Sustainability conference

The best thing about the Bay Area is the fact that there is always something going on!  A couple of weeks ago I attended a great Sustainability conference at Mills College.  Had I known about their sustainable MBA program earlier – I may have considered it.  It’s not in the city, but the campus is gorgeous.  The conference was held on a Friday from 8 am to 5pm in their new LEED-certified building. 

The morning started off with a great panel with reps from Clif, Title Nine, and Eileen Fisher.  This was, in my opinion, the best panel of the day. There were a few things each person said that really inspired and excited me. 

So the panel was:

-       Kevin Cleary, Clif Bar

-       Susan Schor, Facilitating Leader & Chief Culture Officer, Eileen Fisher

-       Janis Abbingsole, Director of Operations, Title Nine

So the main takeaway from this panel was: it can be done.  Making a profit and doing good can work!  So how does each company do that?  Clif bar actually has a fully integrated model that includes 5 different components (going beyond the triple bottom line): People, brand, planet, community, and business.  Clif holds the company as a whole and every employee accountable to each of the 5 bottom lines.  Title Nine and Eileen Fisher mention that their integration isn’t as structured but rather just in everything that the company does.  Title Nine values independence.  The company always holds themselves accountable without answering to any others (such as outside lenders or a Board of Directors).  Eileen Fisher believes that work in a way of which you can be proud and the profits will follow. 

One thing that all of these companies have in common is their commitment to the people who work for the company and their community.  Eileen Fisher provides a physical allowance for employees; if your employees are sluggish or not taking care of themselves – how are they supposed to bring good energy to their workday? 

Title Nine makes sure to trust each other – they don’t answer to a Board of Directors or outside lenders.  The employees are encouraged to own their mistakes.  In fact Janis mentioned that her biggest mistake last year was hiring from the outside.  She should have hired from within, but even though the new hire turned out to be a mistake – it was a great learning opportunity.  Every person adds to the culture of the company and the wrong person can throw it all off.  Janis accepted her mistake and presented it at the company’s annual  “biggest mistakes awards.” 

Clif bar makes sure to promote from within.  On top of that, the employees are encouraged to give back to the community, on company time.  20 – 40 hours per year.  Clif believes when your employees are happy so is the company and encourages its employees to do things that make them passionate.  

Basically, what I learned was that I really want to work for any one of these companies! Their employees are happy, the companies are profitable, and the community loves them! It’s a win-win(-win)!