By Julie A. Baylor, CHA, LEED GA

 

The power of a goal cannot be overrated. It’s amazing what a difference it makes to your mental approach when you have a clearly defined goal with action steps, as opposed to just an idea or desire for improvement. This is so important when approaching business sustainability. Every business person wants to have a strong and thriving business, one that produces a consistent profit, and that meets the needs of its customers. Often the concepts of sustainability are thought of as a by-product, or a secondary positive result. But when sustainability is built into the business plan as both a measurable goal and the means to achieving long-term stability, the results can be surprisingly positive to the triple bottom line. 

 

At the risk of repeating a tired cliché, I have to state the obvious: “A goal is only a wish until you write it down.”  And just tracking results does not mean you have defined a goal. It is great to analyze statistics for waste reduction, energy usage and water consumption, and it’s even greater when you can see improvement. HOWEVER, just being happy with improvement is not good enough. A 10% reduction in energy use is good – but what is your goal? And what steps are you taking in order to continue this trend? Make continuous improvement a part of your sustainability efforts by giving yourself targets to reach, communicating those targets to your team, planning a course of action on how to hit those targets, and then tracking your progress. Challenge yourself with specific goals, and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. 

 

“Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.”  ~Les Brown

 

By Julie A. Baylor, CHA, LEED GA   www.juliebaylor.com