My love/hate relationship with sustainability
In business, there’s a lot of talk about building a “sustainable business”…
But what does it mean to actually have a sustainable business?
That was a question that I had as I was talking to a client recently. They were talking about how there’s been a number of issues that have come up for them where the team haven’t worked in a way that they feel like there’s something wrong. They feel like they haven’t done something right and it’s their fault.
One of the things that so many business owners are looking for, myself included, is safety, security, and sustainability to earn enough money to keep the business going and keep things moving. Unfortunately, a lot of entrepreneurship isn’t exactly the safest. It’s far safer just to get a normal job.
However, we’re in it for the long haul.
So I wanted to look at sustainability again, or more accurately, to sustain. And of course, as always, the etymology boogies come straight up here:
There are two points in history where the meaning of “to sustain” grabs my attention:
13th Century: the stern of old French and it means to give support to.
14th Century: endure without failing or yielding.
From Etymonline
That’s fascinating to me. It doesn’t talk about sustaining or sustainability as a thing that is only positive. It is being able to hold up and to endure without falling. Meaning, things can go wrong, but you’ll still be able to move forward.
So how do you setup for sustainability in this way?
Here’s what I’ve been doing, and it works:
- Know What You Have: What already exists in your business that allows you to give support and keep going when things get tough (things like sticky notes and SOPS!)
- Know What You Want- Get clear on what you want for your business. What do you wanna do and why do you do it?
- Generate Action: When your wants and haves meet, there is friction. That friction leads to a decision, and a decision leads to action.
What I love about this process is that it’s not cookie cutter! It fits into my crazy life. Sustainability doesn’t mean “completely organised 100% of the time”. It also doesn’t mean perfect systems that never fail! It means you have a safety net that gives you space to grow!
Cool right?!
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