How to Keep Ahead of Sustainability's Twists and Turns | SUSTAINABILITY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND THE FUTURE OF VALUE

Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, and the Future of Value with Eric Lowitt

I want you to close your eyes for a minute. Think of the word "sustainability." What images come to mind? Trees, grass. Perhaps the color green? Now think about sustainability and your business. What issues are most pertinent to your organization's performance?

Maybe you considered risks. Or opportunities. Perchance did you think about issues of social equality? Of child labor or anti-corruption? Or how your organization could sharpen its competitive advantages by working more closely with local communities?

Over the next five to 10 years a certain breed of organizations will complete an impressive double play: They will both embrace sustainability deeper and outperform financially their peers. If we had the benefit of racing ahead a half-decade to reflect on these organizations' successes, we'd marvel at their ability to evolve with, if not slightly ahead, of sustainability's twists and turns.

And what would these twists and turns be? While no one has the benefit of a crystal ball that sees the future in HD, the lack of such a crystal ball should not hold one back from making educated guesses either. Here are three changes to your conception of sustainability that your organization should consider today in order to increase the likelihood that it will continue to succeed over the next five to 10 years.

1. The Sustainability Movement within industry will morph into the Restorability Movement. This will be a sign of the Movement's success.

Conventional wisdom suggests industry is working through the third wave of environmental and social sustainability. The first wave occurred in the 1960s and 1970s. The next occurred around 1990. Both of these waves failed to lead to lasting change in corporate settings. Companies did not connect sustainability with core business activities and values during the previous two waves.

The current wave will be different. Today informed companies are investing financial and human capital to integrate sustainability into their DNA. In the future, talking about one's sustainability initiatives will seem out of step with the market as a whole. As an analogy, consider how often companies tout their quality levels these days. Or their internet capabilities. Not often, if at all. Organizations by and large have integrated such capabilities into their DNA. So it will be with sustainability.

As the Sustainability Movement fades, a new wave of environmental and social goals will emerge. Progressive organizations will shift their focus from a stance of 'Do less harm' to 'Do more good.' This shift will be typified as the Restorability Movement. Many organizations have found ways to earn economic returns from reducing their environmental impact, creative organizations will find ways to make money by restoring ecosystems to pre-industrial conditions.

2. The Sustainability Movement will combine with previous imperatives, such as globalization and the internet. New distinctive capabilities will emerge as a result.

A business imperative is a new circumstance in the economic environment that requires radical changes in a business's operations at every level. If changes are not made, the business cannot continue to create value consistent with previous levels; in extreme cases, the business cannot survive. Between the end of WWII and the dawn of this third wave of sustainability, industry faced four imperatives: quality, business process reengineering, globalization, and the dot-com.

Each imperative impacted the way business created value. Value first migrated to companies with high product quality levels, then businesses with quick turnaround times and high service levels, then global reach, and eventually multiple distribution channels. Some companies made adjustments early; others took time to catch up to these early adopters. Eventually the hotness of each imperative cooled. Left in their stead were a set of new capabilities.

Today many of these capabilities are intertwining to both complicate and simplify industry's sustainability response. For example, on the complicating side of the equation, a corporate misstep in a distant region of the globe can quickly become viral news via social media.

Companies that will succeed tomorrow will find ways to combine sustainability capabilities with capabilities developed in response to previous imperatives. Some companies are already responding this way. GE, for instance, is using social media to crowdsource smart grid innovations from around the world. The ability to intertwine newer capabilities will emerge as a lever of competitive differentiation and ultimately outperformance of peers.

3. The basis of industry competition will shift from company versus company to corporate network versus corporate network.

The Sustainability Movement is leading to the adoption of multi-stakeholder approaches to address environmental and social challenges. Several companies have developed venture arms to fund and guide investments in renewable energy. Given the scale and unique local challenges of such investments, the more successful venture organizations have partnered with industry, private equity, and local community entities to achieve their investment goals.

