Interface - 25 year learnings report review
This week’s report is a bit different in that it’s not actually an ‘impact report’. But it contains pretty much all the elements of a very good impact report and so I’m keen to share it.
Interface compiled and shared lessons they learnt from 25 years of what they called Mission Zero® - their journey to transform their business so it would have zero negative impact on the planet.
👍🏻 3 things I like...
1. EVERYONE HAD A ROLE TO PLAY
They recognise that to achieve such a huge transformation everyone needs to be involved – sustainability can’t be delivered by a small team separated from the core business.
It requires wholesale cultural change – for sustainability to be part of everyone’s job, wherever they work in the business.
“To change everything you need everyone”
2. WILLING TO MAKE MISTAKES
They’re transparent about some of the things they tried that didn’t work out … but which did lead to learnings and future successes.
When you’re a leader, carving an untrodden path then there’s no blueprint to follow! It’s crucial that you’re open to taking risks, trying things out, learning from your mistakes, and building on those learnings to help you move forward.
3. SHARE ACTIONABLE ADVICE
The purpose of this report is to share what they’ve learnt, to help others on their journey. It’s framed as nine lessons - tangible, actionable advice. There are links to case studies which relate ot these lessons which help make the advice more tangible.
I love this because other businesses can pick up these lessons and do something with them, creating the ripples of impact that Interface refers to.
❓3 questions it raises
1. HOW DID THEY STICK TO A LONG TERM GOAL?
Too often businesses struggle to maintain the commitment to a long term goal – short term pressures end up taking precedent, however good the initial intentions.
What did Interface do that enabled them to stay true to such a long term ambitious goal?
2. HOW DID THEY MANAGE PERFORMANCE?
Too often, executive compensation and performance management approaches remain tied to financial metrics and traditional measures of success. This stifles sustainability efforts.
How did Interface change their performance management / compensation approaches to enable the transformation?
3. HOW DID LEADERSHIP CHANGES AFFECT THE TRANSFORMATION?
How did changing CEO / other members of the leadership team affect Interface’s transformation? What approach did they take to recruitment and onboarding that meant that changes in leadership reinforced the journey rather than knocking it off track?
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You can read the report for yourself here and let me know what you think.
If you’re preparing to write your own impact report, you might find my FREE Impact Reporting Roadmap helpful: