10 Tips for Tickling Sharks/7
#7 Don’t assume that all Sharks or Orcas are evil
Some powerful evil, no question. And most represent some form of danger to other people’s lives, limbs, or reputations, whether or not they intend to cause damage. So, if things do go wobbly, and a market predator launches an attack, we must be ready to tackle the deadliest Sharks with everything at our disposal.
Sometimes, even before we get to that point, Shark may try to take a pre-emptive bite out of us, because of territoriality, frustration, or sheer force of habit. Be prepared.
If you do find yourself headed into the jaws of death, a well-placed punch in the personal or corporate nose may distract predators long enough for you to escape—or, counterintuitively, to slip in deeper.
But remember that many leaders are reflections of the systems that trained, selected, and now incentivize them. Remove one, get a clone.
The only real way forward is to change the incentives, transform the training and selection processes, and ultimately change the economic context that determines their priorities and behavior. In effect, to redesign the markets they serve.
Next, tomorrow, we consider why it’s important to avoid breathing your own exhaust fumes.
Again, all comments welcome.
John Elkington is Founder & Chief Pollinator at Volans. His personal website can be accessed here. This post draws on the Coda & Manifesto section of his new book, Tickling Sharks: How We Sold Business on Sustainability (Fast Company Press, 2024). This 10-part series of posts began on 2nd September, with the first five posts running through to the 6th of September—and now continues with the second five running through to the 13th of September.
What readers say:
“Today, sustainability, climate risk, health and safety, culture, and diversity are front and centre of every corporate annual report—thanks for that, John. The valuing of People, Planet, and Profit are core to MBAs, risk matrices, credit risk ratings, and lending criteria across the globe—thanks again. And thank you, too, for this story of discovery, determination, and the art of befriending those we considered enemies.”
PAUL GILDING, former executive director, Greenpeace International;
fellow, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL);
author of The Great Disruption
Available on Amazon and through good bookshops.