For over a decade I was fortunate enough to live in a pretty little village in Devon on the South coast surrounded by fantastic farmland.
Each year it was great to see the farmers ploughing their fields with deep furrows and then sow their seeds ready for their seasonal crop.
The COVID 19 pandemic may have made you feel that your business is being turned upside-down. But ploughing breaks up the soil to aid drainage and root growth. It aids decomposition which adds many needed nutrients to the earth which will subsequently fuel growth of the healthy crop to come.
This led my thinking onto what lessons we can learn from ploughed fields and apply them to our business.
• Change is often a challenge but can also create opportunities which we might not have previously discovered. (Ploughing)
• We can use disruption to reconsider our core purpose and relate that to what people need (What crops do we want to grow)
• Can you pivot your business slightly to make new offerings which add value (Plant a different crop)
• Can you increase your prioritisation of People & Planet so that you do Business On Purpose rather than all emphasis being solely on profit (Plant something that has a stronger market demand)
• How might you be able to measure your impact in the community and on your sustainability (Measure the changes)
• How can we optimise the change in climate (Forecast daily, weekly, monthly and annually)
Different processes, tools, inputs, markets and approaches all might be needed.
Get your purpose (your Why) well aligned and clear, then build your What and your How on that foundation.
We are in a season of changes. Let’s work together to make them positive ones and your turn business into a force for good.
To find out more about how purpose can improve profitability, sustainability, social value and resilience, get in touch.
