You, Leadership, and the Environment

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Will Lutterman

Sustainability

The number one priority for leaders is their team, their vision, and themselves.

“I propose a new priority for leaders…the environment.”

Putting all manner of politics and polarizing opinions aside, as a matter of general stewardship, we as leaders all should be promoting a healthy environment.

We should be doing this both in the workplace and out beyond the parking lot. Creating a positive atmosphere in the office about sustainability is key for success. And also important is promoting the natural world that protects natural resources and future capital.

Sustainability and You

Making a commitment to sustainability doesn’t mean conservation. It means a commitment to stewardship and the responsible use of limited resources.

Why is that important to business owners and leaders?

  • Protect the world we live in for our children and our children’s’ families.
  • Promote an image of healthy, sustainable, and profitable business
  • Practice the use of renewable resources and recycling to help cut costs, long run.

One of the main counterpoints to green technology and sustainability is the barrier of profit. Frankly, promoting green  business is not all that profitable in the short run, but it can be viable in the long run.

Green is the Future

Entrepreneurs and businessmen are always looking for the next big things: the next iPod, the next smartphone, the next best-selling book. It’s evident that they already know what’s next: Green

Programs like EnergyStar rank products, and news corporations and groups rank the most ‘green’ companies. Consumers are demanding eco-friendly business, and they want it now.

“Green is the future, but it is also the present.

In the course of history, technology has driven the way towards the future. According to the Daily Beast, most of the companies that rank highest in the ‘green’ category are technology companies.

Leadership and the Environment

We all know leaders set the example, are leading themselves, and are the natural go-to guy for a group. By being ethically responsible for your environment, you are demonstrating to others that being environmentally conscious is important.

“Leaders synergize with their environment.

Working with their environment and the tools they are given, leaders should be striving to be more sustainable and productive. Being a leader in sustainability demonstrates:

  • A commitment to their environment
  • A commitment to the team
  • A commitment to the customer

Leadership Techniques for Eco-Conscious Leaders

 How do you do this? What steps should you take?

1. Determine your Goals

Like with any leadership technique, knowing where you’re going is the first step. Without knowing where you want to be, it’s hard to get there. Set a goal, be ambitious. Reduce energy use in the office by 25%, cut back on the use of plastics, or my favorite, eliminate the use of bottle water in the office.

2. Prepare you Plans

Without detailing what you are going to do, it won’t happen. Figure out what you are doing, how you are going to accomplish it, and who is responsible for it.

3. Get Outside Support

Many nonprofits, government agencies, and NGO’s will gladly come in and do free seminars or send you free materials. Search, ask, and you shall receive! A great resource is Sustainablebussiness.com. It has a list of resources for environmental management.

4. Determine Why

For many people, the question of why you are trying to be eco-friendly is the toughest question. Yes you want to help the environment, but why? To have an impact? To make a difference? To set yourself apart? To establish yourself as a ‘green’ company? Answer this and your mission will be easier.

Technological progress has made it easy for anyone to help the environment, the community, and society. You just need to take that first step in the right direction.

Does your office have any environmental initiatives? Are you for or against sustainable business techniques? What is your favorite idea for leadership and the environment? Do you have an environmental commitment?

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Will Lutterman is a student and writer at St. Olaf College
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On Leadership and Optimism: Being Prepared

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Will Lutterman

Optimism

Most people refer to themselves as either an optimist or as a pessimist. While leading other people, it is not only important to be an optimist, but it is crucial to be a prepared optimist. 

The problem with leadership in this world isn’t that leaders are pessimists or optimists, it’s that leaders are not prepared on what to do when the proverbial “half-full glass” runs dry.

optimism  [op-tuh-miz-uh m]

The Merrim-Webster online dictionary defines optimism as:

an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome

So being an optimist, in essence, is having positive thinking that things will turn out for the better. This in turn, influences your decisions, mindset, and actions. Positive thinking gives you confidence to act with your decisions, which usually takes stress off the decision-making process, and makes tasks easier.

Being an optimist is not only about having forward thinking, it is also about being a smart leader.

Being Prepared

Smart leaders realize that while being optimistic is crucial, they also need to be prepared for anything and everything that is reasonable to expect. There is a reason why the Boy Scouts motto is “Be Prepared.” This is because their motto actually works!

Leaders should be prepared for anything: To change a technique; To adapt to new situation, And to try new things.

There are several distinct aspects and advantages of be a smart, optimistic leader:

  • They cultivate all possible options
  • Leaders are confident in their abilities and the abilities of others around them
  • Being prepared gives you a distinct advantage to solve problems and resolve conflicts
Smart leaders realize they need to think out and plan ahead of time, while also having a positive attitude towards their situation.

It Does Translate into Success

Half Empty or Half Full?When smart leaders have positive thinking and an optimistic mindset, they know where they are going and how to get there.

This is how they overcome failure.

It would make sense that a pessimist would become discouraged after many tries, but positive thinkers push ahead through failures. And this is how positive thinking translates into success for a leader.

Thomas Edison was optimistic about his lightbulb invention, and that is why he tried so many times to successfully develop it.

As clichéd as it is, Edison demonstrates how positive thinkers try and try again, only to fail, but all it takes is one success to make a difference.

Whether you are a manager of a company or a struggling entrepreneur, positive thinking is the best long-term plan for success.

What You Can Do

The great thing about leadership, is that your leading all the time. You can implement new ideas and change all the time.

  • Be prepared for change
  • Have the confidence to act
  • Turn failures into learning opportunities and success

Whether you see the glass as half-full or half-empty, what matters is what you are going to do when the glass tips over and spills. Are you a pessimist or an optimist, and why? Has positive thinking gotten you anywhere? Are you prepared for anything as a leader? What tools do you use to be prepared?

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Will Lutterman is a student and writer at St. Olaf College
Email | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Image Sources: commercialtenantresource.files.wordpress.com, bucultureshock.com
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Putting You First: Leading Yourself

Posted on August 9, 2011 by Will Lutterman

Leading One's Self

One of the toughest lessons a leader must learn is this: You must learn to lead yourself before you lead others. And there is no way of getting around this.

The most successful leaders know who they are, what they want, and how they get there.

Flexible and Flowing

As most industry leaders know, leaders are always changing. They are constantly adapting to their given situation, they are flexible, and leaders are on the move. I was constantly amazed when these leaders were able to conduct themselves so well, and with such ease.

Their character and vision are set in stone, and they know exactly where they are going, and that is why it is easy for them to quickly adapt a new technique, because the ultimate goal doesn’t change.

These industry leaders are the ones out in front. And they are game changers.

Men and women rally around this person as their leader. Why them though? Are these leaders super heroes, with some kind of natural magnetic tendency to attract people? Not always. No, these leaders are not only leading the people around them, but they are leading themselves.

Leading yourself consists of being completely self-aware and making calculated changes on a daily basis to continually perfect your game.

Personal Leadership DNA

Bold and successful leaders know their strengths and weakness, and they know where they are going. The key to helping others and leadership is not about leading others first, but it is about leading yourself. The reason why we aren’t all super leaders though is because many of us have trouble leading ourselves, and that is why we can’t lead.

So what are the basics to leading yourself? When I was teaching a course to teenagers about leading yourself, we broiled it down into three, easy, basic questions:

  1. Where am I right now?
  2. Where do I want to be?
  3. How am I going to get close the gap between 1 and 2?

These are the first steps to figuring out yourself, and want you want to do. All successful companies, projects, and organizations start out with a goal, a purpose. It was clearly identified, and when it was identified, it was easy to start to outline the steps that were needed to be taken in order to succeed. That is the key part that most people miss, it’s the idea that you need to figure out what you want before you go out and get it!

The Personal Vision

Most modern companies and organizations have a mission statement, a statement that reflects the core values and beliefs, and the direction they want the company to go in.

Why shouldn’t regular people have this mission statement too?

This is called a personal vision. What is a vision? It is what success looks like. This provides the visual landscape and paints the picture of where you want to end up. A vision is that defining statement that says where you want to go, and what you believe in.

Lance Armstrong had his vision to win the Tour de France, Stephen Fossett wanted to circumnavigate the world. You have your own vision that can rival theirs. You just need to cast the vision in your own head.

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality ~Warren Bennis

Closing the Vision Gap

To lead ourselves, we need to quickly figure out where we want to go, and how to close the gap between our present state and our future state. Our personal vision defines where you want to go. When you define your vision, it is easy to set goals and plan to help obtain  that vision.

And remember that your vision can be large or small.

Personal visions help you close the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Developing one can take time, but it is worth it in the end.

“Having a person vision helped me graduate with honors, it helped me land my first job, and it helped me grow as a leader.”

In order to be a successful leader, you must first know how to leader yourself before you lead others, and that is why knowing yourself is a crucial skill to help you lead others.

Do you have a personal vision? Has a personal vision helped you succeed? If so, what is your personal vision? I would love to hear your story, so please share!

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Will Lutterman is a student and writer at St. Olaf College
Email | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Image Source: tommyland

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