As more of these multi-stakeholder approaches take root, companies will forge new bonds with previously strange bedfellows. Talent and intellectual property will be shared, perhaps even among competitors. Organizations seeking to either compete or collaborate with these companies will find that they need to deal with network dynamics, not just individual company dynamics.

In the process, one of the business models of yesterday will reappear, albeit in a modified fashion. Competitive corporate networks will emerge, borrowing a page from the traditional keiretsu model of business groups in Japan. Instead of being bound by cross-stock ownership, however, these corporate networks will be bound by cross-IP ownership, fortified by values and goals held in common.

Companies are crafting multi-year strategies to adapt to and embrace sustainability. The companies that stand the test of time will be those that create capabilities to constantly evolve their sustainability strategies as the sustainability movement itself evolves. Considering the above three trends today will help organizations steer their strategies through sustainability's coming twists and turns.


Eric Lowitt is a student and teacher of strategy and sustainability – how companies grow, innovate, and become more agile by embracing sustainability. His first book on the topic, The Future of Value, will be published by Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint, in October 2011.

Learn more about Eric Lowitt at EricLowitt.com and follow him on Twitter @EricLowitt

For more information, please visit Eric's TNNWC Bio.

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How to Keep Ahead of Sustainability's Twists and Turns | SUSTAINABILITY, ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND THE FUTURE OF VALUE

WRITE TO EXCITE: What Was The Best Holiday Season Of Your Life?

Write to Excite with Peter Biadasz

In the past 4 months we have discussed your talent, your passion, controversy (Male or Female – Which is Superior?) and even your employment situation (Need A (Better) Job? Write!). Now, in December, we take a walk down memory lane to discuss the best Holiday Season you have ever had in your life.

After finding a topic to write about, in this case the best Holiday Season you have ever had in your life, you should decide what type of piece you are writing. Whether it is an article, poem, blog, book, article or screenplay, make a commitment to write the best piece you are capable of producing.

Next, go through your life, year by year, and decide which Holiday season, or seasons, were the most outstanding. Take some time to figure out why they meant so much to you. Remember the emotions you felt during that time. Take note of the sounds of the activities, the smells of those times, and the feel of the weather. Make note of the people involved. You might even remember some people and names you had long forgotten about, or so you thought. This might be a great time to re-connect.

Next write your piece. Don’t just be factual, but share with us the emotions you felt during the best Holiday Season you have ever had in your life. Make the reader laugh with you. Help us taste the food, smell those Holiday smells and put us in the same room with you. If we are outside help us to feel the air temperature and wind. What were the sounds of that special Holiday season? Give us the details, expressing them with great adjectives.

After editing your masterpiece for grammar, punctuation, phrasing, spelling, wordiness and quality of language, feel free to share it with those who helped make your Holiday so special. Having done that, feel free to share the work with the rest of us. Post it, publish it, and even place an excerpt in the comments section below this article.

But most of all treasure it. You have documented a very special part of your life; one that you can reflect on for the rest of your life and use in planning for future Holiday seasons. After all, you may unknowingly create a special memory for someone special to you.

Peter Biadasz, author of such book as Write Your First Book, More Leads and Increase Your Sales And Lower Your Golf Score, is President of Total Publishing And Media. To discuss with Peter publishing or marketing your book feel free to contact him at Peter@TotalPublishingAndMedia.com

For more information, please visit Peter's TNNW Bio.





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WRITE TO EXCITE: What Was The Best Holiday Season Of Your Life?

GET PUBLISHED NOW: Sell Some D*mn Books

Get Published Now with Beth Barany

If you want to publish your book, you need to think about sales.

Many people think that writing and publishing a book automatically means a passive stream of income, passive revenue, easy money. But actually to succeed in the world of publishing you need to sell the book to make the money. And that doesn’t happen by itself.

Here’s the bad news. Publishing a book and all that it entails is a business.

The good news! You can sell books.

Okay. Now stop a second and make sure you’ve read up on the basics of publishing in my previous article “Getting Published is Easy: 8 Things You Need to Know to Get Published.”

