What is Sustainability Anyway?

Sustainability means different things to different people. For some, it’s environmental stewardship. Others see stakeholder engagement. Some discuss philanthropy. While others simply say that they care for their communities. To be sustainable also means organizations are fiscally sound. So in a nutshell—sustainability is all these things.  There is a movement these days towards a discussion about a purpose led company—and in a sense this simple phrase also captures all those concepts that describe sustainability. I like the idea of living with a purpose so why not work and lead your companies with a purpose. 

I’ve decided to join the pack. Let’s talk about companies of purpose. What are they like? How do they treat the environment? How do they not only engage but listen deeply to their employees and customers…and begin to change their policies because they have heard something new –something that makes sense, creates a dedicated workforce and could affect the bottom line positively.

I spoke recently with a vice president at Mission Federal Credit Union and a funny thing happened to them when they started their project to “go solar” on several new buildings. Before the plans were completed, they stopped to listen to their employees who made suggestions on how to share the company’s focus on renewable energy with them—so they could take the concepts into their homes. They incorporated those changes because they are led by a purpose—that purpose is greater than their bottom line. That purpose is about engagement, deep listening (incorporating emotional intelligence) and finding creative solutions that include a conscious caring about the environment, and a conscious caring about the views and suggestions of their people. And by the way, many of these decisions will affect their bottom line---not just for the energy saved by initiating the solar and some of the environmental suggestions. They will have a dedicated and perhaps we could go as far as to say that when employees feel so included and listened to—they are happy at work. No telling how that feeling gets communicated to customers.

What is sustainability anyway? It’s creating a company of purpose, and with a legacy—benefitting all stakeholders, including the environment. It is a company that because it operates with a purpose—it is sustained.