Start me up!

My first ‘big’ business deal was to buy a bus load of tickets for a Rolling Stones concert at St James Park, Newcastle. I hired a coach with driver and advertised to friends and family that ticket price included travel to and from the venue. I made a small profit – enough to cover the cost of my own two tickets, my picnic and drinks for the day and a few pounds extra to invest in my next venture. The success of that deal was thrilling and the concert, well what can I say; it was outstanding. We lost just one of our group to a weekend in Newcastle with a new found love but he turned up eventually with a very happy look on his face and new friend in tow!

The plan was simple, get some of our friends together, get them to a great concert and get them home. In the process enjoy the company, the music, share a life experience and yes make a small profit to use for the next venture. Back then concerns about the planet were less of a priority, not because we didn’t care it was more to do with a lack of information which was restricted to TV, radio and print. Today the world has changed and I’d say for the better in so many ways, however, our world is fragile. We seem to have an exhausting ability to destroy what we should protect and nurture however we should not think that nature is defenceless. Balance and harmony in all things should be what we seek, after all the earth will fight back and recover without us. Our aim should be to live our existence to the full, enjoy the bounty that we can but pay back our respect and seek to do as little harm as we can.

I don’t mean we should turn the clock back; indeed I think we should push further and faster with technology and seek solutions to live better with less impact. Just the other day I saw a fantastic programme on the BBC about fungi and how their properties were being used to create biodegradable packaging and read another piece about a young girl in Africa creating a washing machine out of what most westerners would call rubbish. We need to harness, create, lead and excel in our efforts to love the world we live on.

Let’s get started by recognising those organisations that truly support the triple bottom line and get going with a National Green Standard. To see how you measure up start your on obligation on line survey to get a score out of 1000.

Email us on mary@nationalgreenstandard.co.uk

Flexibility the key to productivity: the profit principle

There is an old saying that fish rots from the head and too often the senior team is where this rot apparently starts. Actually fish and people have something in common and it does in a way relate to rot. We share a planet and while fish live in harmony with their surrounds we, people, seem to have managed to find a myriad of ways to rot our surrounds, place constraints and remove individual innovation form our everyday lives. We need to think and behave and differently; we need to stop making the assumption that someone else will take the lead, that senior people somewhere will find a solution to world problems and save us from ourselves.

I’ve written before about being my own Alchemical Magician and that what I mean by that is that every now and then I have to rethink what I’m doing, why and doing it and find better things to do. That concept applies to us all not just leaders. The National green Standard is a brilliant and innovative tool to help as all stop the rot. This Standard leads the way in showing how organisations of any size can maximise the potential of every employee to become champions of the environment: making organisations into teachers and facilitators! The National Green Standard enables organisation to reinvent the way they work and engage with staff and the communities in which they operate and it rewards them for doing so.

Behaviours will only change if there is an incentive to do so and rewarding good behaviour is a great way to incentivise long term change. Adopting new ways of working is not only difficult to start it is difficult to sustain so we at the National Green Standard have created for you a series of workshop to help you get started and keep going. The National Green Standard is scored from 1,000 points across the three key principles of People, Planet, Profit because we know that money management in any organisation is critical to sustainability and people are your organisation.  So what if you could save money over the next ten years by just adopting a few small changes – the Kaizen approach to continuous improvement. What if you went one step further and informed your employees about changes they could make at home to save a little money each year. Indeed now we are on a roll what about the community that surrounds you? A recent BBC new article stated that the average person in the UK travels 16,000 miles every year, the majority of which is going to and from the workplace. Now imagine if we opted for more home working and cutting that carbon footprint by ten or twenty percent: the impact globally would be huge! Pollution would be reduced and we would have a better work life balance – doesn’t seem like there are any downsides there especially when another study shows that motivated staff are 16% more productive and an overwhelming 91% of respondents to a TINYpulse survey say they’re more productive when working remotely .

A recent HSBC (2017) survey suggested the following:

‘…Almost one on five (18%) employees cite poor work life balance as a reason for leaving their last job – a problem many companies could address with flexible working.

Q: To what extent, if at all, does each benefit/ perk motivate you at work?

