A sustainable relationship

In the Netherlands, ‘doing business sustainably’ is usually synonymous with ‘corporate social responsibility (CSR)’ which has nowadays become the essential standard for businesses in 2017.

MVO Nederland, the Dutch CSR organisation, defines corporate social responsibility as follows: ‘A company is engaged in socially responsible enterprise if its activities are purposefully focused on creating value for people, planet and profit, if it continually looks to maintain a careful balance in those relationships, if it shoulders its responsibilities actively and transparently and if it enters into open dialogue about them with its stakeholders.’

The above is only possible based on mutual trust. Without trust, stress and suspicion increase; with it, everything runs more smoothly. If there is a lack of mutual trust, details are used as an excuse for why – after much negotiation – agreement still hasn’t been reached. That happens in business life and in politics, but also in our social lives.

So where does it all go wrong? Most people approach situations with too much of a focus on their own perspective (is it better for me and the people I represent?). So it’s not really surprising that there are so many projects bumping along on ‘square wheels’. The following tips for maintaining sustainable relationships will help you to make those wheels round:

1. Look for mutual interests first.
2. Discuss what you expect of each other and which knowledge you are prepared to share openly.
3. Clearly indicate what you are definitely not willing to discuss.
4. If you form a team, ensure that the team stays together. Every change in its composition places new pressure on the level of trust. 

Don’t proceed until all this is clear. Only then can CSR truly become a way to do business sustainably. 

www.kennethsmit.com/koosminnema/

Koos Minnema (associated with Kenneth Smit Training) has a background in food and a deep affection for the food industry.