Monday 31 May 2010

Are Pepsico, L’Oreal, Microsoft, and Walmart Good Corporate Citizens too?

Three CSR/Sustainability bloggers and practitioners that I admire, respect and follow are David Connor, Jeffrey Hollender, and Toby Webb. All three have recently posted blogs about companies who they feel are role models. David recently spent time with Microsoft people and Jeffrey with the CEO of Walmart Canada, and Toby has recently posted Ethical Corps 2010 Award Winners and Commended Companies.

See what David has to say about Microsoft here.

See what Jeffreyhas to say about Walmart here.

View Ethical Corp’s list here.

I would be very interested in other research you are aware of that provides evidence of other role models. Please get in touch with me.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Friday 28 May 2010

Cisco - a fine example of what a good corporate citizen looks like

Recently I had the privilege of speaking at the Key Media HR Summits in Singapore and Hong Kong. In Singapore I followed Jodi Krause, The Director for Organization Effectiveness for Cisco, who spoke on Engaging Talent for Greater Productivity. As my talk immediately followed Jodi’s, with no break for the audience, I was in the wings for her presentation which I thoroughly enjoyed. In fact it was uncanny how many times Jodi proved with real evidence what I was about to talk about and so of course in my own presentation I referred to what Jodi had said several times.

Later on Jodi and I had a fascinating chat about Cisco and their geniune CSR practices and we have since corresponded with one another.

Here is link to a video by Cisco CEO John Chambers and other Cisco leaders about their CSR practices and philosophies, 5 mins of great insight and some other great information via the link.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Wednesday 26 May 2010

45 tools, tips, and techniques for recruiting, engaging, and retaining great people

45 tools, tips, and techniques for recruiting, engaging, and retaining great people is the title of my latest ebook and perhaps my most practical ever to help SME owners, leaders, and employees be remarkable in todays challenging times.

My ebook is about:

Attitude towards ourselves and other people.

The great German playwright, poet, and novelist Goethe said:
If we see man as he is, he can only get worse. 
If we see man as he could be, he can only get better.

How do you see yourself and other people?

Appreciating ourselves and other people

The eminent psychologist William James observed:
The deepest principle of human nature is a craving to be appreciated.

How well do you genuinely appreciate yourself and other people?

Accountability
The lack of accountability across the board in the world today is the biggest reason in my view for our troubles as a human race.

Just think Wall Street, Politics!

Accountability is the other side of the coin to appreciation. And one without the other is a recipe for poor performance.

How well do you hold yourself and other people to account for less than agreed performance?

My ebook contains the best 45 tools, tips, and techniques I have designed and helped people to implement in the past 20 years that mean a better attitude towards people, greater appreciation of people, and higher levels of accountability. All these of course lead to greater performance and higher profits.

You can purchase my ebook here for a short time only for just $5 AUD!

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Monday 24 May 2010

The end of sustainability at least as we know it?

Blogger Jesse Stallone has some very interesting points to make about approaches to sustainability here.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Wednesday 19 May 2010

Could there be life without party politics?

David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s rise to Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of United Kingdom has got me thinking of life beyond party politics. Neither man’s party won enough votes in the recent election so they have been forced to collaborate in order to form a Government. Many doubt this so-called experiment will work. I for one think it is desperately needed: politicians in some ways ideological opposed, working together for the common good. Isn’t the common good what politicians are supposed to be working for?

Pity collaboration is not happening in America or Australia where party politics stands in the way of progress. Australian Prime Minister Rudd’s reputation is in tatters because he doesn’t have the numbers to turn his climate change legislation and other reforms into law and so he has back flipped on most of what he promised he would do before he got elected.

On the other side Opposition Leader (what a joke we have such a title) Tony Abbott talks tough and that’s about all, a typical politician, all huff and puff and no courage to put aside differences and actually achieve something that matters for the common good. In recent days Abbott basically admitted on National television that he doesn't always tell truth. His predecessor Malcolm Turnbull at least had courage and appeared to be honest. Sadly he got dumped.

President Obama received a Nobel Peace Prize based on a hope he would lead the world out of the pathetically self-interested way we have been led for centuries. Currently hope is looking hopeless as extraordinary vehemence dominates American politics and as a result necessary real reforms fade into oblivion.

Party politics is a great demonstration of either/or thinking and lies at the heart of the violence that dominates our world. Without party politics would there be such violence?

