Small business leaders play an important role in our democracy. It’s hard running a small business. And these days, it’s getting much harder. Inflation, supply chain issues and labor shortages are but a few of a long and growing list of headwinds faced by small business leaders. It’s enough to get folks to show-up for …
Autocracy is not one of them. The Michigan primaries are now behind us and we’re headed into the election season. In the coming months, we’ll be making decisions about who will lead Michigan. Never before, in our lifetimes, have these decisions been more critical, and that’s not hyperbole. The trends we see in our body …
Welch was an icon, but he doesn’t deserve that sort of credit. A friend of mine passed along this New York Times piece about David Gelles’ interviews with Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric. The title of Gelles’ book, which is based on the same interviews, is, The Man Who Broke Capitalism. To …
Where we’re headed and why it’s not good for business. What does business have to do with liberal democracy? Before setting out to answer the question, it’s best to consider our terms: What do we mean by “liberal democracy”? The first term is liberal, and in this sense, it has nothing to do with left …
What’s SB have to do with land conservancy? Many think of sustainable business as a fairly narrow thing: It has to do with business and being “green”. This is certainly reasonable, but it’s a long way from what sustainable business means. Not long ago, I spoke with Chris Bunch, the Executive Director of Six Rivers …
It’s amazing what a little gratitude can do. Around Thanksgiving, many of us consider what we’re thankful for, and sometimes this involves expressing our gratitude to others. But how often do we do it in the workplace? One of my favorite scenes in the show Mad Men is when Peggy Olson is frustrated that she …
Where does the responsibility for achieving sustainability lie? Some think the road to sustainability will be paved by large, publicly traded corporations. There’s a certain logic to this thinking: The combined total revenue of the 2021 Fortune 500 corporations “… generated $13.8 trillion in revenue, or some two-thirds of the U.S. economy.” If these corporations, …
Sustainable business is not just business, it’s something more. What does a great business leader look like? Many would consider a business or entrepreneur who sets out to tackle a social problem or provide an important service, while prioritizing the well-being of employees and customers, to be a good leader. Yet, from a very basic …
Juneteenth, emancipation and freedom in the workplace. What does it mean to be “free?” When we think of “freedom” in the U.S., we often associate it with a degree of individual autonomy and certain rights guaranteed by our Constitution–freedom of speech or the right to vote, for example. Although definitions of freedom vary–and sometimes along …
Machine or ecosystem? We say one thing, nature says another. I remember meeting Tom Brennan, one of the co-founders of the Green Garage, a number of years ago. Not long into our conversation, Tom gave me a foundational insight into sustainable business thinking: a business is a living thing, not an inanimate object, like a …
