[3Bl]ooming Honcho: Graeme Byrd

Welcome to the inaugural [3Bl]ooming Honcho interview! [3Bl]ooming Honcho is a series of conversations with the next wave of business leaders in Oregon. This emerging class has a keen focus on integrating sound business practices with sustainability. They keep an eye on the triple bottom line (a measurement of organizational performance based on human, natural and monetary capital, aka 3BL) while nurturing successful organizations in the new economy — and they’re poised to lead this vital shift in the way we do business. [3Bl]ooming Honcho conversations are led by SBO Associate Editor Mason Walker.

In this edition we're speaking with Graeme Byrd about engaging younger generations in sustainable business. Graeme is the business development and collaboration manager at FMYI [for my innovation], a collaboration software company with a sustainability commitment. Graeme is committed to building a better future and engaging his generation in sustainability. He is the chapter leader for the Net Impact Portland Professional Chapter and serves on the Emerging Leaders Board for Oregon Environmental Council. He is 29 years old.

Mason Walker: Your various professional involvements focus on engaging young people in important issues surrounding sustainable business development. What does engagement mean in the world of sustainable business?

Graeme Byrd: It is important to engage young people because we are no longer a part of the “me generation.” When I think of the me generation, I think of Madonna’s “Material Girl” and consumerism/consumption. That model is not sustainable. We can no longer consume and pollute at the same rate — both as individuals and businesses. I believe, we must be a “we generation” committed to using business for the greater good and engaging others around these beliefs. Engagement is more than just crowdsourcing ideas. It is about sharing best practices to create a change in the way businesses operate and collaborate with others. This means it is critical for us to engage each other in the greater business community (locally and nationally) and have a strong employee engagement and sustainability program within our own businesses.

MW: What are some of the best vehicles for this engagement?

GB: Vehicles? I think the Bus is a great vehicle that is pretty sustainable, and plays a huge role in moving things forward.

It doesn’t help just to watch things roll by, you need to get involved.

I recommend circling one's self with other like-minded individuals — it is much easier when you have ideas to share them. A fellow millennial told me she was feeling disenchanted with our generation — feeling like she was alone — until she joined Oregon Environmental Council’s Emerging Leaders Board. Now she knows she is not the only one facing and solving these challenges. That is why organizations are developing boards for younger generations, like OEC and the YWCA and specific programs like Focus the Nation’s Recharge and the Bus Project’s Fellows are growing. These are new vehicles for engagement.

Get involved in the community — locally and nationally with groups like Net Impact where you can engage with other like-minded current and future leaders (many in our generation) committed to using business for a greater good. You have your own skills and tools as a business professional — use them to teach others and to help other organizations be more sustainable.

Know what is happening at the business — look beyond the inbox and that next meeting. How are you engaging other employees? What is the company doing that can be more sustainable? Get involved and bring something to the table. Start up a Northwest Earth Institute discussion course (I recommend Sustainable Systems at Work or Menu for the Future) or lead an effort to develop a sustainable vision based on The Natural Step.

There are some amazing resources in this state — businesses and organizations that are engaging employees and making a sustainable difference — just ask around and read Sustainable Business Oregon.

MW: We often find it challenging to define sustainable business. What is the most compelling (or motivating) definition that you’ve heard? Is a succinct definition important to further the conversation with attention-challenged youth?

GB: The millennials have information coming at them like a fire hose. Should the definition of sustainable business be 140 characters with a few hashtags? The definition of business and “sustainable business” that we know in the future will be succinct. A business will be either a “sustainable business,” “social business” or “social enterprise.” So to me, what is a compelling definition of business?

Biz is committed to a greater good by creating value for customers while striving to meet #3BL including community health + social justice.

All under 140 characters.

In other words, a sustainable business is not a business of the me generation but that of the we generation.

MW: Where is the biggest disconnect between millennials (and young X-ers) and businesses?

GB: Retention and communication are two major struggles for business with millenials. We are not our parents and grandparents generation. We won’t be spending 30+ years with the same company. Growth opportunities are different and so is the definition of loyalty. We are about “flexible loyalty” and our greatest influencers are friends, not names or brands.

Millenials are the fastest growing group in the workforce (over half the world’s population is under the age of 30) and we haven’t even tapped into the subset group, Generation Hot — those born after June 23, 1988 — who will only know the world as getting hotter. As the we generation, we believe in the power of using business to create a better and sustainable world.

So the question is, how do you retain these committed employees?

A truly sustainable business will be about people — they are the most important resource — and a part of the triple bottom line. Businesses need to open communication and be more transparent with this generation and future ones. It's a big reason why companies are publishing annual reports about their sustainability efforts and restaurants tell you the source of their food. We have flexible loyalties, but stick around for good rewards and benefits — and that doesn’t just mean health insurance and a 401(k).

I pose this question to businesses: Have you engaged the millenials in your office about their thoughts and ideas? Empower them to create a change and in turn you will have a more sustainable business.

MW: What lessons can we adopt from other engagement efforts (ad campaigns, flash mobs, grassroots movements, etc.) and apply to sustainable business advocacy and leadership?

GB: The success of many engagement efforts our generation has lived through are focused around consumerism — crafted efforts of marketing and advertising to get us to spend money. Ad campaigns may have money behind them, but millenials have social networking tools (Facebook is the 3^rd largest country), to create flash mobs and bring back the return of successful grassroots and social change happening in the world (i.e. Egypt Revolution 2011). We have the power of people. And it only takes one person with an idea to empower a team of people. From all of this, we can learn that successful campaigns happen when there is a focused goal, the message is kept simple, and there is a tangible result. We can all be leaders and advocate creating a more sustainable business, by keeping everything simple and with reachable goals; other people will see the success and support will grow. What starts with one person can lead to revolution. Be the change agent.

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