Ep. 67 – People First in Sustainable Business

The People Element of Sustainable Business

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People First.

Building resilient teams and a healthy, purpose-driven culture.

Today, we’re talking about the people element of the triple bottom line. I’m sharing some thoughts and insights about creating a work environment that supports you and your team’s wellbeing and productivity. And looking at how we build resilience, foster collaboration, and create a culture that people wanted to be a part of. The same principles apply, whether you’re a company of one or a company of many.

First up, let’s start with how the people element ties in with sustainable business.

As you will read in my book, The Cadence Effect, people are your number one asset. It’s not the flashy company car, or the spiffy laptop, or the machine that makes your ‘thinga-majigees’.

So I’ll say it again, so you can write it down if you need to: people are your number one asset.

But aside from being a resource in your business, people are also the heart and soul of your business, because we are humans first and resources second.

It takes people to create the products and services, to sell those products and services, and to buy them. Even if we have automated tools and systems to support us and assist us, the human part of us is what attracts people to us, and our businesses.

It creates the connection. It builds the trust and it cements the loyalty. Without a strong resilient team in your business, even the best business strategies will fall flat. And increasingly consumers are making purchasing choices, using business sustainability as a buying consideration.

Now as business owners, it’s easy to get caught up in the metrics, in the making of the profits, in the scaling and the growth, and the hustle that’s associated with all of that. But at the end of the day, your business is only as strong as the people behind it. And there’s so much research out there, which proves that investing in your team’s wellbeing is investing in the long-term success of your business.

Being able to thrive over the long run in very uncertain markets is part of what having a sustainable business in these times is all about.

This is where the leadership of a company play their most important role. Because leaders dictate how things unfold. Because they set the tone for the entire business or organisation. If they prioritize their people, those values trickle down through every level of the company. This means showing genuine care for your team’s physical, emotional, and professional needs.

And that starts with being a role model, emulating the behavior you’re hoping to see in your people.

People-centric culture drives success in business. And companies that put people first often see higher staff, retention rates, better performance and improved engagement and team collaboration. We’ll explore this more in the business sustainability episode.

When your team feels valued and supported, they’re more likely to go the extra mile. Be more creative, take more initiative and stick around for the long haul.

Let’s look at this another way. Think of your team like a garden. If you tend to the garden with care, watering, feeding, and giving it sunlight, it will flourish. If you neglect it, it withers. Just like plants need the right environment to thrive, so do you, and your team, if you have one.

And if you work alone, you’re still the leader in your organisation. You are still the garden. So, how do you self-lead, to ensure you’re establishing a healthy, flourishing work culture for yourself, so you can go the distance?

Cadence and Team Resilience

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The second area I want to look at is creating cadence for teams and why this is important for building resilience and preventing burnout.

Now, I defined and summarised what I mean by cadence in episode 66. So check that out, if you haven’t listened yet. In essence, cadence is about understanding and being able to engage an adaptable pace and flexible work rhythm.

But creating cadence isn’t just about individual work rhythms. It’s also about how teams work together harmoniously. When we feel at our best, we don’t just perform better and adapt to changing situations better. We also connect better with others, which means we’re able to communicate and collaborate better, too.

When we’re stressed and overworked and overwhelmed, we’re more susceptible to burnout. And burnout is more than just feeling tired, it’s a state of emotional, physical, and mental fatigue.

When a team is constantly running at full speed without breaks, burnout is inevitable. And the latest global work statistics coming out indicate that over 40% of workers are experiencing burnout. If you want a truly sustainable business, that rate is far too high.

Just an aside, if you want to dive deep on the topic of burnout, I have a whole discovery pack of episodes relating to burnout that you can check out on the website, head to creatingcadence.co.

Now when we use cadence as a guide in how we structure our workflow. This helps us to manage the pace better. So that we can ensure that if or when there are periods of intense work, that they are followed by periods of adequate rest. Two examples of what that might look like for you could be that you adopt a four-day workweek. Or perhaps schedule six weeks sprints followed by two weeks of a slower pace.

