The race for leadership is hotting up

There’s a lot happening in business these days. And I’m not talking about the persistent credit crunch or ‘are we or aren’t we heading for a recession’ debate in countries such as the UK and US. No, I’m talking about how businesses are busy changing the way they earn their profits - responding to challenges such as climate change, food and raw material shortages, fuel price hikes and the financial squeeze.

But it’s more than a knee-jerk response to an immediate threat that we’re witnessing – leading business are now taking a good look at their business strategies and core activities to ensure they will continue to thrive what ever the future holds. 

For the past few months, I have been researching the latest in sustainable business, drawing heavily on the experience within our business programme and on what our partners are doing. And I found some fascinating examples of real progress, the best of which are presented in our latest report leader business 2.0 – hallmarks of sustainable performance and on the supporting web pages.

We’ve raised the bar for what makes a leader business and set out 60 performance hallmarks across ten areas of general business activity. That may seem a lot – but with all the recent press coverage on greenwash and inconsistencies in practice it is becoming increasingly apparent that businesses can’t go about doing good in one part of the organisation while doing nothing in another.

I’m hoping the hallmarks and our top tips for becoming a leader business will help organisations think through their activities in a systematic way and ultimately deliver a solid sustainable business model.

So, is this then one of the good news stories highlighted in our May Business Update? Well, sort of, but unfortunately it’s not all sunshine in the world of sustainable business – yet. For all the excellent examples of progress we showcase in this report, there is still some way to go.

And I believe it is our role as a partner for change to keep pushing the boundaries, raise the bar and challenge business to always strive to be better. To sit back and relax now, just because the past 18 months have been packed great progress and promises of a more sustainable future, is just not what we do. We always ask for more. Besides, the leader business is still the exception rather than the rule.

Although I must say, it’s great to see that the race for leadership is really gaining momentum. Let’s just hope that the gloom of the credit crunch and rising costs for raw materials and fuel won’t fool business into thinking that sustainability can be de-prioritised. Now is the time when it can really begin to add value.

Forum for the Future is today launching a report showcasing today's best practice in sustainable business and set out the framework for becoming a leader business. The report and supporting case studies can be found here.