  • 88% flexible working
  • 79% remote working
  • 76% financial bonus
  • 71% study leave
  • 60% learning courses
  • 58% away days
  • 52% volunteer days
  • 42% mat/ pat leave above statutory pay
  • 39% subsidised gym memberships
  • 39% wellbeing allowance
  • 37% healthcare insurance
  • 28% Xmas parties’

National Green Standard accreditation will recognise your good practices while challenging you to consider other small changes to impact people, planet and profit. We need to be bold and take giant steps, join a growing revolution by starting your national green Standard journey now for the first step towards long term sustainable business and help stop the rot. So what are you waiting for: contact us on mary@nationalgreenstanadard.co.uk

It’s a balancing act

Is your organisation taking steps to make sure it is environmentally friendly? What about making sure that all stakeholders are considered and cared for? Of course, not forgetting the long term: does your organisation plan ahead and think responsibly? Wouldn’t it be good if there was a way of letting others know that you care for your staff, the environment and are building a long term sustainable organisation? Even better, wouldn’t it be great if you could share with others a better way of working and living? Well if your organisation has woken up to world life balance and is trying to achieve sustainable growth while looking after your employees and stakeholders then you need to look at the National Green Standard accreditation.

National Green Standard is the only accreditation available that supports the triple bottom line approach to measuring success. The Standard encourages organisations to self-regulate their legal and statutory obligations while taking a step further to experience external scrutiny when the time is right for them. National Green Standard is designed to help organisations to look at whether they are socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound in the way they operate in the short, medium and long term by providing a mechanism to capture your good practices, get rewarded for your efforts and share your approaches with like-minded organisations who care about how we live, work and look after the planet. Our unique scoring system will help us determine if you have reached Bronze, Green or Gold Standard!

Gaining recognition couldn’t be simpler you can call to arrange a visit or take the no obligation on line questionnaire to get started on your National Green Standard journey.

 

We can be contacted on mary@nationalgreenstandard.co.uk

 

National Green Standard in Action

 

You have put in place your environmental policy and recycling across the organisation is going well, it is monitored and staff have bought into the procedures. This first step in greening your workplace has been met with enthusiasm and the policy in now refreshed to increase the scope so that low energy light bulbs are becoming commonplace as replacements are needed. Old equipment and office furniture no longer finds it ways to a skip and then landfill; it is passed on to others to reuse or to remake into something funky and new.

Now staff are getting creative about greening the workplace and thinking of the office as not just somewhere to spend a large chunk of their time but a place that can be put to good use beyond the function it was designed for. In the kitchen food waste is recycled, herbs are grown in pots and plants have appeared in various locations throughout the building. A small group of staff have organised to litter pick the area around the building and car parks and a local reuse centre has provided picnic benches that are proving very popular. So popular that the office opposite has ordered some too and has planted up a few small areas with wild flowers to soften the hard lines of the building’s entrance.

Next the factory on the corner has installed a sedum roof and a bee keeper has been invited to keep a hive so that honey can be collected. A small group has been set up to look at ways to improve the whole space and work with the local community to improve the area. Tree planting, vegetable plots, picnic areas and walking trails start to appear. In time the whole area is transformed and looks and feels friendlier and safer, there is a renewed energy and community spirit – going to work is not the drag it used to be.

All sound like a pipe dream or an idealised view of reality? Well it may be a story but as with the best stories there is always a fundamental truth behind it. More and more people and organisations are realising that the workplace has a huge impact on the environment and that making small changes can, over time have a positive and cumulative impact. If each organisation made a few simple changes we would all benefit and of course we would be helping to achieve global goals for a better world.

The National Green Standard is designed to recognise the efforts that organisations are making in achieving positive impacts of the environment, society and long term sustainability. If you have started that journey and want to gain the prestigious recognition for your efforts then take the online free survey or drop us an email and we will arrange for a visit. mary@nationalgreenstandard.co.uk

Embed the National Green Standard into your organisational strategy

With so much focus and attention on climate emergency, global political uncertainty and the ambiguity surrounding Brexit, it can be a challenge to remember that many organisations are working hard to make small changes that collectively have a positive economic, social and environmental impact. As a result, many organisations are looking to the National Green Standard to demonstrate their credentials and let other know about the good things they are doing.

The introduction of the National Green Standard in 2016 signalled a new dawn in the battle to work, live and play in a mindful way. Organisations can enhance their business and management strategies by adopting the three Principles and accompanying criteria that comprise the National Green Standard. With a benchmarking score each organisation can easily see what areas to improve and share their best practices with others, should they choose to do so.

Available at three levels: Bronze, Green and Gold the National Green Standard is gaining traction among organisational committed to taking steps to tackle the climate emergency.  Independent assessment makes the process of gaining and maintaining the National Green Standard a robust way to demonstrate your commitment to a socially responsible, economically viable and environmentally sound business practices.

Complete the on-line questionnaire that will start your journey towards recognition against the National Green Standard and see how your organisations can benefit from working with us. There is no obligation and you will get feedback on how you score against the National Green Standard criteria.

Visit www.nationalgreenstandard.co.uk/steps-to-accreditation/

You’ll learn:
– What the National Green Standard looks for in organisations
– Pointers for what you might want to improve
– An initial score out of 1000 to understand how close to achieving Bronze, Green or Gold level accreditation your organisation is.