Yes, we’re talking marketing. Marketing begins as soon as you decide you’re writing a book for more than just yourself. This moment can come before, during or after the book is written, depending on your publishing process –- self vs. independent vs. traditional publishing. Picking what kind of publishing is right for you is the subject of another article. :-)

To sell your book you need two things: you need a platform, and you need a list of prospective buyers. First you build your platform, then from your platform, you build your list.

More good news! You can do this! You wrote a book, right? (Or have the guts to plan to write one!)

Your Platform
A platform consists of three parts: your author bio, your book’s message, and your branding.

Your Bio
In the author’s bio, you need to put what makes you special and unique, and what makes you especially qualified to be the right author for this book, and future books. You don’t want to put in the kitchen sink! Just what is relevant to the book’s topic and theme –- so, put in your expertise and hobbies, if relevant to the book and the brand you're building.

Tip: For examples of author bios, read author bio’s on book jacket flaps and on author websites.

Your Message
Your author message will be framed differently whether you write nonfiction or fiction. However, regardless of your genre, your author message needs a unique hook, needs to be concise, and needs to emotionally connect with the reader. For example, author, Stephanie Tyler’s message is “Romantic suspense starring strong military heroes.” (http://stephanietyler.com/). Author Michael P. Spradlin’s message: “Action. Drama. Humor. And stuff blows up.” (http://michaelpspradlin.com/) Michale Connelly: crime journalist turns crime novelist inspired by Raymond Chandler. (http://michaelconnelly.com/index.html) Malcolm Gladwell, Author of Outlier, Blink and The Tipping Point, and now, What the Dog Saw (2009): Outlier Canadian journalist turns his cogent eye on the world. (http://www.malcolmgladwell.com/)

Note: Some of the authors’ messages are plainly written on their sites, i.e., the first two I cited. Other authors imply their message. But you can be sure they know their message, and we readers can determine what it is from their sites., i.e., the second two examples.

Branding
Branding is a meaty topic. While I’m not a branding expert, I am an author who has applied what I've learned from being a business person, and from working a web design firm that essentially brands authors, Waxcreative Design, http://waxcreative.com/. (In the interest of full disclosure, the first two examples from the point above are drawn from the Waxcreative's portfolio of clients.)

In a nutshell, branding is a promise. For authors, branding is your promise to your readers.

For example, when you pick up a Jack Canfield book you know you will be given a feel- good, inspirational, motivational, and how-to type book that can you can relate to multiple areas of your life. If you pick up a Stephen King book you know you’re in for a scary ride. Nora Roberts – empowered women find love. But J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts’ other author name, futuristic mysteries. Suze Orman – financial straight talk. The branding message then gets translated in visual elements and language, all to convey your promise.

The stronger and more clear you are on your platform, the better you will be able to build your list. Readers will be able to differentiate you from the competition. Your audience will be able to feel connected to you.


List Building: The Three Rings
Draw a black dot in the center of the page. Around that dot, draw a circle. Around that circle draw a second circle. Then around that circle draw a third circle. Those are your three rings. In the center of the three rings, the black dot is your platform.

Start an excel file to capture your prospective readers in a list. Make fields for all their contact information: name, address, phone, email, etc. Or use a different contact management system, if you prefer.

The first ring represents your friends and family already in your address book.

Smile. Who in your friends and family would be happy to hear from you and would be curious about the fact that your book is coming out? Put them on your list.

The second ring consists of acquaintances, people in your environment, past or present, that you’ve been around, or have some connection to: colleagues, fellow club members, fellow alumni, church/synagogue goers, etc. Gather their names and contact information by requesting it via email, chatting over coffee, seeing them at the gym, and so on. Add them to your list. Ask and you shall see who is curious to know when your book comes out!

Tell The World!
Now that you’ve built your platform, and your first two rings of your list, you can use marketing and publicity to fill out the third ring.

Your third ring, or two degrees of separation, or more, consists of friends of friends, friends of family, friends of acquaintances, and on and on, all the way to strangers attracted by your message, bio, and/or branding. And attracted because of your marketing efforts.

