Hi, hello, Reader how are you?
It's been a funny old week, as they sometimes happen to be, and in the quiet moments between client meetings, I found myself reflecting on a pattern that seems to keep emerging in our work. We sat with the leadership team preparing presentations for some upcoming meetings with customers and reviewed their key talking points. The value proposition is sound. Their point of difference is relevant and real. But their approach in talking about all of this was backwards.
They had become so focused on what they wanted to sell that they'd lost sight of why their customer might want to buy it. The gap wasn't in their marketing execution but in their fundamental orientation.
This is a reminder I find myself sharing often: we are not the hero. Our customer is.
When we centre our customers' needs rather than our own business interests, we unlock possibilities that remain invisible when we're fixated on quarterly targets or competitive positioning. Purpose-driven business is more than having a mission statement that sounds good. The practice of centring the customer (or stakeholder) at the heart of decision-making and how best to serve them is the whole point.
What's fascinating is how this shift in orientation - from self-interest to service - almost magically creates the very outcomes businesses are seeking. I don't think this is by accident.
Revenue growth, market expansion, innovation breakthroughs - these become natural byproducts when we focus first on genuinely serving others. Because that's how (good, healthy) human relationships fundamentally work - with reciprocity.
A few other moments throughout the week had me thinking about this - how we interact with each other, the way we speak to one another, the way we show up.
Which got me thinking.... what if the most powerful business strategy isn't a strategy at all, but rather a return to basic human principles: seeing others clearly, understanding their challenges deeply, and serving them authentically.
It's hard to see that amongst the complexity and unabated technological acceleration, and interrelated systemic challenges, but what if the most revolutionary act we could take in business is this... remembering our humanity? What would have to be true for us to act this way by default, instead of by exception?
Over to you to ponder.
Cheers,
Melissa
Business Reimagined
Researchers in Singapore have developed a remarkably simple device that converts the energy of falling raindrops into electricity, potentially revolutionising how tropical regions harness their unique climate features.
While it's not adopted in practice yet*, we thought it was interesting as it demonstrates how embracing local environmental conditions, rather than forcing globally standardised solutions, can create sustainable energy alternatives. By designing specifically for Singapore's abundant rainfall (approximately 2,581mm annually), this approach exemplifies how region-specific thinking can unlock previously untapped resources and create resilient local energy ecosystems.
*Once again, there isn't going to be much 'proof of concept' or case studies for the kinds of solutions we'll need to bring to reimagine business.
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π (Potential) ROI & Impact:
- Potential to generate up to 100 watts of electricity per square metre during heavy rainfall
- Zero carbon emissions while providing energy security during weather events that typically challenge traditional power systems
- Creates multiple value streams by harvesting energy while simultaneously collecting rainwater
- Reduces dependence on imported energy technologies not optimised for tropical conditions
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π Transferrable Ideas:
- Instead of forcing global solutions, identify your region's unique environmental features as potential assets (i.e. especially in the context of changing conditions)
- Design systems that turn local "challenges" into competitive advantages
- Consider multi-functional systems that can accomplish several goals simultaneously
- Look beyond obvious energy sources to what's abundant and free* in your specific context
*and challenge your thinking: is it really βfreeβ?
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π Minimum Viable Adaptation:
- Conduct an "environmental asset inventory" of your region's unique and abundant natural features
- Assess your current operations for dependencies on imported systems designed for different environments
- Identify one core process that could be redesigned to leverage local environmental conditions
- Partner with local research institutions to develop contextually appropriate technological solutions and allow for small scale pilot projects
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π€ The Cynical Questions:
- Is this truly innovative or simply shifting the environmental impact to other parts in the value chain?
- Does this technology create genuine resilience or does it still rely on global supply chains for manufacturing and parts?
- Who benefits from and owns this innovation - multinational corporations or local communities?
- Will the technology be accessible to smaller businesses and communities or become another proprietary solution that upholds traditional ownership structures (and therefore leads to the same systemic problems)
- Does this approach consider the full lifecycle environmental impacts, including disposal of components?
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What books changed you?
I mused on LinkedIn about how what we read shapes our thinking. What have you read that changed the way you see the world?
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Signals & Noise
π‘ Signal: "Sustainability offers baking companies operational efficiency benefits" - Food Business News
βAmerican bakers have provided an excellent demonstration of how sustainability initiatives aren't distinct from operations, recognising the opportunities that 'sustainability' can bring. Initiatives need to be strategic, realistic and achievable. Understanding the operational impacts as well as the ESG impacts of a project will allow it to be researched, measure and iterated where necessary.
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Signal Strength: π²π²π²π²π³ (4.5/5)
Why it's a Signal:
- It shows that like any innovation, research and capital are required.
- Sustainability is strategic and goes beyond 'the environment'.
- As well as the operational benefits, consumer support an loyalty will follow, especially if it's real and not green-washy.
The Insight: A greater impact can be achieved when taking a total industry approach, in this case, bakers are sharing learnings, and are capitalising on benefits for the industry as a whole. The sum of all the parts, and all that.
Questions for Leaders:
- How are we viewing sustainability now? Is it just environmental efforts? Is it distinct from operational strategy?
- How could sustainable efforts be effectively reviewed and measured?
- Is your business looking at the ROI of sustainability?
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π₯ Noise: "Sustainability Certification Market worth $4.25 billion by 2030" - Yahoo! Finance
Great news! Sustainability certification is booming. Oh, not in uptake or relevance... just as a way to generate profit.
Signal Strength: π²π³ (1.5/5)
Why it's Noise:
- It spruiks AI (which has huge impact) as a tool for sustainability.
- It limits sustainability to compliance.
- Even more, it limits sustainability to emissions.
Watch Out For:
- Sustainability as an opportunity to be exploited for profit (aka business-as-usual masquerading).
- Quick fixes (like AI).
The Real Signal to Watch:
- Opportunities to understand impacts and mitigate or adapt - box ticking is not strategy.
- Other industries (like the bakers in the Signal section) that are strategically incorporating sustainability into their business.
What We're Reading
βLeading Through the Polycollapse - A Guide to Systemic Foresight for VUCA Native Strategy - by Alice Kalro, Catherine Reynolds, et al. Off the back of the transformative 3-month Acceleration to Sustainability-As-The-World-Needs program I did last year, this executive summary of a huge undertaking, thoroughly researched, that creates a shared language around what we need to do - and what business as usual is leading us to if we don't. Essential reading for business leaders with an eye on future-proofing.
- M
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