Leaders – are you creating a Sustainable Brand?

By using the word sustainable I’d invite you to consider two definitions of the word:

• Be able to last or continue for a long time
• Involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources*

Those who are familiar with my insights into branding & leadership will recognise my advocacy for a leadership style that results in longevity of an organisation far beyond the lifetime of the present leadership team:

• One that establishes a brand vision encompassing the essence and values of the company
• One that proactively values and listens to employees so they want to come to work and be part of something bigger
• One that encourages future leaders who understand the brand values, developing products that service tomorrow as well as today

A recent visit to London highlighted to me the bigger definition of sustainable,  demonstrating how we all need to be aware of what we are collectively doing to endanger the survival of the planet.

The finalists from the 2015 Syngenta Photography award entitled Scarcity-Waste were showcased at Somerset House along with some of the most thought-provoking and powerful responses to the subject, ranging from the impact of population growth and climate change to the increasing demand on natural resources and food waste.

In the past 50 years, the world’s demand for natural resources has doubled.  If we continue to use resources and general waste at the current rate, by 2030 we will need the equivalent of two planets.

Something needs to change.

I’m a firm believer in living for today and letting tomorrow take care of itself, and I try to do my bit for the green cause, turning off unwanted lights, recycling as much as I can etc, etc………. but this is big!!!  If we all continue with our individual lives and believe that, just because we can’t see it, it doesn’t matter, the consequences are catastrophic.

To quote again from the exhibition:

If we crammed the history of our planet into a year, humans would have existed for the last 23 minutes, but consumed one-third of resources in the last 0.2 seconds.  The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the products we buy and the waste we generate use up natural resources and affect our environment.  As affluence increases, so does our footprint.

Is this a legacy we want to leave for our children’s children and their children?

The quotation continues,

Our challenge is to enable economic growth while creating a sustainable future through technological progress.

And I believe we all have a part to play.

It was difficult to choose just one image that represent the themes explored so powerfully by the exhibition.  Unfortunately the exhibition in London finishes on April 10th, however an online overview of the exhibition can be viewed here.

                                             © Lasse Bak Mejlvang, ‘Smokey Mountain 10,’ Manila, 2012

This image stands out for me.  How can we, as a society and as fellow human beings accept that it is OK for people to live like this man in The Philippines, or anywhere else in the world for that matter?

I’m pleased to say that it’s not all bad news. The exhibition also highlighted some exciting developments, products and projects that could lead the way in creating a sustainable future:

The output from one of my recent brand discovery sessions for a client was the following vision:

Inspiring the creation of sustainable and balanced individuals, teams & organisations 

At the time I questioned the use of the word sustainable – boy, do I get it now!!

Are you creating a sustainable brand?

* source – www.merriam-webster.com