Sustainability! Proof it works and as a result Cod and Chips is back on the menu.

A couple of months ago my teenage niece, Olivia, and her school team won the Southampton Business Enterprise scheme. While discussing her victory she told me that her teachers keep banging on about sustainability. I avoided the opportunity to get on my soap box about how it can lead to long term benefits but will be emailing her this blog when it is finished.

Last week there was a breakthrough reported in the news providing evidence that when businesses work together to act for the benefit of the environment they too can reap the benefits. The WWF announced that cod is now being caught sustainably off the coast of North East England, apparently stocks of the fish have increased by 52% since 2006. This was achieved by taking drastic measures that at the time appeared to be the end of the great British favourite, Cod and Chips. The supermarkets looked for alternative fillings for fish fingers but they were never the same; now, things are looking up, we’re not out of the woods yet but this proves “short term pain for long term gain” applies in business.

Some efforts to improve the sustainability of your business can result in having to make capital investment or spend time and money on feasibility studies; at present with the economic climate as it is, businesses are reluctant to take the step towards sustainability, maybe the news of this success will offer encouragement.

The environmental management standard ISO 14001 requires businesses to carry out an environmental review, to draw a line in the sand, from which point they can then seek to improve, in my opinion, as with most management standard requirements, this is solid business sense - without an objective review, how can you measure improvement? Last weeks news shows that after that line was drawn, the stakeholders were able to work together and now all can reap the benefits and I’ll be first in the queue at the chippy.

“Talking and Listening” lessons for business from this weeks political to-ings and fro-ings.

Last night the media was in a frenzy. On television, we were treated to unending shots of a silver Jaguar sitting in traffic which the broadcasters hoped was carrying the future Prime Minister to Buckingham Palace. After several days of negotiations between the Liberals and both the Labour and Conservative parties we were told that talks had broken down between the Liberal and the Labour parties and that the Conservatives had been more receptive to negotiate despite differences in their political manifesto’s and beliefs which had led to an agreement that they could govern together as a coalition.

What we saw last night was something that occurs regularly in business. That the people who are most prepared to talk, listen and negotiate are those who win, that its not a sign of weakness to seek middle ground whether in politics or business.

In the management standard ISO 9001, customer focus is a key requirement for certification, it specifies that businesses must develop communication processes to inform their customers about their products and services while also ensuring that they fully understand the customer’s requirements. If there are gaps between what is offered and what is required then negotiations should ensue until essential common ground is found or the order should be declined.

People say that talk is cheap, but in business it is invaluable when paired with listening to what your customers are telling you.

Fear, uncertainty and personality clashes follow change in businesses large and small.

Sneaking into the consciousness of the business press during this week’s election fever was an announcement that two large US airlines are to merge, United and Continental Airlines.

The national press covers the financial issues and concerns about cuts and redundancies but for the people on the ground working for these airlines this change will bring out sides of their characters many would prefer were left dormant.

Change for many is stressful and frightening, leading to paranoia, jealousy, bullying, negativity or even rebellion, none of which are positive contributions to a business environment and can manifest itself at all levels from cleaners to senior management in businesses large and small and sometimes in the most unlikely of people.

With careful management this impact can be minimised. Clear, honest, timely communication of the matters which affect people directly can go a long way in building trust. Investors in People (IIP) in particular tackles the need for people to feel valued by being included in the decisions which are being made in the interest of their working lives. The ISO management standards 9001 and 14001 also specify the need for staff to have a clear understanding of the businesses objectives in addition to their personal ones.

By adopting an open, honest communication style, business leaders could reap great benefits which go way beyond certificates on walls in the form of improved morale and better reaction to change. In business as well as politics, we all respond better to a leader we can trust.

Are your suppliers taking care of your interests? Lessons from BP

I’m really pleased to see that further steps are being taken to try and stem the flow of oil off Louisiana, this is an environmental disaster of epic proportions, not to mention that there won’t be shrimp gumbo being served for miles around this year!

BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig was leased from and operated by Transocean who were responsible for the safe and ethical operation of the facility. BP are now facing severe consequences as a result of a contractor’s actions.

Supplier selection and control is a key part of the management standards ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (Environment) and BS OHSAS 18001 (Health & Safety) and not something that can be taken lightly in businesses where these decisions can have serious overreaching consequences.

The question that must be asked of businesses of all sizes, is how confident are you that your suppliers are acting in your best interests? Decisions such as these can make or break a business.