Exploring the connections between business, development and transformation: Conscious Business, Enlightened Entrepreneurship, Inclusive Markets, Sustainable Development, Transformative Leadership.
Some of these tipps might sound trivial but I do scratch my head when colleagues in my office do not turn off their PCs in the evening or car drivers let their engine run while waiting in their car for long...
Let's lead by example, therefore 12 Simple Things You Can Do to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint from UNDP (see full ad here):
Turn it off Turn off lights, televisions, videos, stereos, heaters, cars and computers when not in use - they can use 10 to 40% of the power when on standby. Also, unplug chargers as soon as they have finished charging.
Be exact Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need.
Close it Don't leave fridge doors open for longer than necessary.
Check your tires Properly inflated tires can improve your car’s fuel efficiency.
Use no plastic Use cloth bags when going shopping and avoid buying products which use too much plastic.
Fan up Instead of using air conditioners in the summer, wear cool clothes, and use a fan.
Drive less Do your weekly errands in a single trip or pay your bills online. Walk, bike, ride the bus or carpool.
Optimize your speed You will consume up to 25% less fuel if you drive no more than 90 km/hr.
Drive hybrid A hybrid or other fuel-efficient car emits less carbon dioxide.
Replace them Replace your incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL). CFLs cost 3 to 5 times as much but use less than a third of the power. Also, replace old fridge and other appliances with energy-efficient ones.
Watch what you eat Choose food produced close to your home.
Recently I attended an inspiring talk by peace noble laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus. This blog has covered him extensively because ever since I am exploring the cross-roads of business approaches to social and sustainable development Yunus has been an idol for me. The talk - which was facilitated by Jeffrey Sachs - was inspiring on two fronts: scale of achievements and his personal charisma.
First, how many example in the development are do you know having positive benefits for millions of people? Frankly, I do not know many. Even now working for UN's Development Programme, I see how even multi-million programmes of the largest development agencies and biggest brands in the world struggle to deliver tangible results, let alone of that scale. Now he has already touched nearly 8 million lives, mainly of marginalized women.
Second, I am touched at heart how humble and authentic Yunus is. A man sitting in Bangladeshi textile with a near Dalai Lama smile talking about over 30 years of his life with such an empathy for his country women and simplicity. He doesn't use any jargon, theories or buzz words. Yunus says, he just wanted to be of use for at least 1 person. Isn't that an example to follow?
Let's make a difference to at least one person and the world will be a better place. Yes we can! A wise man said once "If Not Me, Then Who? If Not Now, Then When?".
Does business need to be profit-greedy and your work hard? Of course not. Instead, your career is part of your life and we are no victims but creators of our own circumstances along the path we decided to walk.
"This economic crisis may be just the push you need to find the career of your dreams." is the subtitle of an interesting article in Ode Magazine. Author Dave Pollard contrasts the "natural entrepreneur" to the hard-working factory or office laborer. I myself did feel like an assembly-line worker in a factory with the only difference that I was chasing my email inbox.
So it it very refreshing to see Pollard's six points on how Natural Entreprenerus are different:
"They had found their sweet spot, the work where their gifts, their passions and their purpose intersected.
They had found the right business partners, people who shared their purpose and whose gifts and passions complemented their own.
They did world-class research to identify real needs that weren’t being met by any other enterprise in the marketplace.
They used a rigorous, continuous process to invent and commercialize products and services that met those unmet needs.
Instead of planning for the future, they had learned how to improvise, to adapt easily to changes in the economy and demographics.
They acted with integrity, operating in a way that resonated with their values, and made principled decisions, not opportunistic ones, in the long-term interest of their partners, employees, customers and communities."
Read the full article here, including the reference to his book. Which side are you on?
When the conservative economic magazine The Economist is picking up a trend then it can't be a hype anymore. They run specials on (Social) Entrepreneurship and - wow - their titles even go overboard: "Global heros" and "Saving the World".
The first hero-article describes how - despite the downturn - entrepreneurs are enjoying a renaissance the world over. It brings back the famous phrase of “creative destruction” by Joseph Schumpeter from 1942. Then it busts five myths on entrepreneurs and covers the who-is-who o (American) entrepreneurs.
The second article 'Saving the world' covers how entrepreneurs are trying to do good as well as make money. Key messages resonate much with me such as "Social entrepreneurs often blur the distinction between making money and offering charity. Some use the profits from their main business to cross-subsidise their charitable work." (This mix I have lived the last two years). With dozens of comments it's a hotly debated article.
Also interesting: "In the long run, however, the best thing that entrepreneurs can do for the poor may be simply to see them as workers and customers." This - in an empowering, integrating way - is what UNDP's Growing Sustainable Business Initiative, who I am currently working for, is trying to do. Stay tuned...
Do you want to know how to create your future out of the present moment? Sounds like a spiritual question but MIT lecturer Dr. Otto Scharmer has formulated a ‘technology’ called “Presencing” that describes the process how creative leaders give birth to the future that wants to happen.
