Sustainability

Sustainability is a word that is thrown around a lot these days, but what does it really mean for business, and how do we get there?

The dictionary defines the word as “the ability to last out”. We hear the word used about the planet, about resources, but equally increasingly about business and leaders.

I believe that we need to have plans in place if we want our businesses and leadership roles to be sustainable.

Yes, it is possible to work 18 hours a day, but that is not sustainable over the long term. I have tried this, because I felt there were no options, but I learnt the hard way that you can’t do this for long.

So we need to put things in place to ensure that we don’t fall over, that we can work at a high pace for a long period of time – so what do we need to do?

Have great systems. Great systems make life easier and more certain. Have great people around us to ensure that we do not carry the stress of the whole business every day. Great, capable and committed people are essential.

Enjoy what we do. This can take us further than anything in testing sustainability!

Have other parts to our lives that make the tough times worth while!

Have a worthwhile goal for our business life, if we believe we are truly giving our customers something of value this thought can sustain us! Have a vision that excites us.

Have the support of family and friends for what we do, and surround ourselves with positivity and productivity.

Have fun. Life without laughter is not worth sustaining. And have a context – life is just a blink compared with the after life. So don’t sweat the small stuff!

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