Leadership
Exemplary cases of sustainability leadership and intrapreneurship, and the qualities, ethical principles and/or dilemmas inherent within them.
E.ON Announces Shift to Renewables as Part of Bold New Corporate Strategy
German power and gas giant E.ON has announced it will now focus on renewables, distribution networks and customer solutions, and spin off its conventional generation, global energy trading, and exploration and production businesses into a new, independent company (“New Company”), a majority of which will be spun off to E.ON SE shareholders.“I’m pleased that the Supervisory Board unanimously approved the Board of Management’s proposed new strategy, which will give our employees and our investors clear prospects in two strong companies that are viable for the future,” E.ON Supervisory Board Chairman Werner Wenning said.
Salesforce, Atlassian Launch Initiative on #GivingTuesday to Encourage Early Stage Corporate Philanthropy
Today is #GivingTuesday, a day dedicated to charitable giving, harnessing the power of social media and the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities. In the spirit of the day, The Salesforce Foundation, Atlassian and Entrepreneurs Foundation of Colorado announced the Pledge 1% program, setting a target of securing 500 pledges by #GivingTuesday 2015.The program is the result of corporate social responsibility leaders coming together to encourage and challenge their peers to pledge 1% of their company’s equity, product and employee time for their communities.
ASBC Summit Attendees Chart Path and Policies to a Sustainable Economy
The American Sustainable Business Council’s (ASBC) third annual summit Nov. 13 and 14 in Washington, D.C. brought together 150 entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and elected officials to discuss the state of play—and possibilities—for policies that advance a sustainable economy.Founded in 2009, ASBC is a national business advocacy policy organization representing over 200,000 businesses across the nation. ASBC works on a wide range of policy issues at the federal and state level, working to advance a sustainable economy by shifting markets and policies. ASBC raises up the voice, presence and power of business to create jobs, grow business and build a sustainable US economy.
General Mills Takes Stand on Water Security
General Mills released a new water policy this week that factors water risk considerations into business decisions, including where to locate new facilities. A primary aim is to improve the health of watersheds—particularly those critical to the company’s business.Last night at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Global Water Summit, General Mills chairman and CEO Ken Powell spoke about the company’s efforts to conserve and protect global water resources critical to the business. He shared the company’s journey of “über-collaboration” with stakeholders to improve the health of watersheds and announced significant steps the company is taking to ensure freshwater for future generations.
53 California-Based Firms Receive Top Marks in LGBT Workplace Inclusion Scorecard
53 California-based companies, including Apple, Google and Facebook, have received perfect scores in an annual report assessing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) workplace inclusion.The 2015 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) is a project of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization. As the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices related to LGBT workplace equality, the 2015 CEI unveiled that a record 366 businesses — spanning nearly every industry and geography — earned a top score of 100 percent and the distinction of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality.”
Report: Sustainability Leaders Gaining Ground in Global Boardrooms
Sustainability leaders have increasing influence over decision-making, strategy and budgets in boardrooms worldwide, according to a new report by analyst firm Verdantix.
How Leadership on Sustainability Shapes Smart Regulatory Policy
This past year, we’ve seen some bold action by companies in what we’ve dubbed the business-policy nexus, and it’s taking several different forms. Some have been calling for state or federal action on environmental impacts, while others are taking far-reaching voluntary efforts that could help support policy advocacy in the future.Whether you view engagement on public policy as risk mitigation, providing market certainty, supporting corporate sustainability goals or securing competitive advantage, leading businesses are increasingly stepping up their efforts to support smart policy reform that will benefit the environment and economy.
#SB14London: Henisz Teaches Lessons in Corporate Diplomacy
On Wednesday afternoon, Witold Henisz, presented his recent book, Corporate Diplomacy: Building Reputations and Relationships with External Stakeholders, offers corporate leaders a framework to increase their effectiveness when engaging customers and external stakeholders.At the center of the conversation are multinational companies, which too often don’t engage with their communities, suppliers, partners and employees.
Study: Current and Future Business Leaders Agree on Most Sustainability Challenges
Current and future leaders believe the most significant leadership challenge facing business today is the integration of sustainability into core business operations, according to a new study by BSR, GlobeScan and Net Impact.
#SB14London: How Holonomic Thinking Can Help Us Upgrade Our Leadership Skills for the New Economy
On the way into this workshop, I overheard a remark that this was a novel session, and involved working with clay … this turned out to be absolutely true, but more on that later.Simon Robinson and Maria Moraes Robinson are the co-authors of Holonomics: Business Where People and Planet Matter. The obvious question is, what exactly is ‘Holonomics’? Simon explained that he and Maria had struggled to find a suitable term for the point where ‘wholeness’ and ‘economics’ converge, and decided to create Holonomics, shorthand to describe the way in which we view the outside world, and especially the naturally occurring but complex systems in nature.