This is important because we have to support our wellbeing to help us build resilience.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges. And it’s also crucial for any team facing the ups and downs of business. A steady, consistent, adaptable work rhythm that allows for rest helps teams maintain their energy and focus, making them more resilient in the face of stress.

So picture a relay race. Each team member has their leg of the race, and if one person overexerts themselves, the whole team suffers. Cadence is like pacing your team, so that everyone can pass the baton smoothly, without burning out before the finish line.

So, a few practical tips for helping to create team cadence, that you could try implement in your own business. That could be to encourage regular check-ins to ensure that the workload is manageable. Looking at promoting flexible work schedules that allow for natural ebbs and flows, in the group and individual productivity. It could be implementing focus hours where people can work without interruptions, and balance those with specific collaboration hours or office hours for meetings and teamwork.

Now, there are lots of other things that you could also do, and obviously some change and transformation, when applying these things, would require some more lengthy consideration, but these are just some suggestions for you to get started with.

Building a Purpose-Driven Culture

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The third area I want to cover today is around building a purpose-driven culture.

A purpose-driven culture is a culture where a company’s mission and values resonate with the personal values of the people in that company. When people believe in what they’re doing, they’re more likely to stay committed and to produce their best work. So aligning the values helps to motivate and engage our teams.

And when building a sustainable business, this alignment creates a sense of shared purpose that goes beyond just making money. It’s about making a difference, whether that’s helping individuals supporting society for the greater good, looking after the planet, or all three.

Now alignment matters because when your team’s personal values align with your company’s values, work becomes more than just a job. It becomes a fulfilling part of their life. I refer to it as crafting a meaningful work life.

There are important outcomes from creating this deeper connection because it fosters loyalty, it boosts morale, and it enhances overall performance.

It’s like being part of a sports team, that’s not just focused on winning, but also on making a positive impact for the community that supports the team. When everyone on the team believes in the cause they play harder, they support each other more, and ultimately achieve greater success that is supported by the wider community as well, because of that connection that’s created.

That said, I just want to clarify something. Some organisations refer to their companies and employees as a family. But I know that idea doesn’t necessarily resonate with a lot of people. For me personally, it doesn’t. Because family means different things to different people. And although my work is an integral part of my life. It’s also just one part of it.

So I’m not suggesting necessarily that you see this deeper connection you want to create around purpose, specifically in the way of being part of a family. Instead think about creating aligned connections by making your purpose tangible and aspirational.

You can still have an aligned team, on the same page, working towards the same goal, with purpose and intention, who have entirely different cultural and familial values, and still get the results that you’re striving for, because there are a set of common values that resonate, even if they aren’t what you may see as traditional family values.

Here’s an analogy to help drive this home. Think of your company as a band and your values are the music that you play. When everyone’s in sync and playing the same tune, the result is harmony. But if one person’s playing jazz while another is playing death metal, obviously it’s just going to be noise. Alignment ensures that everyone’s playing the same song, creating a powerful, cohesive performance overall.

So what are some practical steps that you can take to build a more purpose-driven culture? Here’s a few ideas.

Start by clearly defining your company’s mission, vision, and values and communicate these consistently and make them a core part of your decision-making processes. Encourage your employees and team members to reflect on their own values and how they align with the company’s mission. Offer opportunities for them to contribute to projects that resonate with their personal values.

You could recognize and celebrate contributions that align with the company’s purpose and purpose-driven impacts. When people see their values and action, they feel more connected to the organisation. Lastly, you could incorporate team members’ perspectives, offer incentives, and have constructive feedback mechanisms in place to ensure that you can adapt to see the changes.

Companies building Resilient, Purpose-Driven Cultures

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So now I want to give you a few real world examples of companies that are building resilient and purpose-driven cultures.

Ben and Jerry’s ice cream is a prime example of a B-Corp company that aligns their business operations with social justice causes. Their purpose-driven culture is evident in everything that they do. From sourcing fair trade ingredients to advocating for environmental and social issues. Employees feel proud to be a part of the company that stands for something bigger than just selling ice cream.

