One of my all-time favorite clients hired me to create a 100-year sustainability roadmap for their hospitality company plus four related lines of business.

They wanted to know two things:

The trends over the next century that posed the biggest business risks and opportunities, and how to leverage their current ESG efforts (which were significant) into new business growth opportunities.

Forecasting the trends allowed me to work for the first time with a futurist, which was enlightening, but it was the exercise of mapping ESG investments to business growth opportunities that I lapped up.

I came away from that 36-month engagement with the nickname – ‘Laser Burns’ for what my client saw as an ability to cut through the fluff and get to the business case.

Here’s what I learned:

Think holistically about how to make micro connections.
In this particular case, thinking holistically meant understanding how the business was structured, its risks and opportunities – and what was really driving the desire to think long-term about ESG.

I analyzed the client’s long term business strategy and learned there was a five-year goal to launch a new business unit.

That became a pathway to make the case for even more substantial ESG investments because they saw how doing so would, in addition to other benefits, contribute to the success of the new venture.

Ask the boots on the ground.
I was fortunate that the client spent time making introductions to the department heads of all of its business units. (See why they’re one of my favorites?) 😀

This forged relationships with the folks who understand what is possible from an operational standpoint and develop a deep understanding of what was keeping them up at night (risks) and what their vision was for the company (opportunities).

The result was identifying the critical pathways to connect ESG investments to every department in a way that made operational sense.

Find a blue ocean.
Remember the new business unit this client was interested in launching?

As a result of working together, the client pivoted to leverage the significant ESG commitments, investments, and progress and position within a blue ocean of opportunity.

Instead of competing with mainstream businesses in the space, they were able to stand out as a leader in sustainability and develop a business model that reflected their commitment.