Day: October 28, 2014

It seems to me that every time someone’s asked for advice on a problem, an unwritten rule comes into effect where they’re essentially expected to become knowledgeable on said issue. And if they don’t know it yet, the sooner the better.

Mark Suster, an entrepreneur turned venture capitalist, touches on this topic in one of his blog posts for “Both Sides of the Table.” In the post he gives business advice to entrepreneurs and venture capitalists alike, though the advice is basically applicable to any field of business. He describes how saying “I don’t know” is often the right answer; he disregards the importance of answers in favour of knowing what questions to ask. Suster recounts how in his own career he felt like he was fooled into thinking he had to know everything, but later realized that real business leaders are ones that can admit that they don’t know everything.

While reading Suster’s post, this concept of “not-knowing” really hit home for me. I feel that in today’s “technology-centric” age, people are placing increasing pressures on themselves to know things they don’t know much about. Suster’s advice of admitting one’s lack of knowledge is extremely relevant, not only with entrepreneurs looking to start-up, but also with students. I think that if students could adopt this open-mindedness, they could learn at a greater depth than they would thinking that they already know-it-all.

Image found here.

For many, the first thing that comes to mind when one hears corporate “sustainability” is eco-friendly technology, clean energy, and environmental protectionism. I too previously held that incorrect assumption. After reflecting on what Tamar shared in class, I realized that not too many people seem to be aware that sustainability can boost a company’s financial, brand, and operational status.

One executive in a high-profile company that shares my thoughts on sustainability is UPS’ VP of Environmental Affairs, Rhonda Clark. In an interview with The Guardian, Clark describes how sustainability and efficiency are paired together when it comes to the company’s operations. She explains that many people in other companies haven’t quite caught on to the fact that sustainability can be integrated into a company’s identity without compromising profitability..

I feel as if today’s corporate community puts great emphasis on “buzzwords”.  In the past, prominent buzzwords, that have now been largely adopted, were “social media” and anything “cloud.” In the same way, “sustainability” has become a fairly common buzzword among business innovators. The fact that an industry leader like UPS has adopted a sustainable business approach is a sign to everyone that the trend of sustainability has arrived. And I feel that given all the attention it has been receiving, that this so-called sustainability movement is here to stay.