The second example is Patagonia. It’s known for its strong commitment to environmental sustainability and its people-first culture. They also happen to be a B Corp company. They’re larger purpose is to protect the planet and they empower their employees by aligning their work with a larger purpose, leading to a highly engaged, loyal workforce and a strong brand reputation.

Similarly, another B Corp company in this category of ethical clothing brands, are UK-based Finisterre. They’re a smaller company with a culture focus that is relaxed, but hardworking. They have a high rating on Glassdoor as a favourable place to work, especially if you like surfing, which is what many of their team get to do at some point during their workday.

Some companies will choose to go the certification route to cement their sustainability practices – like B Corp, Planet Mark, 1% for the Planet, GB Shared, the Real Living Wage, or Fair Trade, to name just a few.

But even if your company is not certified in this way, or doing things that are specifically environmentally-focused, there are other ways to prove that you’re building a sustainable business that supports your people. And that comes from word-of-mouth, from the mouths of the people you employ.

Indeed is one of the largest job sites in the world and they have undertaken extensive research since 2021 into workplace wellbeing. Through various surveys they’ve issued Work Wellbeing Reports that, alongside their Work Wellbeing Score, measure how people feel at work, looking specifically at four elements of what researchers deem are important for wellbeing at work.

Those elements are happiness, purpose, satisfaction, and stress, or stress management.

Thousands of employees at high-profile companies have rated what it’s like to work at these companies, based on these four components. And those scores are available publicly for job seekers to see. And because these elements are increasingly important to job seekers, it affects what jobs they apply for. And companies are being forced to take note and pull up their socks, if their ratings are poor.

Examples on Indeed of companies that currently have high ratings of 3.9 or more include Lush Cosmetics, HSBC, and Virgin Atlantic.

Then here’s a couple of examples, which I found via Glassdoor, which is Indeed’s sister company. In Glassdoor’s “Best Places to Work” Report in 2024, they list Bain and Company, a management consulting firm, as number one in both the US and UK markets. And second place goes to Nvidia in the US and MasterCard in the UK.

Reviews on Glassdoor cite these companies as people-centric organisations, which despite their large sizes, treat people like people and provide good, flexible benefits, inclusive cultures and communities, and professional development opportunities.

If you’re interested in finding out more about these, I’ll share some links in the show notes for you to explore further.

Size doesn’t matter, intention does.

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So there are so many examples out there of purpose-driven companies and the ones I’ve referenced here are all big, recognisable brands. But there are multitudes of smaller companies and businesses also working according to purpose-driven, sustainable, people-centric, business principles.

But what if you’re a micro-business with a tiny team, or you work on your own?

The answer is it doesn’t matter what size your business is. You can still create a mission, vision, and a manifesto for what purpose-driven and sustainable business means for you.

You can still bake wellbeing into the centre of how you work, taking into account those four elements of happiness, purpose, satisfaction, and stress management.

You can still align how you work with those personal values that are important to you.

You can still get involved in social or environmental projects or initiatives.

And you can still make a difference in the world in your small way, and craft a meaningful work life doing it.

So I’ve covered a lot of ground here from the importance of putting people first and the power of a purpose-driven culture as part of building a sustainable business. To how creating cadence helps build resilience and prevent burnout.

I encourage you to reflect on your own company culture. And if things are out of sync, think about how you can start building a culture of cadence, with more aligned values. If you have a team, get them involved in sharing their thoughts and experiences, so you can co-create a happier, healthier culture that’s better for everyone. And if you’re interested in working with me to help you create cadence in your business, you can drop us a line at hello@creatingcadence.co.

Remember. sustainability starts with your people. When you put people first, build a rhythm that supports your team, and align your values with a greater purpose, you create a culture where everyone can thrive.

In the next episode. We’ll dive into how you can integrate environmental sustainability into your business practices.

In the meantime, keep moving forwards with courage, curiosity, and cadence.