The Business-Policy Nexus: Why the Time for Leadership Is Now
As we approach the 25-year anniversary of EDF’s work with the corporate sector, it’s an opportune time to reflect on our successes and plan for the work ahead.Over the years we have worked with McDonald's, Walmart, FedEx, KKR and many others to integrate sustainability into their operations, strategy, and supply chain management. Together, we have kick-started market transformations in sectors including fast food, shipping, retail, private equity and commercial building energy efficiency. While we’ve made great strides, there remains a huge distance to go in order to fully protect our natural resources, clean up our dirty energy system, and turn the corner on global greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
UCLA Creates $15 Million Self-Replenishing Sustainability Fund
UCLA has announced the creation of a $15 million self-replenishing fund to support campus sustainability projects — the largest fund of its kind in the United States.The university says creating the UCLA Energy and Sustainability Revolving Fund is a way to acknowledge that sustainability is a way to help minimize climate change, as well as a good financial investment. The fund will be created through bond financing and will not use tuition or student fees, UCLA says. Supporters will also be able to donate to the fund to support sustainability at the university.
Report: Chief Sustainability Officers Expanding from Tactical Executors to Strategic Lynchpins
Chief Sustainability Officers (CSOs) have expanded their responsibilities from internal program managers to strategic lynchpins who guide corporate strategy, identify product innovation opportunities, and orchestrate sustainability initiatives both inside and outside the company, according to a new report by The Weinreb Group.
Beware of Knotworks – Networks with Ego
I do not know who the artist is who drew this cartoon (above), so I cannot acknowledge them, but it seems to be quite famous and has been doing the rounds for some time now. I added the ego – eco element myself, and ego is something I would really like to explore as we move from a hierarchical society to a networked, co-creative society.
CDP: Microsoft, SAP, Unilever Among 'A List' Companies Doing the Most to Combat Climate Change
This week, CDP revealed its list of 187 companies illustrating that a low-carbon future does not mean low profit.The 2014 Climate Performance Leadership Index (CPLI), which highlights companies taking action to mitigate climate change, outperforms The Bloomberg World Index by 9.6 percent.
The Home Depot Named EPA 2014 WaterSense Partner of the Year
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named The Home Depot a 2014 WaterSense Partner of the Year for its commitment to water efficiency and efforts to educate Americans about WaterSense products throughout its stores and online.Through the sale of nearly 13 million WaterSense® labeled products, The Home Depot helped American consumers save more than 42.5 billion gallons of water and over $358 million in water utility costs. This is enough water to supply 291,000 US homes for a full year.This is The Home Depot's third EPA partner award in 2014, marking the second consecutive year the retailer has won three key EPA honors — WaterSense Partner of the Year, ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year and SmartWay Excellence Award.
Study: Most European CEOs Believe Successful Business Combines Profit and Purpose
Nearly nine in ten (86%) current CEOs and future business leaders believe businesses should have a social purpose, but just a fifth of the younger generation agrees they are doing so, according to a new study by Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) in partnership with Cranfield’s Doughty Centre for Corporate Responsibility and The Financial Times’ FT Remark (FT).
On Creativity, Ego and Transformational Leadership
I’ve been having some great conversations recently on the theme of transformational leadership with some very amazing people, and these conversations have triggered a few thoughts I would like to share.I’d like to start by turning if I may to this metaphorical model of the four qualities of knowing — earth, water, air and fire.
H&M, Unilever Commit to Climate Change Disclosure as Matter of Fiduciary Duty
H&M, Unilever, Nestlé and several other leading companies and investors have committed to reporting climate change through the Climate Change Reporting Framework or other comparable frameworks as a matter of fiduciary duty, whether or not required by current regulation.This represents an unprecedented collective commitment and a practical step capable of enabling positive change in economic and financial market activity at scale.
Why It's Time to Reframe the Role of Sustainability Leaders
My first big CSR/sustainability event was the 2010 Net Impact Conference - I had been invited there to speak on a panel on intrapreneurship, which gave me the opportunity to sit in on a number inspiring and insightful talks. One of the sessions I attended was an interview with BSR CEO Aron Cramer. As I recall, much of that hopeful, engaging discussion centered on transparency — a topic that’s close to my heart.
