If you get this right, everything will become easier

What’s the secret to success?

I’ve worked with people from over 300 businesses and what stands out to me, is that the businesses who succeed work as a team. They identify leaders (not necessarily management), they set goals and they keep going even when times are tough.

From the early days of PFSEA the kinds of businesses I’ve worked with had already been working on sustainability themselves and were finding that it was a little challenging.

My best clients have often been those who will tell me about all of the great things they’re doing, have me wondering ‘what do they need me for?’. Once we work together, they ultimately find huge success in their sustainability goals, which has a positive impact on team inclusivity and empowerment and helps with their marketing and customer satisfaction.

It’s all about the team

The way we succeed in building strong teams and ultimately successful initiatives is by bringing everyone to the table. From the very beginning.

When teams are instrumental in contributing ideas, being involved in decisions and responsible for implementing them, the majority of the time they will succeed and even flourish in achieving great goals and continuing to improve.

Success stories

When I worked with Treeline Hotels in Siem Reap, they came up with a compost initiative during our workshop, that, to the best of my knowledge, still runs today. They accomplished the goals we set and went on to create their own path, even incorporating sustainability initiatives into their personal lives – such as a team picnic they organised for one of the holidays where they all intuitively contributed without bringing any plastic packaging!

Just prior to Covid, I worked with Songsaa Private Island, and they are diligently making changes despite how difficult 2020 has been.

Staff from Ammo Jewellery began bringing their own lunch boxes to work after joining our workshop, without needing to be told, prompted or reminded. If you think about your workplace (perhaps pre-covid) and how many people buy takeaway lunch… I think you’ll agree this is a pretty fantastic step.

And the ripples of change continue…

Since leaving Siem Reap to live in Sydney, I am incredibly proud to see clients I’ve worked with, take the lead on sustainability above and beyond their own businesses.

An incredible initiative between Mulberry Boutique Hotel, Jaya House Riverpark and Treeline Urban Resort has had them delivering meals most drastically affected by covid, all in completely natural packaging and at around 400 meals per day! Hotels Joining Hands is just one of their actions, others include clean up events, fundraisers, community action and definitely applying all of these principles to every area of their business.

So what can you do?

• bring your team to the table
• get expert support, an external voice gives credibility to the changes you want to make
• don’t get caught up in perfection, delaying until the ‘perfect’ time, solution, product often means not starting at all
• bring your suppliers to the table
• set goals and stay focussed on achieving them
• share your results, your customers will love it

If you’ve got questions, want to chat over a coffee or book a workshop for your team, let me know.