What 60+ Sustainability Experts Taught Us: 6 Key Takeaways Shaping Resilient Business ft. Lauren Scott (The Resilience Report)

Welcome back to another episode of The Resilience Report.

This is the 1st solo I feel like we've done in quite some time, so I'm excited to be back with all of our listeners today to talk through a topic that really came to mind when I realized the other day that we have just crossed 2 and a half years of The Resilience Report being broadcast out to all of our different listeners around the world. Which means we've actually spoken to over 60 experts working at the intersection of sustainability and business.

And so I thought today would be kind of a fun time to look back on 6 of the core themes or principles that continue to come up in speaking to these dozens of experts. There truly are some common threads that we see across all these different conversations that I'm hoping to package up, and maybe some of them will spark some more interest to go listen back to our archive. 

And at the same time, towards the end I will be sharing more information, you might have noticed, if you're clicking to listen in a little bit of a brand refresh, so I'll give some background as to why we have done that for The Resilience Report. Don't worry, the name is not changing. This is absolutely still the time that we want to be diving into what it means to be resilient. However, there's a little bit of a call, it a facelift for the brand. So I'll give a little bit more context there towards the end.

So let's jump right into the 6 core principles that I've really seen throughout the past 2 and a half years. This is a little bit of a hybrid of both personal and professional anecdotes that our guests have really shared with us over this time.

The 1st and one that I think is probably most important is in speaking to all of our different guests, when I've asked questions along the lines of How can a company better integrate sustainability? Or how can our listeners, if their leaders think about integrating sustainability? Without fail, the response continues to be: you need to make sure that sustainability is integrated into your business and not something simply that you layer on.

So let me explain a little bit what this means in most of these conversation. We've certainly seen, I would say, since 2020, especially in that pocket of time, there were a lot of companies that maybe had never really talked about sustainability, had never thought about integrating sustainability into their practices, coming out with pretty broad statements as to how they are maybe doing environmental or social considerations within their day to day. Fast forward just a few years later, the environment, at least here in North America has certainly changed quite a bit in the sense that there's actually backlash against some of these statements. I think some of it is warranted. Some of it is certainly where we find ourselves in 2025 in terms of it being a little bit more of a divisive topic.

However, what we're seeing is that those companies that have successfully integrated sustainability into their core strategies, so really thinking about it as something that can help differentiate as a company and not something that they're just slapping on top of, maybe a marketing campaign. We are seeing those companies stand the test of time, and they are not necessarily backtracking on their statements. I will add a little note that we are seeing overall some trends of perhaps companies in North America being a little bit less outward facing and loud about their progress. But what we've really seen over a multitude of studies, and then speaking to the experts is that the progress continues it's just maybe a little bit quieter when it comes to the splashy marketing and campaigns.

So in doing this and really ensuring that sustainability is core to your business, you're helping to prevent the concept of maybe greenwashing. You're making sure that it is deeply part of what you do as a business. You're also a little bit less susceptible to changes in regulations, though we are seeing again the timeframe of this recording is 2025, we're seeing a number of different regulations of subsidies evolving with current legislation. And some companies are really having to completely scrap their approach. They're trying to think about how they can maintain sustainability, but then, at the same time, it almost feels at odds with some of the changes going on. This is true for every company, I don't think any company is isolated. However, what we are seeing are that those companies who again, that sustainability is deeply part of their strategy, and how they go to market and their business models, they are able to withstand some of these changes a little bit better.

So now our second principle, and one that we've seen time and time again. One very true to my heart is the importance of storytelling, especially when it comes to sustainability.

Of course there are pieces like we just talked about with greenwashing, where certain companies were maybe telling a certain environmental or social story over the past few years. And now they're retracting it, it feels really unreliable, it feels very inauthentic.

And so what we're seeing is that those companies who found a way to tell the story of how they are trying to be more sustainable in a way that is truly representative of the efforts going on behind the scenes, are the ones that are being respected and trusted by their customers at the end of the day, trust is such a critical pillar when it comes to business. and I don't think I have to tell any of our listeners this is especially true in times of change.There are a lot of different moving parts within the business space right now, and just being able to build that trust based on your truthful and authentic storytelling, is going to allow you and your business to have that much more longevity as you're building out your sustainability, business messaging and interactions with your community.

One interesting note that has also come up with our guests is when it comes to the storytelling, leaning into that authenticity piece for a reason that maybe we haven't been talking about up until about a year or so ago,  which is the prevalence of AI. What we're seeing and speaking to our guests is that they're saying that AI, we'll put aside some of the environmental considerations for the moment. But AI is assisting a lot of smaller businesses, maybe leaner teams in terms of producing more content, being able to tell their story in a way that's maybe a little bit more polished. This is great in the sense that it can help small and medium companies kind of scale. However, the flip side of that is that it's almost feeling homogeneous right now, because so many teams are leading into AI, that what is being created across different brands and across even competition is so similar looking, so similar sounding, that it is getting more and more challenging to stand out from the competition and to create that connection with your audience.