I vote for independent politicians. My hope is that one day such folk will out number the political parties and we will then have a chance at real democracy.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Monday 17 May 2010

Norway - a great example of how to run a country according to journalist Angela Shanahan

Angela Shanahan’s article in the Weekend Australian May 15-16 2010 tells of how Norway is a shining light amongst much economic doom and gloom.

As I read Angela’s article I asked myself how come I didn’t know this before? and, how come Norway’s story is not headline news all over the world?

Maybe it’s the skeptic and cynic in me however good news doesn’t seem to sell!

If there are other countries out there doing well by doing good please let me know and I will do my bit to spread good news stories.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Saturday 15 May 2010

The Death and Life of Corporate Responsibility by Jeffrey Hollender and Bill Breen

Here is a great manifesto by two leading edge corporate sustainability practitioners Jeffrey Hollender and Bill Breen.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Thursday 13 May 2010

The 21st Century Corporation according to CERES

The 21st Century Corporation: the CERES Roadmap to Sustainability makes excellent reading. You can download the 88 page PDF document here.

Ceres (pronounced “series”) is a network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups working with companies and investors to address sustainability challenges. A non profit organisation formed in 1989 CERES has been instrumental in many steps forward in the sustainability movement including the launching of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), now the de-facto international standard used for corporate reporting on environmental, social and economic performance.

Each section of this CERES document announces a compelling vision for each section e.g. Companies will embed sustainability from the boardroom to the copy room and will manage their entire value chain from a sustainability perspective. Each section also provides some very useful data about trends.

As I said at the beginning of this post this CERES publication makes excellent reading however for SME’s it may all sound too complicated.

My quest is to make sustainability simple. Please download my latest ebook (19 pages) eight is enough here.

If you are looking for a fast track to your long term sustainability goal and/or my ebook differencemakers - how doing good is great for business. See below for how to get it.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Monday 10 May 2010

Books about sustainability that really matter

One of the blogs I subscribe to and gain much from is Jeffrey Hollender’s - The Inspired Protagonist. Recently he referred to a list of books on sustainability that really matter. Please check out the list here.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Wednesday 5 May 2010

McKinsey - can social entrepreneurs create large-scale change?

There are some fascinating and insightful essays here by John Elkington, Bill Drayton, Sally Osberg, Paul Light, Mindy Lubber, and others to answer this question in the What Matters section of McKinsey’s websiite.

I was somewhat surprised by Elkington’s answer and would be interested in your thoughts on his and everyone else’s essays.

I particularly liked Paul Light’s essay on collaboration which for me is the key to bringing about the changes our world so desparately needs.

The ability and willingness to collaborate for the good of people and our planet is the new hallmark of real leadership for me and to date no politician has been able to do it so the baton lies waiting to be picked up by social entrepreneurs, entreprenuers, small business owners, big business owners; for me by insightpreneurs and differencemakers!

Connecting personal leadership, innovation, and sustainability is the key theme for this years differencemakers tour master-classes. You can find out more here.

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

Sunday 2 May 2010

Are these the top ten trends in building and growing sustainable businesses?

Here is a great article about what may well be the top 10 trends in building and growing a sustainable business. The article provides links to some great case studies.

“1. A deeper understanding of what sustainability means.

2. Your employees are your secret weapon.
3. Speaking with rather than to your customers.
4. Your impact goes well beyond what happens in your office.
5. Really get to know your suppliers.
6. The gap is getting bigger, which is both good and bad.
7. A more open environment to explore sustainability.
8. The ‘business case’ is wider than most realize.
9. Your new recruits will take you there.
10.Having fun with it.”

I would value your feedback on whether you think these are the top ten trends and what you would add or subtract.

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.

DNVYUZS4W9DW

Saturday 1 May 2010

Is doing good, REALLY good for business?

On 28th April I was interviewed by Gihan Perera of First Step Communications on the subject Is doing good Really good for business.

Gihan asked me some tough questions:

Do you have real evidence that this helps the bottom line?

Can we afford to do this in tough economic times?

Is it really the organisation's responsibility, or should they maximise shareholder return and leave it to the shareholders themselves to do the good?

Are organisations just doing this because it's good PR? (And if so, does it matter, as long as the good gets done?)

Are we in danger of doing superficial good and feeling smug about it (e.g. greenwashing), while neglecting the real problems?

I trust that my answers will challenge your mind, stirr your heart, and inspire you to take personal responsibility for sustainability.

You can listen to or download the interview here.

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Sign-up here for a least one free resource per month and to get your complimentary copy of my ebook Differencemakers - how doing good is great for business.