Join us on the adventure!

EXECUTIVE COACHING

Executive coaching is more than helping a senior person gain self-awareness, clarify goals, achieve development objectives and unlock potential while acting as a sounding board. Executive coaching is about the whole person,  dreams, fears and most deep seated frustrations. At National Green Standard we also believe that great executive coaching will have an impact on the individual and the team that they work with because through the process of coaching a senior executive becomes a better leader, is enabled to let go of tasks that should be delegated, becomes empowered to make quality decisions and gains clarity of purpose for themselves and their team.

Coaching is a fantastic tool to release potential and unblock an organisation from moving forward, we know because we’ve been coaching people for over fifteen years and our results are impressive. We have a long list of clients who have gained promotions and worked into positions that previously would have seemed unachievable. We help people see their own and others’ potential, we help break the cycle of doubt and self-questioning that no one is immune to.

Testimonials say it all and here are just a few:

Mary McLuskey is a unique coach. She has the ability to put you immediately at ease and makes discussing any issue, business or personal seem the most natural thing to do. Mary’s ability to probe issues is a neutral yet challenge way has helped me on numerous occasions to identify ways forward that I would not otherwise have found. Her style of coaching appears disarmingly simple yet she has a powerfully persuasive ability to get you to look at the heart of the matter and come to solutions that you might otherwise overlook or dismiss. Mary’s knowledge of human interaction and business matters places her uniquely among coaches. If you are looking for someone who can help facilitate change at either a personal or organisational level I would highly recommend Mary.  
Executive Pharmaceutical Sector

Over a number of years Mary has always been someone I can call on as a mentor and for a source of inspiration. Mary has been a great help in enabling me to chart my professional course. She demonstrates great strengths in leadership, inclusion and constancy of purpose.  
Senior Executive Public Sector

Mary carried out work for me assessing how my leadership was promoting delivery of our strategy and how this was owned by colleagues in the organisation… she worked with me to support delivery of structural change. I appreciated her open and direct approach and welcomed her insight. Senior Executive University Sector

I always draw on Mary’s wealth of knowledge and experience. Mary can always see the bigger picture and has a unique way of passing this onto whoever she speaks to. She is trustworthy, highly competent and her challenging way always gets results. 
Board Trustee

Mary is a trustworthy, reliable consultant with a broad knowledge of the business world and the complexities within it. She is highly competent and offers sound guidance and insight. 
Executive Private Sector

Contact us at mary@nationalgreenstandard.co.uk

Posted by / July 29, 2019 / Posted in News

Brooker Scaffolding Company Awarded Bronze Accreditation for Sustainability

We are delighted to announce that Brooker Scaffolding Company has been awarded Bronze Accreditation for sustainability and we wish to congratulate them on the success of their efforts and success in this endeavour.  If you are looking for a scaffolding company with a dedication to saving the planet this is the company to call.  click here to take you to their website.

 

QUALITY SCOTLAND Good Practice Partner 

QUALITY SCOTLAND Good Practice Partner

National Green Standard becomes QUALITY SCOTLAND Good Practice Partner for ‘Creating a Sustainable Future’ award at the SABE Awards Ceremony 2019

 

For a fourth year, the Good Practice Awards will be presented at the Scottish Awards for Business Excellence, 19th June 2019. Based on the Fundamental Concepts, these Awards are exclusive to our Recognised for Excellence applicant organisations and only awarded if an organisation can demonstrate a Concept to a high level of excellence, assessed by a judging panel.

Based around the Fundamental Concepts of Excellence we are delighted that National Green Standard is partnering Quality Scotland for the Good Practice Award, Creating a Sustainable Future.

As part of our commitment to supporting sustainably through corporate change, National Green Standard with Quality Scotland is at the forefront of corporate social responsibility. A Gold accredited organisation Quality Scotland has demonstrated leadership in the field and at this year’s ceremony we look forward to others following this lead.

The Awards will again be hosted by David Tanner of Sky Sports.

https://www.qualityscotland.co.uk/content/meet-our-good-practice-award-partners-0

 

Posted by / May 22, 2019 / Posted in News

National Green Standard Sponsors Quality Scotland Awards for the third year

We are delighted to announce that we are sponsoring the Quality Scotland Awards for the third consecutive year.

This year’s event is in the Hilton Hotel in Glasgow on 19th June and will, as usual, be a lavish affair with a number of worthy nominees and a subsequent overall winner.

Last year’s winner was Dunedin Canmore and worthy winners they were too.

We are excited to see which nominees have made the cut this year and will enjoy the presentations and keynote speaker along with a delicious dinner and catching up with some old friends and colleagues.

 

Posted by / April 14, 2019 / Posted in News