, we have the case of Patagonia, an outdoor clothing brand, which adopts many sustainable production practices and has seen consistent revenue growth. In the social sphere, we can cite Unilever, which, with its Dove and Ben & Jerry's brands, improved working conditions for its employees and promoted development in the communities where it operates. As a result, these brands have seen sales growth above the group's average.
- In terms of governance, the best-known cases are the bad examples that eliminated companies like BES, BPP, BPN, and Enron from the market.
If you want to increase your company's sustainability, answer some questions I would ask if I were coaching or team coaching you. Grab a pen and write down the answers to each of these 10 questions:
- Regarding your organization's purpose? (Governance)
- Why does the world need your organization?
- Whom do you serve, and what service do you provide them?
- What unique things can you do that the world of tomorrow needs?
- Regarding relationships within the management team (Social)
- What is the level of psychological safety within the team?
- What are team meetings like?
- How are you managing conflicts within the team? And with other employees?
- Regarding your stakeholders (Environmental, Social, and Governance)
- How are you dealing with each of your stakeholders?
- Who are the people you're forgetting and who might one day cause you problems?
- What would the stakeholder "future generations" look like for your organization?
- With those stakeholders you feel are antagonistic, how can you turn them into a resource?
I invite you to answer these questions in your daily life, to question the impact of your decisions, and to lead with a purpose that transcends immediate profit, aiming for global well-being and the continuity of future generations. After all, being a sustainable leader is more than a title – it's a responsibility and an opportunity to make a difference.
Isabel Freire de Andrade, Bright Concept's CEO
This article was published in the fall issue of Leader magazine.