Before notoriety and media exposure, there’s word of mouth, or word of mouse. Also called viral marketing. Word of mouth is still one of the most powerful way books get sold, read and passed on!

You can and should collect names and build your list online by:
1) having a contact management tool like getresponse.com, constantcontact, webassist, emma, etc.
2) giving away a little something to get people’s email addresses, ie., a sample chapter, author forum access, a special mp3 or video.

Back to Selling
You want to make money selling your book. You gotta tell the world. If you can write a book, you can sell books. Go be in action!


For more information, please visit Beth's TNNW Bio.


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WRITE TO EXCITE: Male or Female – Which is Superior?

Write to Excite with Peter Biadasz

In the past 2 months we have discussed your talent and your passion. This month I am going to actually give you something to write about. This column is called “Write to Excite”, and nothing can excite passion more than controversy. However, as a writer there is a right and wrong way to approach sensitive subjects.

No matter what you write, the first step is to research the subject. On any topic you can take a logical or an emotional approach in your presentation. However, the more thorough your research, the more information you have to work with to better your work. Research the topic by going to the internet, read the appropriate books and magazines, and interview those who are most knowledgeable and/or opinionated about the topic on which you are writing.

The next step is to decide which target audience or audiences you are writing too. In the topic noted in the title, Male or Female – Which is Superior? , you will obviously write a different book/article/poem/etc. targeted to men that you would to woman. A different approach would also be taken when writing to couples versus recently divorced people. Hopefully, you will take a different approach when writing the piece for the significant other in your life.

Then decide your approach to the piece; will it be serious or satire? ; will it be a tear jerker or comedy? ; will it inform or incite? ; these questions, and others, must be answered before you start writing the piece. Also, decide how long you want the piece to be and establish a timeline for completion. We writers seem to work better with a deadline.

So now I ask you - Male or Female – Which is Superior? Perform your research, decide who your target audience is, understand the type of piece you want to write, decide on your approach, commit to a deadline….and do it!!!

After you write the piece, if you like, let me know your opinion - Male or Female – Which is Superior?

Always write to excite!

Peter Biadasz, author of such book as More Leads and Increase Your Sales And Lower Your Golf Score, as well as the newly released Write Your First Book, is President of Total Publishing And Media. To contact Peter about publishing or marketing your book feel free to contact him at Peter@TotalPublishingAndMedia.com

For more information, please visit Peter's TNNW Bio.

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WRITE TO EXCITE: Male or Female – Which is Superior?

GET PUBLISHED NOW: Getting Published is Easy: 8 Things You Need to Know to Get Published

Get Published Now

with Beth Barany

Often people think that getting published is about getting noticed. But actually getting published is about relationships, relationship with yourself and with your readers. Lots of readers.

Did you know that a book is a dialog you have with yourself and your readers? An exchange. A meeting of minds. A conversation.

Answer these questions for your nonfiction message to uncover your relationships waiting to blossom.

Know What Your Book is About
What message are you passionate about bringing to the world?
List 5-12 points. Less than 5 and you may not have a book, but a guide, or series of articles. More than 12 points and you probably have more than one book.

Know Who Benefits From Your Book
Who can benefit from your message?
Be specific. Your audience isn’t everybody. Get real. Appealing to everybody is appealing to nobody. Sound familiar? List your audience’s demographics (age, salary, job title, residence, etc) and psychographics (attitudes, beliefs, likes, dislikes, etc.).

Know How Your Book Will Help Others
How will your book help your audience? How will your book benefit them?
List the results they will receive and/or the experience they will have from reading your book. Yes, be specific.

Know Yourself
How are you the right person to bring this message to your audience?
List your experiences, knowledge, know-how, and personality traits. Brag. This is the place.

Know How You’re Unique
How are your points and approach different from other authors and books out there?
Find this out by doing the research. Research your competitors and companion books. Some books will complement yours while other books will seem to compete. Operative word: seem. Know their unique selling points. Make your book different and find a way to stand out from the crowd.

