As we look to 2025 what do you see through your lens of discernment? Is your glass half empty or half full? Are you going to pursue future business opportunities using the same business model and strategies? Or are there clouds and risks on the horizon, some of which appear ominous, that you realize that you cannot solve on your own?

Everyone continues to search for a winning business model and successful strategies in light of an uncertain business environment. First, the management tools are there to use and succeed but applying them will require a mindset change on your part. Below are 12 action steps you can take on your own, or in collaboration with others that will improve your business success. Increased business growth and  performance depends on how you answer and address the following questions.

1. Are you really listening? Many times we just hear and sometimes tune out what employees, customers, and suppliers are saying, As a result, we really don’t understand the thoughts of others. The reason is that we do not follow deep listening techniques. One of the Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is #5 “Seek first to understand and then to be understood.” Deep listening enables others to learn about root causes and systemic effects.
2. Are you willing to change your mindset? Some leaders today still operate from an authoritarian management style that embraces critique, control, and authority. However, managerial skillsets are changing quickly. What is needed is a solutions approach to decision making in the marketplace today. Business models are complex and you quickly realize that you do not have all the answers to make a better decision and that you will need the help and assistance of other stakeholders. To succeed what is most important is your willingness to be open and transparent and ask the tough and difficult questions that others may shy away from and then share in the success.
3. Do you rely only on what you know? Do you presume that you know all that you need to know in order to make the best decision? What you know is knowledge that is gained from your experiences. What you need to know and may not know is wisdom. Successful leaders and managers are in a continuous learning mode through personal motivation, seeking new skills, and applying what they have learned. Peer to peer education is the best.
4. Are you tempted to take the safe route and make the easier decision? Another related question to answer is what is your risk tolerance level? Managers today often hesitate to take risks but understand the necessity. Some have called this action “reactive retreating.” Tolerating the right amount of risk is an important business strategy for success and without it there is no business growth.

1. Are you just “checking the boxes” to perform? Companies and organizations cannot just go through the motions and achieve greater business success and growth. It is all about management commitment to continuous improvement such as through the Cs of connections, collaborations, and communications and the Rs of renew, reuse, reimagine, and redeploy etc. Successful enterprises and organizations have transformed their business models through benchmarking, innovation, engagement, and the co-creation of performance, value, and long term impact.
2. Are you building existing and fostering new business relationships? Today’s companies know they can’t succeed alone. To weather future storms and achieve breakthrough opportunities, companies need to build trustful working relationships and partnerships that embrace authenticity, integrity, and openness through shared value and purpose. Think win-win, not win lose! This is another Covey habit #4.
3. Do you have a “cradle to cradle” decision making thought process? Critical management skillsets needed today for transformative business models include life cycle assessment (LCA), root cause analysis, sustainability best practices, and circularity based on the premise of regeneration such as using waste as a raw material. These management tools support “cradle to cradle” business models. Cradle-to-grave business and management thinking is clearly outdated.
4. Do you know the purpose of your business or organization? Most every established business has a mission and vison statement. However, successful transformative businesses now state their purpose first, or “calling” by answering the question of “why do we do what we do?.” Successful enterprises today are rapidly moving from a transactional business model to one of a stewardship business model where caring for people, planet, profits, and communities are measured with performance metrics. Customers and suppliers alike are attracted to companies that state their purpose.
5. Have you identified the competencies of your business? All companies have capabilities and strengths and so do competitors. Successful growth oriented businesses build their business models and strategies based on competencies that are difficult for competitors to emulate and that are also transferable from one market to another. Only one or two competencies are needed to build successful business models.
6. Are you aware of the reach and impact of your products and services? Yes, there are the direct customers at a retail or industrial level. But many times we do not look beyond direct customers or at the indirect impact that our products have on employees, families, stakeholders, and the communities where our  businesses operate. End of life and end of use processes are excellent tools to use.
7. Do you frequently request more resources through expense and capital budgets? All companies experience increased annual budget cycles. Key questions for management concerning business cost centers include: What are they, where are they located, and how much do they cost? Our natural tendency is always to ask for more without using a total cost analysis on previous expenditures. Successful companies leverage their tangible and intangible assets first to optimize business operational efficiencies with customers, suppliers, and even competitors before deploying additional capital resources.

1. Does your reporting truly reflect the value and contributions of the company? First, there are cash flow, P and L, and overall financial statements that reflect business performance and reported on a quarterly and annual basis. However, successful companies and enterprises now provide annual sustainability reports across the “triple bottom line” of environmental, economic, and social impact and value creation. Some companies embrace sustainability reporting that focuses on environmental, social, and governance issues (ESG). The combination of business operational performance along with long term sustainable business value creation provides a winning recipe.

How you answer these questions can help improve the success of your business strategy and how well you are prepared for the good times and the tougher times that lie ahead. The most important key success factor is taking a proactive approach that deals with developing a positive solutions mindset and your willingness to go through transformational, not transactional change in your management style. The opportunity for positive change is now!

Albert Einstein quotations:

• “We can’t solve today’s problems with the mentality that created them.”
• “Don’t listen to the person who has answers but to the person who has asked the questions.”
• “ Be a voice not an echo.”
• “ Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.”

Sources:

• Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
• Korn Ferry Leadership Series
• Albert Einstein quotations

I wish you all the best on your sustainability journey!

Norman Christopher

Sustainable Business Practices LLC

February  2025