Thursday 7 April 2011

Ending the disease of short-termism

The recession we are in right now is grim, but nothing like the recession that awaits us if we don’t start living within our means.
Jonathon Porritt

I came across this wonderful line in an article by Paul Polman the CEO of Unilever. You can read the full article here.

Mr. Polman wrote his article in response to a Harvard Business Review article by Dominic Barton the global managing director of McKinsey & Company. You can read Mr. Barton’s article here.

Forum for the Future’s Jonathon Porritt is one of my hero’s. His book Capitalism as if the World Matters, Earthscan, 2005 is a must read for anyone being real about sustainability.

How much are your daily actions for the long term?
Does your kind of capitalism matter for the world?
How sustainable is your business?
How good is your business for people, and for our planet?
What legacy are you leaving?
How much money is enough for you?

Answering these kind of questions put our lives in perspective.

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. It contains 142 actions you can choose from to really make a difference.

Sustainable development is a dynamic process which enables people to realise their potential and to improve their quality of life in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance the earthʼs life-support systems.
Jonathon Porritt

Be the difference you want to see in the world
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community

If you have a deep hunger to:

make a real difference
leave a legacy
do something pioneering, breathtaking, and truly innovative
do well by doing good i.e. thrive in your business and solve a problem in your world at the same time
then please review all the details here of a year of changing what’s normal and get in touch with me without delay.

1 comment:

Rick Marton said...

Good article Ian. Unilever from a 'branding' point of view has certainly taken over our televisions - noticing their little 'Unilever tag' on so many ads. That got me watching them closer.

Their vision and purpose is very clear. Their personality in the way they do business seems to be the same and is backed up by the messages you share here.

They talk about sustainability and improving lives - the CEO is reflecting this in his messages.

Actions that actually match the purpose of an organisation as large as Unilever - that leadership needs to be applauded.

Thanks Ian.