The Frogs play in the leadership + culture space. This hasn’t traditionally prompted conversations about sustainability policy + practices with clients – as businesses or as individuals. In fact, we used to tiptoe around it – each to their own, right? We’d focus on how to boost their leadership or shift their culture. Yet it felt a bit ‘off-kilter’ – like we weren’t bringing our whole selves (and our value of ‘responsible’) to the work. Because we’re a bunch of ex-scientists, budding forest managers, and purpose-driven youngsters (that’d be the Ops Rock Stars); our collective social heart has been pumping more powerfully for a while now.
Then two things happened. First, we got in touch with Isaiah Dawe, founder of ID. Know Yourself, (https://idknowyourself.org.au) to work out how we could better understand and positively influence the future of our Indigenous Australians, even in small ways. Our lack of actual involvement in this significant part of our country and culture was troubling some of us, personally. We gave time and advice. They rocked up with gratitude and inspiration.
Second, we jumped into becoming a B Corp (accreditation taking us a few years, in COVID-time). We started to have Frog conversations about things new to one or other of the team, learnt stuff about how to be more adult in terms of what we do, how we do it, and how we keep track of impact so we can improve over time. We attended the climate rallies, wrote to our local politicians, discussed climate, environment, and pressing social issues around the jigsaw-covered worktable. At the time, we didn’t foresee what that might practically mean for our client partnerships, our work, our results with and for them.
Here’s what’s happened:
– Frogs now openly share our reason for being + our B Corp philosophy with clients, at the start of our relationship, and ongoing. As a powerful example of purpose driving results, we encourage our clients to connect deeply with their purpose + use it to drive engagement + stronger decision-making
– The impact our clients have on the communities + environment in which they operate matters to us. We are overtly clear about the value + power of it mattering to them, and the longer game they could be playing of caring for the world that supports us + other life that inhabits it. We are all increasingly aware that timeframes are closing in
– While we meet clients where they’re at, we also help them understand, connect with, improve, + act on their organisational objectives around sustainability + community. In thoughtful, impactful + practical ways
– We seek to role model practical sustainability leadership: ‘water + coffee’ are the obvious low-hanging fruit. We take our own reusable water bottles + keep cups wherever we go, + call for others to do likewise – in meeting invite notes and in person ‘in the room’. (“It’s only one coffee cup” say 8 million Aussies every day. Crazy!) And it’s a relatively easy fix
– We openly talk about consumption + waste, seek to educate ourselves on better choices, + mindfully work to reduce both
– When we work with a venue, we’ve changed from meekly taking what they give us in ways that work for them, to focusing on creating less waste. We seek to influence not only how the venue will cater for our event (e.g., water coolers + glasses instead of individual plastic bottles, allowing use of keep cups for coffee, minimal single-serve packaging, etc), but how they think about catering for others. We have the conversation. Every time. Respectfully. And look for a better ‘what’s possible?’
And people respond. They respond well.
Be a force for good. Find a B Corp https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/
Author: Alison West