All Eyes on you - value

What if you could never hide?  Would you live differently?  Many of us work in environments where we are never out of eye shot – well except for the bathroom – we hope….  The “open” concept drives accountability and really forces the individual to maintain a level of value that is acceptable.  Perceived value can be a tricky thing and so it is worth saying that not everything we do will be immediately perceived as valuable and sometimes we have to take the hard road of not being recognized for our efforts.  Giving without the expectation of receiving is a real art and balance act – especially at work where performance is driven by recognition – for the most part.  Some good advice I received recently is to live all aspects of life as if all eyes are on you.  It really changes the dynamics of the value you bring.  As we drive value through an organization it is important to respect and acknowledge that it is more than just numbers and metrics that really drive value.  You don’t really need everyone’s eyes on you to be seen and to drive value.

More of the good stuff

Value Management is becoming increasingly important for all levels of software investments for any size company.  The question is why?  Companies like SAP are leading the way when it comes to offering excellence in software sales with value management.  Instead of just addressing software requirements SAP goes further and help companies draw the connections to key performance indicators based on SAP's wide industry experience and best practices knowledge.  While a company may have the item in the budget there are still overarching priorities that may derail the budget spend.  For example, a company may have a priority to address employee satisfaction.  Picture a board room setting with a group of executives that are trying to determine what is the best way to address the most pressing focus points - such as employee satisfaction.  On the table are several items including a training program a software solution and other proposals.  Now, imagine the group looking at all these potential spends but the only one that clearly demonstrates the link between employee satisfaction is the software solution.  This is the game they play called "spot the bad investment".  I don't know about you but I'd rather be the vendor that includes a business plan than the one that does not.  Further to this, value management is the continued check-in between a company and it's vendor to ensure the investment has reached the calculated results.  This is really how a vendor can help a company run better. 

Dawn

Information is growing at an unprecedented rate.  Even more alarming is the speed which we can share and make information transparent.  There are so many sweeping changes occurring globally and we are increasingly connected.  With all this stirring in my mind I watched the dawn of the day and saw how it hits the mountain tops first.  It all became crystal clear in that moment.  The big mountains are those of us who wield high wealth and power.  As we’ve seen they are no longer able to hide from the light that has been cast on them thanks to our hyper connected world.  Suddenly I realized that eventually the dawn will inch down the slopes to us all.  Where are you in that picture?  One thing is for sure, at this rate everyone will have a light cast on them and there will be nowhere to hide.  The shadows will diminish and all will be revealed.  Are you ready for that?  Short of a total electronic and economic collapse sending us back to ice age status -  this light will continue coming.  Have you got your susty house in order?

Said And Done.....SAD?

All too often when it come to sustainability when all is said and done a lot more is said than done.  It is great news that so many organizations have “jumped on the band wagon” to publish annual sustainability reports.  It is a step in the right direction for sure but the real opportunities come the ability to report daily or even up to the minute.  Why?  Well, imagine that you could only get a bank statement once a year.  That gives you only one chance a year to make amendments and plan.  Clearly we’d all rather have up to the minute access to our financial information so why should environmental information be any different?  The concept of triple bottom line is not new – People, Planet, Profit.   We’ve figured out how to wield the power of prophet but the real advantage for any organization is leveraging the hidden power of people and planet.   For those organizations out there that report annually on sustainability  - why now lay hands on some hidden power?  Can you say that you have done as much as you said or will you remain sad....?

Occupy the earth

With all the fan fair about "Occupy" I thougth it ironic today that we officially reached 7 billion people so we can a least say we've "occupied" this planet very well....  I wonder if the planet had a voice what it'd say?   While the "Occupy" movement seems a bit scattered about it's message it seems to boil down to a general complaining about what is lacking.  Two things come to mind.  One, there's lot's of proof that wealthy people have less babies.  Two, what would happen if a group decided to gather to praise instead of complain.  Just saying.  Today, I am here to "occupy" my desk and see about making this world a better place instead of complaining about it and - funny enough - that's made me wealthy and I don't have kids.  Hmmmm...

Get out of Jail free card

I hear that visiting hours at minimum security prisons are fairly generous.    Sarcasm aside, the EPA actually publishes mug shots of environmental fugitives - http://www.epa.gov/fugitives/index.html#carlo   The harsh part is that in many cases people who end up on the wanted list or face fines and jail time are not actually the ones doing the actual crime – but they are held responsible for it.   There are a lot of reasons for putting a sustainability solution in place for a corporation  but it is worth pointing out the most extreme – Executives can wind up in jail for mishandling the environmental aspects of their company.  The get out of jail free card than every executive should have to is a environmental management system that monitors and alerts that risks are growing.  That system can be a group of people that are paying attention to that  - but -  we’ve all seen the “movie” and read the news on how that actually pans out when risk turns into a legal issue……  Again, sarcasm aside, the only trusted format is a software solution that has imbedded security so that information cannot be tampered with to cover up mistakes that can land executives in jail.   The cost of imprisonment far out weights the cost of a software solution to properly manage environmental aspects of an organization.  The charges leading to jail can be much more than just polluting.  They can include mistakes on shipment manifests,  failure to report contents of a facility to local authorities (under the right to know legislation) and even Travel act violations – the list goes on.  Protect yourself and the corporation with a sustainability solution – it’s your get out of jail free card.  

Dead Money

The trickledown effect is coming to a bank near you. Many of the world’s largest banks have signed on to http://www.equator-principles.com/.




“Equator Principles Financial Institutions (EPFIs) commit to not providing loans to projects where the borrower will not or is unable to comply with their respective social and environmental policies”



Don’t have a qualitative and quantitative – trusted sustainability report? = no money/credit or maybe just higher interest rates for you – that’s dead money.



72 financial institutions have adopted this is 27 countries. The credit market is going to use this to their advantage. The question is will your company be able to meet them at the table well prepared? Put yourself into a bankers shoes and ask yourself: “if I am going to loan money how what can I use to negotiate the best interest rate – in my favor?” It is not a far jump to see that if a client presents more risk than the interest rate is higher. Now part of the risk being assessed is sustainability. If you have not heard of the term - Triple bottom line – google it now! No self respecting corporation would show up to a bank with financial information in a shoe box so why would your sustainability information be any different? Excel is your shoe box. The good news is that solutions do exist that can get companies to a bank worthy status – without breaking bank (so to speak). www.sap.com provides world class sustainability solutions tailored to meet your needs. Lower interest rates and protecting your credit is just a click away. Here is your early warning notice to avoid dead money. Wouldn’t it be nice to be in the power position with your sustainability report and even ask the bank you’re are dealing with – where’s yours?