Here are a few updates of what Apricot Consulting is currently working on, with plenty more exciting things to come.

A helping hand to The Salvation Army, California

Apricot Consulting has been conducting a project with The Salvation Army (TSA) titled California United Plan, which is a strategy designed to help TSA relate and cooperate with the Californian Government. Currently there is no formal relationship with the government, yet TSA is spending close to $250 million in the sixth biggest economy in the world!

Apricot has been facilitating research on the social issues within California to determine where and what needs assistance, particularly issues that are concerning the government. The Salvation Army operates in around 120 countries globally, with most of the funding supported from only 10 of those.

Derek Linsell facilitated a workshop with TSA to reflect on what they are already doing, but also what they could be doing and how the partnership with the government will benefit both parties on a formal basis.

Customer service workshops for University of Tasmania

Apricot has been working with selected groups from the University of Tasmania to coach and mentor them into understanding customer service to world’s best practice level. Participants were involved with a training session covering eight main topics for achieving excellent customer services.

The groups are guided and supported during these training days to ensure the best outcome for all the staff. Two sessions have been completed at the university and all were successful.

Apricot is also working with senior leaders to discuss delivering effective feedback, coaching and mentoring to provide effective performance management for their staff.

North Melbourne Kangaroos CSR Strategy

Apricot has been very fortunate to have been working with North Melbourne Football Club to create a world class corporate social responsibility program which will put them on the world map!

The main objective of the CSR strategy is to support the broader business goals of NMFC by creating a program that actively engages and improves the local community and becomes a competitive commercial advantage for the club.  We have interviewed stakeholders and sourced information to formulate a strategy over period of around three years.

Culture shift for Ambulance Victoria

Over the past few months, Apricot has been working closely with Ambulance Victoria to analyse their current workplace culture to help them move forward with their ideal values and beliefs.

On board with International Motor Coach Group Inc.

Apricot has recently won a piece of work with IMG to help develop and implement a strategy moving forward for the organisation. This will be done working closely with the management teams by facilitating workshops to find their next steps.

What if when people talk about work and life balance maybe they’re looking at it the wrong way. Maybe there is no balance? Does that make you feel differently about the concept?

Is your other-half receiving less attention than they should because you are trying to make a balance between work/life when there actually isn’t one?

A recent podcast from Manager-Tools opens up this topic to a new level which challenges us all about the potential risks from this concept.

Mark Horstman and Mike Auzenne discuss very simple ways of making sure that your family/your partner/yourself comes first. Scheduling in the important times with your other half and sticking to them is just one way of keeping on top of it all.

If you schedule meetings on your calendar then you can do the same for time with your family?

They use a great concept of comparing a yellow peanut M&M to the sun – they’re both yellow and round but they could not be more opposite. So why try and make two fundamentally different concepts the same? DON’T.

There is also a great speech on TED by Nigel Marsh, who decided to take a year out of the workforce to stop his ‘corporate warrior’ lifestyle which was affecting his health and time with his family. He talks about the simple changes which can make the world of difference – particularly if you have children!

Although the concept may sound straight forward to change and readjust, it will be a challenge, no doubt about it. But if trying to find the balance between work and your life is troubling, maybe it is time to analyse what you can do to help yourself and the ones you love.

Apricot Consulting CEO Derek Linsell emphasises the importance of relationships and how both the professional and personal are very intertwined.

“The phrase ‘Nobody on their deathbed has ever said “I wish I had spent more time at the office’ is very true in this instance,” Linsell said.

“The most important people in our lives are our families, the ones who can cause the most angst but give the most love.”

Remembering the truth that you may be a ‘business person’ but that shouldn’t make you any different from the person outside of the office. If something is affecting you at home, it will affect your work and that is where having a good leader above you can help, support and encourage.

Apricot Consulting’s Coaching and Mentoring services help to provide people with assistance for both work and their personal lives, meeting the best possible balance for each individual.

Your personal life will affect your work and vice versa, so work towards the changes you can do to help both sides of your life.

In a report last year by Michael E. Porter and Mark R. Kramer at Harvard Business Review, the debate about ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ being outdated by ‘Creating Shared Value’ began.

If you look at both concepts it’s hard not to see them as both being relevant and appropriate for organisations. After all it’s about ‘doing well by doing good’ – right?

‘The central premise behind creating shared value is that the competitiveness of a company and the health of the communities around it are mutually dependent. Recognising and capitalising on these connections between societal and economic progress has the power to unleash the next wave of global growth and to redefine capitalism.’ Michael Porter & Mark Kramer, Creating Shared Value.

But isn’t CSR about philanthropy and sustainability, things that can help the communities surrounding businesses?

According to Kotter and Kramer’s report, many CSR programs typically focus on the reputation of the business and having an agenda determined by personal preferences of employees or external reporting. Whereas if you look at CSV, it is based on creating joint value for both company and community, working to company specific and internally generated agendas.

The evolution really shows organisational core beliefs need to start from the heart of organisations, which can realign the entire company and its focus or budget.