Recently I attended the first online class of Otto and his Presencing Institute. Out of the MIT he gives interactive lectures accompanied with group work with like-minded people from all over the world. I was very impressed how Otto describes 'soft' and spiritual processes in a language that “mind-people” can understand.
Otto has German roots but lives in the US and has extensively described the process and examples of Presencing in his ‘Theory U’ book. You can read the executive summary here. As illustrated below, the U stands for going down into the source with an open mind, open heart and open will, and then coming up by sensing and letting emerge visions of the future:
I have tried similar techniques in an ‘inspiration coach’ training and must say that this stuff actually works! ‘Going with the flow’ has been one of my recent mantras and plays a new major role on my work and private life. Have you made any experiences in this area?
"UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underscored this connection in his address. "Climate change threatens all our goals for development and social progress," he stated. "On the other hand, it also presents us with a gilt-edged opportunity. By tackling climate change head-on we can solve many of our current troubles, including the threat of global recession." The Secretary-General cited the UN Global Compact, a voluntary initiative for companies vowing to uphold social and environmental principles, as a prime example of efforts to solve simultaneously multiple problems. He called for a new phase of the program – which he dubbed Global Compact 2.0.
The key, according to Ban Ki-moon, is credibility - which Compact companies earn and maintain through annual Communication on Progress reports. Recent polls - for example the Edelman Trust Barometer - show that only a third of people in the world trust business to do the right thing: "half what it used to be," Ban Ki-moon says. ...
While few trust business now, Ban Ki-Moon points out the irony that two-thirds of the world's people "think business should be fully engaged in tackling our common problems."
Global crises such as the climate crisis, the poverty crisis or the financial crises are also “value crises” and symptoms of a “consciousness crisis”. Our motivation and capability to address such issues depends on our awareness of the bigger picture and our consciousness how we individually are linked to these issues. New leaders and entrepreneurs in the fields of Social Entrepreneurship, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability have become aware of this bigger picture. They have an expanded consciousness and followed their life-mission to be change agents and leaders in changing the world.
Change due to expanding consciousness can be seen in various academic, economic, societal and political fields. In economy, change can be seen in social and spiritual entrepreneurship, CSR and new forms of visionary and conscious leadership. In medicine, it is the trend towards holistic medicine including the growing acceptance of alternative healing. In physics, it is quantum-physics and in politics the election of Barack Obama is energizing globally.
There are many open questions: For instance, how has peace nobel-prize laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus seen potential rather poverty in Bangladesh when establishing Grameen’s micro-finance scheme? Why did Microsoft founder Bill Gates change his life mission from for-profit seeking towards fighting global illnesses? How are we transforming capitalism to make our global economy sustainable?
My thesis is that they have in common an expanded consciousness which is the foundation for extraordinary mission-motivation, leadership and achievements. What do you think?
Recently I had the chance to attend the Xmas gathering of betterplace.org in Berlin. I have blogged about them before and during this visit a new ‘scene’ of social entrepreneurs in Berlin came to my attention.
Ever since I decided to combine ‘business’ with ‘social’ some years ago I felt about lonely in Germany. Sure Ashoka has an office and there are initiatives such as start social. However, in big business cities such as Munich and Frankfurt there are still plenty of people who don’t know what CSR stands for or how sustainability can make business sense.
Therefore, it was a positive surprise to meet real people behind social business ventures in Berlin. Next to the betterplace team there were people form the Bertelsmann Foundation and social entrepreneurs form smaller, upcoming initiatives such as:
Genisis Institute: A think-tank to change charity thinking towards social business. Under the patronage of Muhammad Yunus.
Good Root: helping foundations, NGOs and social investors to track and improve social impact.
Why does Berlin have this new social entrepreneur scene? Sure, Berlin hosts the German government and the German Global Compact network but there are neither strong industries nor big employers in Berlin, if not to say eastern Germany overall. So where does the new entrepreneurial spirit come from? Maybe it is “Die Not macht erfinderisch” (A German saying meaning “If you don’t have much, you are forced to become creative”). Certainly Berlin’s openness and international flair contributed significantly to this ‘new scene’.
Many ventures are relatively new and in there start up phase. I wish them all the best and hope that traditional corporate decision makers and politicians support these valuable ventures. I am going to move to Berlin in March 2009 to write my dissertation on Responsible Tourism. Will keep you posted.
Marry Xmas and a happy new year! Juergen
UPDATE: Also selfHUB is an interesting center of and for Social Entrepreneurs in Berlin.
"Initsche" (hallo) and Bonjour out of the middle of Africa. After blogging about "high-flying" CSR topics, it's time to write about the "down-to-earth" development project I have dedicated most of my personal time and energy of 2008: the construction of two class-rooms in Niamana, Mali, West Africa.
