The Value of Great Execution and Humility for Sustainability

Abstract

The leaders of sustainable companies are aware that longevity depends on the quality of operations and a tenacious execution of the strategy. Failure may come from the lack of available capabilities but also from excessive success that leads to complacency, dogmatism, ritualization, and excessive specialization. Some firms are blinded by their own success and perish because they are unable to adapt to new situations.

Leaders of sustainable firms avoid this fate by maintaining a certain degree of humility. First, they do not allow themselves to be complacent. They agree to share decision-making. They build trust with their employees and listen to them. They never consider themselves as indispensable and irreplaceable. They plan for the best but prepare for the worst while keeping an eye open to any new opportunity they can seize.