So the critical piece here is to make sure that you have your authentic voice. This is often going to pull back to what your purpose is as a business. So again, it's not so much of a campaign, but really pulling it back to what is your purpose as an organization? What is your strategy as an organization? Staying true to that. I am not saying don't use AI where appropriate to help scale your teams, especially if you're an entrepreneur, and you're quite lean. However, just make sure that what is being communicated is really true to you and your business. This will help you have more impactful storytelling, which helps you stand out from the competition, but can also help with talent acquisition.

It's a bit of an unusual market right now. I'd say we've done some recordings, even just a couple of years ago, where there were huge labor shortages. I think it's easing a little bit specifically in certain industries. However, we know that it's important for not only attraction but retention of talent, to be able to tell your story in a meaningful way. So again, lean into that purpose of your organization.

Our 3rd out of 6 core themes that we've seen over the past 2 and a half years is the importance of cross-functional collaboration. It can be really easy, I know a lot of you listening are entrepreneurs, or maybe intrapreneurs just to go as fast as possible by doing things alone. However, sustainability is something that we've heard from all of our listeners that touches so many different functions within each organization, that it is critical, that from day one, if you're interested in this, that you think about yourself as a little bit of a connective tissue between all of the different departments within your organization. So, this open mind will allow you to from day one not get frustrated when you realize that to move any sustainability project forward you will probably need participation from different teams. It will kind of reduce that barrier to entry, but then it might also open the door proactively for you to have some of the conversations with your colleagues. To really run them through what are you trying to do from a sustainability lens that can help move the business forward? And why is their team an important part of that? 

It kind of ties back to that second item of storytelling, of helping them understand and connecting with perhaps, their pain points. But it is really trying to get that buy-in early on to help you achieve your respective goals. And then, if you go back to the 1st point of it being so critical that your sustainability efforts are tied back to the strategy of the business of the purpose of the business, because it is so integral. Your colleagues and different cross-functional teams will more naturally see how it all comes together. 

So the topic of people, the 4th main pillar is that of the power of community.

This is so true at a time, again, where a lot of our listeners are maybe small or medium companies. But then, especially as larger organizations, we know that it is critical to build communities around our purpose. This time and time again, in speaking to our different guests, has been critical, not just for the success of the business. It's obvious. If you have an engaged community, they'll buy more. They'll support your business more. They'll talk more positively about your business. It also comes down to team morale, especially if you are a founder or you're a business leader deeply connected to your community that even on the hardest of days, if you can see how your company is positively impacting your community, is positively impacting your customers, then that can just be the fuel that you need to be resilient in those tougher days.

We've spoken to a number of different experts over the past 2 and a and a half years who have said that, yes, it's exhausting, working in sustainability sometimes. But when you hear back from a community member about how your innovation helped them to unlock something within their community or help them unlock something personally. That is what time and time again keeps us all afloat. It's why we're doing what we're doing.

So many of us, working in the sustainability space are doing this because we really, genuinely care. And so knowing and seeing and being able to just kind of tangibly experience that positive impact is key. So think about ways that you can create that community that you can nurture that community.

I mean, heck, we're even doing this up this with The Resilience Report of our listeners that occasionally, when I'm putting at these episodes, and I'm also trying to balance a career outside of this and kind of in parallel. It can feel like a lot. But then, when you get that one off message from a listener who connected with a guest on your show. And now we're doing this cross team collaboration that just it lights me up and is true testament to why we're doing this. So again, think about your community. Think about how you can nurture them and just expand from there. And it doesn't matter if it is 10 people in your community, 100, 1,000 or 1,000,000. Think about how you can nurture those relationships.

At number 5 is something that I deeply, deeply believe in and it has been incredible to hear from our guests how this holds true for so many of them. Which is that we cannot pour from an empty cup. When we are working in values-based work, so many of us genuinely care about what we're trying to accomplish as an organization. And while we just talked about this in terms of that community can be the most energizing element, it can also be incredibly draining when it comes to perhaps projects that are longer term, that perhaps have a target around 2040, 2050.

It can also feel really heavy when the backdrop to all of this is environmental and social unrest that we're seeing in the news and we feel like, maybe what we're doing is just not having a fast enough impact, is not being impactful enough or is not reaching enough people. It can feel really heavy sometimes. And what we've heard time and time again from our guests is that this is why it is so critical that we figure out ways individually to really be able to give ourselves some nurturing, some care that we would then extend to others ,we need to also give to ourselves.

