Yes, There is a Difference Between A Problem & Recognizing It's a Problem!

No long narrative today. Just a thought: Can the private sector ever be sustainable? Take a look at the image below, courtesy Fast Company. It pertains to a survey conducted by Two Tomorrows "to rank the ten biggest fossil fuel companies in corporate responsibility using five categories: Strategy, Innovation and Leadership, Governance, Engagement, and Value Chain." What this image does best, is illustrate the wide disconnect between acknowledging a problem and making efforts to address it and solve it.

Don't look at the fact that BP took the top spot in this ranking. Instead, think about this: If the disconnect in this sector, where sustainability has been an unspoken reality waiting to be addressed for decades, is so huge between recognition and responsiveness, what happens when we apply these factors to other industries, especially ones that are harder to identify as sustainable or doing enough to be socially responsible, like banking, law, consulting, and marketing? And, (maybe) more importantly, how tedious and long is this journey toward "realization" going to be?

Remember my post from last week about MBAs and Sustainability? We're sending mixed messages to students and professionals. While, we prepare future business leaders with a consciously responsible bent of mind, our employers continue to plug away at profit making and bottom line decisions without the responsible quotient. What will it take to close this gap?

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