Black, Green, & Blue – The Sustainability Trifecta

Is your company focused on developing and implementing green sustainability initiatives? If so then you’re probably quantifying those initiatives in terms of carbon related savings. If so, you may be missing other equally important ways to portray the difference your teams are making.

Companies develop and implement improvement initiatives as part of annual strategic planning activities or periodic departmental business reviews. If you’re like most companies, these activities are most likely measured as reductions in expense, increases in revenue, or impact to gross margin. While these measures are important consider that all improvements can also be characterized in terms of infrastructure, resource, technology, and other variables. Essentially all changes in the business design effects the business footprint and it’s the business footprint that impacts the consumption of energy, water and other valuable natural resources.

Consumers are becoming more sensitive to how and where they allocate their purchasing power. They want to know they’re getting value from their purchase decisions and that companies they choose to do business with employ responsible and sustainable business practices that are good for the environment and the broader community.

Taking the time to view your business in a systemic and holistic way and altering your marketing message to how your business is employing profitable(black) and sustainable(green and blue) programs will create market differentiation resulting in a positive impact to the buyer’s purchasing decisions. In addition, looking at the business from a broad view allows you to see opportunities you may have missed using a more narrow approach. The opportunity is to develop a business system that is optimized for the consumer, the community and the environment.

If you find yourself unclear how best to define the cause and effect relationships discussed above then perhaps you might consider engaging the Supply Chain professionals at ASIL. ASIL consultants are Logistics and Supply Chain professionals with over 100 years experience in various Supply Chain roles. ASIL consultants are well versed in sustainable business practices and can assist your team in correlating the black, green and blue impact from investment decisions in facilities, people, technology, and supply chain infrastructures. We have a proven track record of pragmatic solutions and welcome the opportunity to serve you and your clients. Call us today and let us help you achieve new areas of profitability and success in this ever changing economic climate.

Contributed by Warren White

Spotlight

The Leader as a Coach

There are many Leadership styles that exist, and each Leader has a unique way of embracing their role as a leader. Since there are so many aspects of leadership, I will focus on one important aspect; the Leader as a Coach.

Coaching may conjure up many images for all of us. We have seen stories of great coaches and ones that chose to display conduct that was not so great. All Coaches are assessed on their abilities to achieve the goals and objectives of the team. Successful Coaches employ a series of techniques to develop a competitive advantage. This in turn attracts the best talent and the desire to win together. Here is a short list of techniques to consider as the Leader being a Coach.

• Encourage individualism and build teamwork
• Teach skills and perfect techniques
• Develop game perspective and independent thinking
• Instill the strategic tenants and employ tactical plays
• Measure performance and recalibrate approach
• Take calculated risk and drive for results
• Grow from mistakes and celebrate victories

The best Coaches routinely demonstrate the above and much more. As Leaders we can learn from good coaches because we can apply the same general approach and techniques in our companies. It is not all roses, as the dangers of over coaching can negatively impact Leaders that hold on too tight.

When control is over used it becomes a weakness and causes the Team to breakdown and not achieve their potential. One of the most difficult things for Leaders to do is ‘learning to let go’. In many ways a good Coach struggles with the same challenge. Yelling out every movement like a chess piece during the game is not beneficial for the players or employees. The planning, practice and steps leading up to the successful outcome require time and focus.

If your Leadership requires a bit of coaching in order to increase your game effectiveness, give the professionals at ASIL a call. We can increase your coaching skills and facilitate the development of a winning team. Now, ‘Go win one for the Gipper’.

Contributed by Peter Pazmany

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Industry Trends

Sustainability Education – An Industry “Must”

The Bay Area is on the path of becoming the new Silicon Valley for green/clean technology.  Companies are emerging, obtaining funding and schools are ramping up their educational and certification programs.   The educational institutions are developing sustainability and environmental curriculum in three focus areas: Environment, Society and Economics.

Sustainability Venn Diagram
Source: Dale Rogers, University of Nevada, Reno

Companies are hiring Sustainability and Environmental Managers to incorporate the growing demand for organizations to reduce and reuse our environmental resources, comply to society’s ethical and legal responsibility, and develop technology and process changes that are economical and profitable. The goal is to hit the "Ideal" sweet spot in the above Venn diagram to balance all three initiatives.

USA Today’s, August 8, 2009 article “College students are flocking to sustainability degrees, careers” quotes “with an increased interest in the environment and growth in the "green collar" job sector, colleges and universities are beginning to incorporate sustainability into their programs. From MBAs in sustainable-business practices to programs that give students the technical training necessary to operate wind turbines, students have an increasing array of options to choose from.

”Clearly, demand is there for these types of workers," says Marisa Michaud of Eduventures, a higher-education research and consulting firm. "Colleges are seeing that, and they want to provide appropriate educational programs to meet that demand.

"Concern for the environment is the motivation", says Julian Dautremont-Smith of the Association for Sustainability in Higher Education.

"The past few years, society as a whole has become increasingly interested in sustainability,"; he says." Higher education has been swept up as well."

As your organization develops the knowledge to execute on sustainability programs, consider augmenting your skills with ASIL, Inc. ASIL offers experienced sustainability consultants with the knowledge and skills to ramp up your organization to meet the growing demand of sustainability programs.  Contact us at info@asil-inc.com or call us at 408.980.9904.

Contributed by Jennie S. Bader

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Our Software Products

Click on the links below to view ASIL, Inc.'s MAX Partnering® self paced software demonstrations:

Strategies and Execution - This demo depicts the tools that organizations can utilize to embrace change effectively and implement it successfully.

Partner Selection and Management - This brief demo displays the tools available to define, select, and implement outsourcing and partner selection.

Scorecards and Corrective Action - This vignette provides visibility to measure and manage the performance of your organization, partners and company.

Self Assessment Sample Questionnaire - This demo will enable you to respond to a small sample of self assessment questions focused on change management and create a Heat Map of your responses to see areas that may need attention. The Driving Complex Change® methodology addresses the six areas of Direction, Ability, Incentive, Resources, Structure, and Action that can impact your effectiveness of change management.

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