Ecosystem Thinking to Thrive in Leadership and Business

New life springs from old growth in Olympic National Park

For many, the word ‘ecosystem’ brings forth visions of biology, the ocean, or forests.

Natural Geographic defines an ecosystem as “living organisms and their environment interacting in a certain area”. The concept of an ecosystem has evolved in recent years as we examine and become more aware of our intrinsic ties with nature.  Individuals, businesses, and communities can each be viewed as ecosystems because the choices we make and the actions we take have impact beyond the individual - on our systems.

In business, we have long neglected to measure the human and ecological impact of choices and actions we take in creating our products or delivering our services.  Very few organizations track human or ecological impact. The focus is more often on financial or production outcomes. 

There is an enormous human and environmental toll of not paying attention to our interdependency on this planet that we can no longer ignore. We are witnessing environmental chaos, increasing chronic disease,  shorter life expectancy, productivity decline, mental and emotional health crisis, and species decline (plant and animal extinction). 

As we evolve from power structures, silos, and top-down management, we are being called to think differently.  Businesses and leaders must reimagine the way we work, and the way we interact with humans and natural resources. We need to think in broader terms with less emphasis on me and a greater inclusion of we.

According to the organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry, 86% of CEOs and board members see business and society becoming more interconnected.  This is only the beginning.

There are a growing number of movements focused on systems change: benefit corporations, B Corp, 1% for the Planet, stakeholder and conscious capitalism, Zebra’s Unite, Lift Economy, and many others. 

To impact our ecosystems positively requires a shift from extraction to regeneration. It begins with you, the individual.  Then it flows to your employees, co-workers, customers, suppliers, investors, the communities you work in, and the planet. These are stakeholders in your ecosystem.

Because ecosystems are interdependent, our language and mindset need to shift away from winning, competition, power-over, and dominance. Instead, it is time to focus on co-creation, cooperation, empowerment, and sharing.

Evolution

Moving to this model requires conversations, data gathering, and co-creating solutions to improve your impact over time.

To create collaborative relationships there is no substitute for human conversations. If you focus on listening to your stakeholders the insights gained are incredibly valuable, especially if you have a simple method of tracking and reporting.  We use the word ‘insight’ very intentionally for these conversations because it shifts the focus away from the listen-to-solve approach that most of us have been taught to use in business.

With Insight Conversations, the shift is to come from a place of curiosity and data gathering. We ask open-ended questions and listen carefully to what people are saying, without judgment. With these insights, you can begin to work more collaboratively within your ecosystem to have a positive impact on the broader whole.

Evolution and interdependence in business requires an awareness of where you are today so that you can track your progress on an ongoing basis.

The journey begins with your story and purpose.

All change begins at the individual level.  Before you bring this work into your business or team, it is important to get very comfortable with telling your story.   

If you own or manage a company, why are you doing the work that you do? 

• What and who are benefiting from your work? 

• Who could be harmed or negatively impacted by your work, or the way you work?

• How could the world be better because of what you do?

• Who are you serving?

The answers to these questions can help to form your purpose story. 

If you are leading change and engaging others, people want to hear your story.  This is an important step to motivate people to join you.  Talk about your vision from the heart because people are motivated by authenticity and passion.  We can tell immediately if someone is just repeating words that they think will matter, versus connecting from the heart to what truly matters.

Engage Your Employees on the Journey

This is crucial.  Transforming how we work is not a destination.  It is a journey that is unfolding and shaped over time. 

If you are in business, your employees are your company.  Talk with them. Tell them why you want to focus on evolving the way you work.  Ask them questions.  The insight conversations begin with your employees.

• Why have they chosen to work with you? 

• What gets them out of bed each day to work with your customers?

• How does it feel each day interacting with one another? 

• Do they feel that you truly care about their wellbeing and their professional and personal growth? 

• Can they speak honestly in all areas of business at every level? 

• Is your business fostering diversity at all levels – skills, background, education, humanity? 

• Can they be their authentic selves and feel valued for that?

Feeling Questions.  Notice the intentional use of feel vs think in the questions here.  In business, we often shy away from feeling to focus on what we think.  Whether you create space for it or not, people act based on how they feel, especially if they don’t feel good – just look at the Great Resignation happening over the past year (2021-2022).  If you listen carefully to how your employees answer these questions, you will have important insights to co-create a culture where people will thrive.

With your employees united in this work together, over time they can be empowered to expand the Insight Conversations and gather baseline information from your stakeholders.

Engaging Customers

Are you regularly asking your customers questions? If not, it can feel like you are only interested in them when it is time to renew their contract, or when you have something new to offer.  They may have a need or challenge that you could help solve, which is not likely to happen if you are operating from a narrow vision from your current interactions.  Try asking, “What keeps you up at night?”  What is something they wished you or someone else provided that would make their lives easier? What new things are they planning in their business? Do they find you to be a thoughtful and responsive business partner?

Partnering with Suppliers

Many companies are sourcing for the best possible price and not taking the added step to better understand how their suppliers do business.  Where and how are they resourcing what they provide you?  What are their employee and business practices?  Do they align with yours? Do they care about their people and the planet?  How are they measuring their impact?

Investing In and Impacting Community.

Communities are often overlooked as a stakeholder and from an impact perspective.  Do you and your employees intentionally develop relationships in the communities where you do business?  Do you invest time to build relationships with those around you?  Do you serve to make your community better?  Do you and your employees actively participate or volunteer in community?

Earth: Moving from Extraction to Regeneration

Perhaps most important of all, how does the work you do impact the earth? Think about products you are making and the services you provide.  What materials or resources are being extracted? What waste is produced, or energy consumed to do what you do?  We cannot continue to act as if this planet has unlimited resources. Every choice we make has an impact.

Look around you at this very moment. All you can see in your field of vision was once (or is) a natural resource. Think about that. 

Aligned With Nature

I have been researching the way we work for nearly a decade, spanning more than a century of behaviors and practices. Since the industrial age, we have been on a trajectory of neglect and burnout of human bodies and spirits while striving for productivity and profit. We have been extracting resources from the earth at a rate that has long been proven unsustainable.

Ecosystem thinking plays a simple and effective role in helping people see the bigger picture in terms of impact.  Every decision we make and action we take has an impact on ourselves, others, and this planet.

Collaboration and co-creation are better for all resources, and it is also more satisfying because people feel the difference. 

With each passing year, more of your customers and employees are making purchase and employment decisions aligned with shared mission and values.

As a business owner or CEO, how are you connecting with and tracking improvement within your ecosystem? How are the decisions you make impacting each of those in your system? 

In the words of Raj Sisodia and Michael Gelb in their book, The Healing Organization: “With every decision or choice we make each day, we have the opportunity to create joy or suffering.” 

Which will you choose?

I invite you to join us on this ecosystem journey to create more joy.