Jason Clay, in this TED.com video, talks about how his work on biodiversity with the WWF led to getting big brand companies to focus on the future. Maintaining biodiversity and then carefully using the finite resources of the planet is essential to our future survival.
The initiative Clay talks about in this video is a great example of what commons creating – a future leadership skill – looks like in practice. The key is to step back from the race to consume and the fight to compete. We have to focus on collaborating in ways that help us do more with less and less. We need to innovate to make products that are sustainable before consumers even get to them. From a leadership and business perspective, it means being able to balance commons creating with competitive advantage.
“Sustainability has got to be a pre-competitive issue. It’s got to be something we all care about. And we need collusion.“
Futuresmart Leader Connection: It is essential to focus on collaborating across the usual divides. Commons creating, collaboration and working towards the greater good will be increasingly important as we shape the future.
What do you need to look at differently from a sustainability viewpoint in order to be in business in the future? Where do you need to consider commons creating before you move to competing?
“The issue isn’t what to think, it’s how to think. These companies have begun to think differently. They’re on a journey, there’s no turning back. We’re all on that same journey with them. We have to really begin to change the way we think about everything. Whatever was sustainable on a planet of six billion is not going to be sustainable on a planet with nine.“
