I read a great book over the recent holidays, Strategies for Sustainability - A Business Manifesto by Adam Werbach the Global CEO of Saatchi and Saatchi S.

I read this book from cover to cover in one sitting and have been back to it several times. It now has a permanent place on my desk. I liked the idea presented of helping people create personal sustainability projects as a key to their work.

For many years now I have been helping organisations to ensure that personal and business goals are in harmony with one another as a key to successful performance management and people engagement systems and adding personal sustainability into the mix I am certain with further enhance the success of this concept.

I like Werbach's book because it is practical. Read it and you can get started on sustainability for yourself and your business right away.

Speaking of practical, Will Marre's Top 10 Things Every Business Leader Should Know About Strategic Sustainability is brilliant. You can read them here. And please spend some time on Will's Thought Rocket blog as I did. I am sure you will find such a visit worthwhile.

While we are on lists Fast Company has a good list here of 51 great sites for those wanting to refine their sustainability strategies and tactics.

I found this list on development crossing where I also discovered Will Marre. Development crossing is the best community site I have come across that focuses on one thing namely corporate social responsibility.

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Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
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I like Werbach's book so much it has caused me to update my list of the top 21 books I recommend. You can download this list here.

Labels: Ian CSR Sustainability Innovation

In a report for IBM Global Business Services, George Pohle and Jeff Hittner make some excellent points from a survey of 250 global leaders that clearly advocate the business case for CSR/Sustainability including:

“A growing body of evidence asserts that corporations can do well by doing good. Well-known companies have already proven that they can differentiate their brands and reputations as well as their products and services if they take responsibility for the well-being of the societies and environments in which they operate.

68 percent are now utilizing CSR as an opportunity and a platform for growth.

Today, a surprising number of companies already regard corporate social responsibility as a platform for growth and differentiation. the shift in thinking from CSR as a cost or risk mitigation effort to CSR as a strategic goal that brings in new revenues.

Over two-thirds (68 percent) of the business leaders surveyed by IBM are focusing on CSR activities to create new revenue streams.

Over half (54 percent) believe that their companies’ CSR activities are already giving them an advantage over their top competitors.

The traditional adage, “buyer beware,” has now become “seller beware.”

A company’s most valuable asset is its ability to convert brand power into customer buying decisions. Only the company that shares reliable information can be a trustworthy “partner in sustainability” for customers who are ready to buy.

What happens when a customer walks into a store, a bank, a showroom, or even a factory floor and asks if the products they see are fair-trade or sourced sustainably? Do employees have the information at hand? Can they answer questions about the company’s labor practices and energy consumption as well as product disposal? Not usually. Are they prepared to have a real dialogue, one in which they learn about the customers’ needs? Not frequently enough, according to the respondents of the survey.

All too often in corporate life, the CEO announces a vision and the average employee is mystified or indifferent. With CSR, it can be different."

Please download the full report here.

I would also highly recommend an article published in the New York Times by Jared Diamond, distinguished author and professor of geography at University of California, 'Will Big Business Save the Earth?' You can read this article here.

Is CSR/Sustainability key to your growth strategy?

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Partnering passionate people to change what’s normal for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Labels: Ian CSR Sustainability Innovation