Accelerate Better Business and a Better Future

Thanks in advance for taking your time to read this today. Because, I have something both urgent and important to share with you.

After having deeply immersed myself in writing the book Better Business Better Future over the course of two years, I have now given another 6 months to designing an executive program to help accelerate the shift that we need.

And timing is right. It seems like the whole world is now abruptly waking-up to increasing economic and political uncertainty, as well as to accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss.

Several of the global risks earlier identified by the World Economic Forumare playing out. Including the fact that the world has already crossed several planetary boundaries and is on a pathway far above the 1.5°C target to mitigate climate change. We are now even reaching a point where the well-being of humanity and our planet is at stake.

We will simply need to embrace uncertainty to navigate our ways forward.

Business has of course been part of creating this mess in the first place, and now need to be an active part of the solution. The question is more HOW than why.

In fact, these monumental and wicked problems carry immense potential for those who dare to be visionary. But business as usual is getting in our way…

Business as usual is getting in our own way

Today, studies show that most CEOs – including myself – agree that sustainability is important not only to the planet, but also critical to the future success of their business. Still, it is clear that most have not stepped up to deal with this challenge very far beyond nice words and lofty goals.

Several studies show examples of this challenge. Some of the more interesting are for instance the CEO Study on Sustainability 2021 by UN Global Compact and Accenture, The CEO Study 2022 by IBM Institute for Business Value, and Rethink: why sustainable product design is the need of the hour by CapGemini. All seeming to sense the same patterns, but from different angles, and with different focus areas.

Why a disconnect between what we say and what we do?

There is undeniably a disconnect between what we say and what we do in this field.

Not only because of the human tendency to stick our head in the sand, and stay within our comfort zone – but also because of the usual battle between ambition and reality; the long-term and the short-term; a struggle to embed sustainability into cultures, strategies, and business models; and a struggle to obtain the broad buy-in necessary to create meaningful transformation.

But, there is something else too. A large study for instance learned that 75% of children and young people found the future frightening, and over 50% felt powerless or helpless due to climate change. And we as business leaders are only human. Maybe we too feel powerless in relation to the major forces at play. Or, maybe we simply don’t see HOW we can make a real and significant difference.

We as business leaders are however crucial in the transformation towards Better Business and a Better Future.

By providing insight, purpose, direction and resources, and stimulating collaboration across our business ecosystems, we can contribute to meaning, innovation, transformation, and growth – and even help enhancing the wellbeing of both people and planet, while future-proofing our businesses.

Learning from the frontlines of this transformation can actually provide us with many of the answers that we need to help us accelerate this important shift.

The Better Business Acceleration Program offers a way forward

The Better Business Acceleration Program is a 6-weeks online executive program designed for business leaders, management teams, board members, strategists, consultants and more, to accelerate the journey beyond business as usual – to help you surf the waves of the Sustainability Revolution, and build Better Business and a Better Future.

The program will help you understand what is unfolding, learn from the sustainability trailblazers in in the frontline, and help you accelerate your company’s transformation.

Because Better Business is not only urgent, but also a window of immense business opportunity and a potential competitive advantage.

What you will bring with you from the program?

After having completed the six weeks…

• You will understand the Sustainability Revolution, and what is unfolding beyond business as usual.
• You will realize the vast potential for business in stepping up to the challenge, and why laggards in the long run will lose both relevance and attractiveness to their customers and ecosystems.
• You will get valuable insights into the leading practices of businesses in the frontlines of the Sustainability Revolution – such as Patagonia, Interface, Unilever, IKEA, Orsted, and Oatly.
• You will have benchmarked your own business towards the sustainability trailblazers; envisioned the desired future state of your business; sketched out your path ahead, and realized how you as a business leader is critical in this important transformation.
• You will have built a solid base to confidently lead and accelerate this journey going forward.
• And, you will have received a Certificate of Better Business Acceleration upon program completion.

Please note that you don’t have to meet the program deadline if you are not keen on a certificate. You can then simply pursue the modules in your own pace over the three months that you have access to the learning platform.

I spent two years on writing the book Better Business Better Future, and now another 6 months on building this Executive Program. Nothing would make me happier right now than seeing you choose to be part of the solution, and joining this quest!

Warmly,

Elisabet

Elisabet Lagerstedt

Elisabet Lagerstedt is the founder and director of Future Navigators. As a trusted advisor, consultant, and Executive Coach, she helps business leaders navigate beyond business as usual to build Better Business and co-create a better future - through insight, strategy, innovation, and transformation. Elisabet is also the author of Better Business, Better Future (2022) and Navigera in i Framtiden (2018).