I spent 1998-2003 evangelizing the internet.
Some got it right away (Intel), other jumped in by the turn of the century (Victoria's Secret and Wal-Mart) and others joined very late and still dogpeddle in this area to this day.
It should have been pretty obvious by 1999 that, if you have customers, you need an online presence. Why? The world was going online. They valued its convenience and speed. Put your head in your sand and suffer. You remember, Kevin Kelly's classic? Gary Hamel's tome?
Today, I'm on the change-is-coming trail again. This time, instead of going online, your company needs to go green. By going green, I mean that you grow everything that your company touches directly and indirectly. Going green is about new values in the area of thoughtfulness, right/wrong and what quality means.
I'm so proud of Village Green. They are making the plunge into making eco-innovation a key part of their companywide culture of excellence. It's not just in their name, it's in their founding philosophy. They have a chance to own the 'green' space in their industry and make a difference to all of us along the way. Next week I'll post an audio interview with the founder's grand son.
I cannot believe that companies think green is just a fad — along with social responsibility. Consumers are adopting these values at home and beginning to scrutinize companies to the do the same. In other words, it is 1999 again.
In Saving The World At Work, I talk about what happens to companies that fail to connect with a change in customer/consumer values: They go extinct.