Know Why You Want to Write and Publish this Book
What motivates you? What are you passionate about?
Describe the experience you want your reader to have. It’s probably what you want for yourself.

Know the Big Picture
How does this book fit into your personal and professional life?

Know Your Blind Spots
What stops you from moving forward on getting your book done and out into the world?
Clarify your weaknesses and get support. Get educated. Get writing.


For more information, please visit Beth's TNNW Bio.

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WRITE TO EXCITE: You Have A Talent!

Write to Excite with Peter Biadasz

“You have a talent” is something you may have heard many times in your life. The problem is, many times the person making the comment to you is a well meaning family member or friend just trying to make you feel better, yet leaving you with a feel good moment (maybe), and offering no information on what your talent may be or how to develop that talent for the good of either yourself or others.

This column, "Write to Excite!", will offer you information which will not only assist in discovering your talents and abilities, but guide you as to how to develop them for the benefit of yourself, and if you choose, the benefit of others. Of course the slant will be towards the written word, but you may find that some of the principles I discuss have some universal applications. Plus, one of the best ways to broadcast your talent to your network is through the written word, be it a book, article or blog.

It has been my experience that people do not do things for one of two reasons – either they don’t want to – or – they don’t know how. Studies have shown that 70% of people want to write a book, but have yet to do it. I can show you how to write a book and recently wrote a book on that topic, Write Your First Book, How To Start, Finish and Publish The Book Inside Of You.

First let me share with you the road I traveled to get to where I am now. Maybe you can relate to some, or all, of my journey.

I always knew I was a creative person. In other words, making things up was always easy. My parents helped me to channel my energies into music and certain school subjects. I play a variety of musical instruments, with trumpet being my principle noise maker, I mean - vehicle to express myself. As a result of my musical activities, which have lasted several decades, I have had the chance to meet some great people, go to some amazing places, and add joy to the lives of others. I also wrote three song for my sister’s wedding. I still play my trumpet in some of my public speaking presentations; really wakes the crowd up and keeps their attention.

But in light of what appeared to be success, I was still very frustrated. I knew I still had much unused potential. At one point someone in my “network” invited me to their networking group. I accepted the invitation and then asked, “What is a networking group?”. Even though I had been networking all of my life, I had no idea that groups existed in which the sole purpose was to assist in growing each other’s businesses.

I joined the group and started passing leads in earnest, because that is what they said I was supposed to do. Three months later I was elected President of the group because I was passing the most leads. I was now standing in front of a room of successful professionals and, as their President; I was expected to lead them.

This was my welcome to public speaking. Not only did this make me sick at the time, but I had to figure out what I was going to say to these people every week for one year. After asking myself – “Why would anyone come to a Peter Biadasz meeting?” I made a decision. The decision was to become an expert in the art of people networking.

I studied networking; spoke on it weekly, first to my networking group, then other groups, then seminars and on. It was great! When someone asked for my book as a follow-up to the great information I had just shared I told them I was not a writer and that they should take good notes. Eventually an editor had me transform my speeches into a series of articles, which led to, now 15 books on various topics, as well as a publishing company. I “met” Adam J. Kovitz about the time my first book was released and became one of, if not his first, TNNW bureau chief. (I write “met” because even though we have talked a gazillion times on the phone and I write monthly for his publication, we have never been in the same room at the same time.)

What is my talent? At this point I would say it is sharing information with people for the betterment of everybody.

You have a talent! This month I ask you, What is your talent? Write it down right now. What steps can you take to develop that talent? Write those steps down now (why wait?)

Read this column every month and you will be equipped to do what you have always wanted to do, especially with the written word. You too can "Write to Excite!"

Peter Biadasz, author of such book as More Leads and Increase Your Sales And Lower Your Golf Score, as well as the newly released Write Your First Book, is President of Total Publishing And Media. To contact Peter about getting your book published feel free to contact him at Peter@TotalPublishingAndMedia.com

For more information, please visit Peter's TNNW Bio.

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WRITE TO EXCITE: You Have A Talent!