Niamana is an ultra-authentic African village in rural Mali, about seven hard-rocking car hours away from the country's capital Bamako in the direction of Timbuktu. It is a place that - by Western measures - suffers extreme poverty of subsistence farming, without electricity, running water, cars etc. However, from a less materialistic and more romantic viewpoint it has its wonderful sides to it, as blogged here from my first visit.
The project is part of the Mali Initiative and includes the construction of two class-rooms to allow the education of up to 200 children per year. It is based on a needs assessment undertaken early this year showing that many hundreds of children of Niamana and surrounding villages have no chance to receive any proper education. Education is key for a better future including finding a job and caring about your family's health etc.
"Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world" (Nelson Mandela)
At the core of the project is the friendship established between Malian community leader Youchaou Traore and the Mali Initiative. Youchaou has been raised in Niamana and thanks to this, international visitors from Australia and Germany have had incredible authentic immersion experiences in the village. Friendships and hospitality are very important for Malians which means that we always been received much more as friends than as faceless aid-donors.
Youchaou and Niamana's mayor Karim Traore are both visionaries with aspirations. They motivate communities and give them confidence and guidance to unleash their potential for positive development. A key success factor of the Mali Initiative is to partner with exactly these kind of visionaries and leaders who translate their talk into action. This approach could be termed "aspiration-based" development. It is insofar different from needs-based or rights-based development that it's a paradigm change of seeing people with potential to develop themself seizes rather beneficiaries receiving aid. Therefore, this approach leverages opportunistic and entrepreneurial elements from Social Entrepreneurs.
"A vision is the right balance between realism and utopia. It is the just achievable"
During my stay in Niamana in Jan. 2008 (as described here) I got the vision to make Niamana's dream of two new come true with support raised in my home country Germany. I was inspired by the amazing support by Australians around Elise Klein and was sure to be able to awaken (com)passion with friends, former colleagues, businesses and organizations back home. Soon some friends raised their hand to found a charitable organization. We organized event, spread the word, got press coverage and made the target of raising the required 25000€ in time.
Currently, I am in Niamana together with two German supporters. The first concrete-brick was laid on 24th October 2008 and construction is fast under-way. 250 people and several donkey-carts helped to remove the rubble of the mud-bricks of the old, decayed rooms. Construction will be finished soon in November and then up to 200 children each year will have the chance to for a better future.
Compared to my corporate jobs at global players or my time at the UN Global Compact this might appear as a tiny grass-roots project. However, driving a project end-to-end and seeing real impact on the ground has been a great experience. I am looking forward to combine Social Entrepreneurial approaches to link Niamana with international visitors.
If you want to support this project or visit Mali email me at juergen.nagler@mali-initiative.org. See photos of Niamana construction or watch the following video:
Africa-born Jane Nelson is an inspiring difference make in the field of Corporate Responsibility. Through the friend of a friend (the power of networking) I got connected to her allowing me to ask for some advice which I am sharing below. Currently, Jane is the Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and she is involved in numerous other organisations.
Recently, Jane also got featured in the book “The Difference Makers” published at Greenleaf Publishing (leading in CSR and sustainability books). The book tells the stories of how social and institutional entrepreneurs created the Corporate Responsibility movement. It’s an inspiring read to see how the personal stories formed these leaders’ life paths and allows the reader to identify with them.
Author Sandra Waddock uses an interesting style interweaving the personal background of 23 leaders with how they came about to create their organizations and initiatives including the UN Global Compact, Global Reporting Initiative, Millennium Development Goals, SustainAbility, Human Rights Watch and many more.
In the case of Jane, she grew up in South-Africa and Zimbabwe surrounded by rural poverty and racial tension. Early she developed a strong passion around issues of peace, non-violence, and sustainability. After Masters at Oxford she worked for Citibank and took a Sabbatical to attend the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. She never returned to the bank but then work for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in Africa and went onto her Corporate Responsibility career.
Despite being an eminent person, Jane has remained humble and doesn’t overlook simple things. Jane realized “that that the poorest people in terms of income have an incredible spirit, even though they lack a lot materially and they also have major problem-solving skills and entrepreneurial skills”, an experience that I can confirm form village visits in Mali.
Are you interested in making a difference in the field of Corporate Responsibility?
Jane believes that “there’s an increasingly essential role for social entrepreneurs to serve as bridge builders between large companies, foundations, governments, and communities in tackling social problems. There is a new kind of leadership required…”
When I asked her how someone young and passionate can make a difference, she responded with these five main areas as key options:
Key Intermediaries: such as WBCSD, ILF, WEF
Major Corporations
Development Agencies and UN: such as World Bank, DFID, GTZ
Academic Institutions and Think Thanks
Consulting Firms: such as McKinsey, BCG, Dalberg
Of course, as bridge builders, it's also our task to form new partnerships between these areas and all kinds of innivative hybrids. Finally, she encourages all of us to follow our heart and passion by saying “be an explorer!”
Some of these tipps might sound trivial but I do scratch my head when colleagues in my office do not turn off their PCs in the evening or car drivers let their engine run while waiting in their car for long... 
