Quite often, we’ll sense the need for change. This is natural. For more than twenty years, SMSBF has worked to bring sustainable business thought leadership to Detroit and SE Michigan. We’ve put-on events and produced thought-provoking content. And over the years, things have changed. At SMSBF, we’re sensing it’s time for change, too. Change, however, …
In business, and no matter what we do, we need others. Entrepreneurs and small business leaders seem to be the epitome of American “rugged individualism”. They find opportunities, take risks and strike-out on their own. We tend to be enamored with the image of a person who goes his or her own way. These notions …
It’s time to rethink advancing sustainable business. In the world of sustainable business, we talk about and attempt to enact practices that go beyond “maximizing shareholder value”, which is doublespeak for profit taking. Going beyond organizing business around just profit taking is an essential dimension of sustainable business. John Elkington, in his book, Cannibals with …
Deming’s wisdom is more important than ever. If you’re not familiar with Dr. W. Edwards Deming, you’re probably not alone. Many of us have forgotten who he was and the profound influence he had on corporate leadership, especially here in Detroit. In the day, Deming was largely thought-of as a quality systems guru. In truth, …
Opportunity abounds when we let nature inspire design. When I was a kid, my family would vacation “up north” in the UP, which meant time outside. Whenever we went up north, my mom would always say, “There’s something about the air up here.” It took awhile, but I finally understood what she meant. There is …
Are we taking time to SEE justice? There’s an old saying, “Think before you leap.” Before we do anything, it’s always best to have an idea of what the outcome ought to be. When it comes to acting as a city, it’s best to make sure everyone is at least reasonably close to being on …
Frogs may just be smarter than we think. I came across a story many years ago that seemed to make sense; it’s used to illustrate a common problem faced by humans. Placing a frog in a pot of room temperature water, so the story goes, and then boiling the water leads to the frog’s death. …
Are we getting ready for what’s to come? Revolution is such a radical word: It’s filled with images of upheaval and violence. Are revolutions just burned into our DNA, results of the “trousered ape” that seems to lurk within? Are revolutions even necessary, especially now with our advanced technologies and globalized economy? According to National …
Achieving a sustainable existence starts with our minds. You may think this piece has something to do with mind-altering drugs. It doesn’t. What I mean by “emancipate the mind” has to do with the nature of human creatureliness and its role within the Earth system. The human mind sets us apart from other life forms, …
This May we sound the alarm about what’s happening to labor. Last month, the labor movement faced another setback when an overwhelming majority of Amazon workers in a Bessemer, Alabama warehouse voted to oppose unionization efforts. The vote took place not long after troubling accounts of Amazon drivers being unable to take bathroom breaks during …
