CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY
How can you do sustainable business as an organization? What does that actually mean? Are you yourself ready for it? And in your organization actually ready? At Trailblazers you develop the type of leadership and skills needed to initiate change and contribute to long-term value. For yourself, for your organization and for society.
LONG-TERM VALUE CREATION
Value creation is about generating economic, social and societal value for all stakeholders. Think customers, shareholders, employees or society as a whole. What are the needs and wants of customers, partners, suppliers, etc? And how can you fulfill or solve them by offering products or services - both now and in the future - without exploiting or depleting nature, individuals or regions to do so?
In business, value creation is originally associated with increasing profitability. This involves maximizing the growth of the company. This can be done by improving the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of products or services, reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
But value creation, of course, is not just about economic benefits. It can also include social factors or environmental impacts. For example, companies that prioritize sustainability and social responsibility (Socially Responsible Enterprises) can create value by reducing their carbon footprint, promoting fair labor practices and contributing to the well-being of local communities. This creates a symbiosis that strengthens and sustains itself, in short, long-term value.
Value creation is a dynamic and ongoing process that requires constant innovation, adaptation and improvement to remain relevant and competitive in an ever-changing market. To do this, you must understand the needs and preferences of the market and all stakeholders; continuously develop high-quality products and services; and build strong relationships with customers and other stakeholders based on trust, transparency and mutual benefit.
The Design Thinking process combined with the Impact Leadership that the Trailblazer is trained in thus form a strong foundation for a sustainable entrepreneurial company in which long-term value creation is central.
SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Sustainable entrepreneurship is the creation and running of a business that is not only economically viable, but also socially and environmentally sustainable in its economic existence. A sustainable business has (developed) an innovative and impactful "business model" and acts in daily practices in ways that promote sustainable development and contribute to the well-being of society and the planet.
Through sustainable or impactful business, a shift takes place. Whereas traditional, purely profit-oriented business models prioritize quick profits and do not consider social and environmental costs, the sustainable business focuses on long-term value creation and considers people, planet and profit. Of course, this would not be necessary if our laws, regulations and economic system taxed everything "fairly". Unfortunately, it is an ilusion that this will be the case in the short term. This is why Trailblazers are needed to lead the way.
There are a lot of terms used interchangeably, CSR, CSR, ESG or SDGs to name a few. They stand for Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Social Responsibility, Environmental Social & Governance and the Sustainable Development Goals, respectively. They are terms that depend on the moment, sector or circle you are in, but bottom line they boil down to the same thing and the concepts have the same purpose. They should lead to a set of strategies and practices that ensure a good balance between people and nature on the one hand and different groups on the other.
Sustainable business does not come naturally. Certainly not if you have been around for a while and were born in the old economy, as an individual or as an organization. It takes a different type of leadership with a different mindset and different tools to continue to adapt in a rapidly changing, digitally driven world. Trailblazers brings together the resources, knowledge and network required for this.
