Why you need both Target and Structure to make sustainability a reality
In an era of unprecedented change, do you want your business to run on luck or an agile plan and vision? There are num ber of cases of being in the right place at the right time in the last 12 months. Businesses like Zoom have been lucky, but they also had a plan which gave them the ability to react and deliver at scale without decreasing their service offering. Tesla also knew exactly what their vision was, so when the tipping point came, they were ready. One of the most famous quotes about luck comes from Gary Player, who is an icon in golf. He said the harder you work, the luckier you get and he's had a lot of luck!!
The harder you plan, the luckier you get
So, what is my point? Well, you can of course have pure luck, like winning the lottery (the UK Lottery jackpot is an estimated 1 in 45m chance), but luck will more surely come to your aid in business when you have a robust plan and you execute against it. Don't get me wrong, plans have to be agile, especially right now, but if you sit behind a target with little or no substance then you will reduce the positive impact you have on the planet.
The second issue, when it comes to luck, is defined by climate change. The short answer is, we are out of time for luck. Betting against change, or delaying your response, will come at a high price. In the UK, following the government’s commitment to Net Zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, means that UK business sectors must commit to planning rather than betting on the welfare of our planet.
So, to future-proof your business and make a commitment to a sustainable economic future, it’s imperative you have both Target and Structure.
What we mean by 'Target'
First off you need a headline target, be big and bold. This will give you, your employees, your customers, your supply chain, even your families something to aim for. When it comes to Climate Change this is primarily your Net Zero target. Don’t aim low: it’s vital your business commits to action. Ask yourself ’do I believe in this?’, and make sure your employees believe in it too. Now ask, ’what will make you stand out from the pack?’
Your reputation as a company rests on your commitments and following through with them.
What we mean by 'Structure'
Next, you need Structure. Let’s face facts, there are more failed sustainability strategies than there are successful ones, and the main reason is not down to a badly-thought-out Target, it's about the lack of structure behind it. No Structure and you get poor delivery and ultimately failure. Transformation needs to occur at every level of your business: think, people, processes and systems:
- People: You need momentum, you need senior staff to sign-off and you need an engagement plan. Within this plan create a focal point, a name, a slogan that everyone knows is link to your transformation plan.
- Processes: You need to change the way you do things. It needs to be part of your DNA which means it needs to be part of your BAU processes.
- Systems: Strong data means a strong delivery. Make it easy to get to your hands on it and report on it. Then you will have the ability to be agile.
And here comes the good news. We are talking about something all senior executives are focussed on, an increasing number of employees care about, and more and more customers are demanding. This puts your strategy in the spotlight!
If you would like to talk to us about building your Targets and Structure, please Contact the Team.
The edenseven team.