And so this has shown up in many different ways for our guests. We've seen those who lean heavily into sports. Certainly above and beyond, the most popular theme is that people just need to get out and reconnect to nature. I am absolutely that person. Even if I'm working in the city, I need to get outside, I need to have some sunshine on my face, and it just completely resets my body.

We've also heard, as we're talking about earlier, finding your community. This could be your customer community, but then it could certainly also be other professionals working in the space. There are a number of different conferences and networking groups that you can be part of in order to find others who are in similar situations, which can just make you feel a little bit less alone. I know that a lot of our listeners are working for companies where maybe they're the one sustainability person, and they can feel like a bit of a lone wolf in meetings. This allows you to find your community and to feel a little bit less alone, as you're trying to move those different projects forward.

Of course, spending time with loved ones is a key piece here, whether it is your family or your friends to make sure that you're creating that time to be able again to refuel yourself. I always like to think of myself as kind of a renewable battery storage pack, and that I need to be able to recharge from time to time. Sometimes, that's just 5 min during the day. I actually often do this where I will have a book, and I only have 5 minutes, but I put a timer on my watch, and I read my book for 5 minutes, and without fail, I feel so much better after doing that. Sometimes it's taking vacations. Sometimes it is really just talking it out with an expert to see how maybe that fresh set of eyes can guide you on the right path. So just really making sure that you are taking care of yourselves so that you can take care of others. 

And then finally, the last pillar and theme is that optimism leads to innovation.

Over the years, I have certainly experienced my own pushback of folks telling me you know what the environment is beyond repair. It's too late. It's cute what you're trying to do, but it's too late. 

But what I've noticed from almost every single one of our guests that we've had on is that they just don't accept the status quo, and it's not because they are filled with hopeism or something that is completely out of touch. It's because they see a problem and they are using their brainpower and all of their personal and professional resources to try and find a solution. And those guests that have done the best are those that have found solutions that are actually meeting the needs and addressing the problems of different communities. This is no different than any business. And it's interesting because I feel like for any company getting start up outside of the environmental space, it's rare that you would get that pushback of like, oh, you're just being too optimistic. So what I really do challenge and what we've seen time and time again from our guests is this concept that we are being too optimistic. I really, truly believe that this optimism is what is ultimately going to lead to the innovation that we need to make businesses, and us personally and professionally more resilient going forward.

So those are the 6 key themes again, it's crazy to me that this has been over 2 and a half years that we've been putting on the show together. I appreciate every single one of you who have listened in over this time. We have listeners from all around the world, which to me is just absolutely incredible, and so rewarding to hear from you as to what episodes are landing best, and what we can do going forward to make this experience even more informative and energizing for our community.

As promised at the top, I want to talk a little bit about the rebrand and why we're doing it 2 and a half years into the show. I really kind of view this as our Resilience Report community growing up. 2 and a half years ago, 2023, we launched the podcast early in that year. We actually were putting it together as of 2022. And we've just had such an evolution in the landscape in which we're trying to have these conversations. If any of you think back to headlines we were seeing in 2022 to what we're seeing now from a political standpoint, from an actual environmental climate standpoint, from a regulatory standpoint, so much is evolving. And I think it's just a real testament to how we've matured as an organization. So you'll notice a different look and feel for the brand. Again, nothing is changing with the name. We are going to continue to bring the best experts across all different industries, and just really shining a light on their work.

For our marketing nerds out there, I do have to share an anecdote that when I was creating the brand for The Resilience Report back in 2022, I knew I wanted to go towards green, but I had such resistance within my own mind, thinking, well, anything that is sustainable is so stereotypically green, just avoid it, don't do it. And so I ended up going with a blue and a beige for anybody who knows oral branding. And when I was rethinking, how do I want to position this brand? I thought, well, isn't that being hypocritical of going against what felt so authentically our own brand? And I was basing what we should look like, based on what I thought others would think about the brand as opposed to what I genuinely felt for the brand. So, I've leaned more back into my natural roots of caring and being appreciative of nature, of our natural space. And so that is really going to be reflected more in our branding going forward. You'll notice it from our audio to our graphics that we're going to lean into I think, what I honestly even had as a vision back 2 and a half plus years ago, and are now stepping more authentically into who that is. 

I really appreciate you being on this journey with me. I would love your feedback what you think of the new branding as well. Please do not hesitate to share that. You can always reach me on LinkedIn. You can access us directly through www.TheResilienceReportca, also on Instagram.

So please don't hesitate, as we mentioned earlier on with these pillars, this community is so key to what we do, and I'm grateful every single day and with every single interaction. So, with that, here's to another 2 and a half years (plus, plus, plus!) together!