There is also the physical connection with the community that is amplified with CSV. Having a business thriving in a community hub is a positive factor – it provides a supportive environment and a demand for products/services it provides. And on the other hand, the community can reap in the jobs opportunities the business provides. It’s a win-win!

You can even see sections on websites such as Nestlé, titled as ‘creating shared value’ which not so long ago may have read ‘corporate social responsibility.’

‘A growing number of companies known for their hard-nosed approach to business – such as GE, Google, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé, Unilever, and Wal-Mart – have already embarked on important efforts to create shared value by reconceiving the intersection between society and corporate performance.’ Michael Porter & Mark Kramer, Creating Shared Value.

CSV is fundamentally different from the CSR initiatives five to 10 years ago. It is no longer enough to have a “nice” CSR program – Creating Shared Value puts this the central point of an organisation’s whole strategy.

It is here to stay and will only get bigger and better.

Innovation in simple terms is creating something new. Sounds easy enough, right? But as humans, we will all remember a time when we needed to have that creative spark, but something was not quite right and we couldn’t achieve our goal.

A recent article by Professor Baba Shiv from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business prompted us to write this blog post on innovation and creativity. Shiv discussed the concept of understanding how our mind reacts when we need to be innovative.

When we are trying to be creative or innovative and our emotional balance is not quite right, we instinctively navigate towards comfort. We seek a safe place. If we are stressed out, or unable to even think without the fear of someone looking over your shoulder or criticising our work, the temptation is to retreat from a creative place and seek something more comfortable.

Apricot Consulting’s CEO Derek Linsell explains that a basic human instinct is to be naturally creative, some more than others, however there are restrictions to finding this creative space.

“Some systems we become part of, schools or communities, force the creativity out of us,” he said.

“Just look at a child’s drawing. That child can see a rocket ship and an astronaut – but to an adult it just looks like a bunch of lines. The child can see what they have drawn clearly because they feel safe and encouraged. They are only thinking creatively.”

For an organisation to be creative and innovative, it must encourage its employees to find this safe innovative space – a good leader’s job is to create this space for their team. Without some degree of safety, there will be no innovation.

“Organisations have to be creative in order to stay ahead and grow in themselves – simple. Provide safety and a sense of worth to your employees and you will be rewarded,” Linsell said.

The diagram below shows how our emotions are constantly fluctuating. We are always floating along somewhere along the axes of Boredom and Excitement; and Anxiety and Contentment.

Finding the “sweet spot” is difficult, but understanding how you get there is critical. The truly great innovative minds can stay within close reach of this “sweet spot” and the truly great leaders help their team find their sweet spot.

So are your helping or hindering your team be innovative?

Apricot Consulting can help organisations understand the environment they are operating within and identify ways they can stand out from their competitors. We use a range of techniques such as innovation labs to help build innovative cultures and let the creative process flow.

Change management for an organisation can work like reshaping an ice cube – it is all about the process that helps assist the change.

As with change in anyone’s life it can be unsettling and threatening to the current norm; but sometime’s it can be successful. And other times it can make a situation worse than before.

The understanding of the change, acceptance and movement forward will be the momentum to cope.

There are many discussions and theories on the approach to change management and all have relevant, key points.

Take Kurt Lewin’s example of ice – unfreeze, change, refreeze.

The first step is the unfreezing and probably the most important to understand, particularly in the changing world we live in today. It involves stopping and assessing the current situation and realising that you are at this point for a reason; a need to change and get out of your comfort zone.

Stage two begins with knowing that change is not an event, but a process. And here will be the hardest part for people to adjust to while they are learning and understanding these changes.

The process of the learning curve needs to be communicated well so as not to fall in the trap of thinking that the change is the problem; it is the mismanagement of that change that occurs.

And finally stage three is the refreeze, the idea of establishing stability once these changes have been actioned.

It is important to remember that this final process has no set timeframe, as it could take weeks for some and far longer for others to completely adjust to their new set routines, rules and practices.

Even the best leaders and mangers can overlook change and its impact on the organisation as a whole. By conscientiously working with all parties from an early stage, these barriers or issues can be addressed, handled and supported to ensure the change happens as smoothly as possible.

Apricot Consulting approaches the final stage from a different perspective. We prefer to use a more liquid approach, kind of like jelly!  Unfreeze, change and mould so the final product is not solid but not liquid. After all, change is a now a constant even after some elements have been implemented. Yes, there needs to be an amount of certainty but that change will need to be moulded again, sometimes over and over again. So don’t freeze it solid – perhaps something more mouldable, like jelly.

Along with being an AFL Field umpire and passionate sports fan and writer, Stefan Grun is a leadership development consultant specialising in the areas of effective communication, organisational development and culture change programs. With almost two decades experience in elite business and sporting environments, Stefan is passionate about transferring and sharing the lessons from one field to the other.

Previously posted on www.openforum.com.au

Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Never up.

Can’t we all learn from this? Not just about kayaking, but about so many things in life. Particularly when it comes to harnessing the position on corporate social responsibility in your organisation.

I recently found a great piece on TriplePundit, where they discussed the business around corporate social responsibility in major sporting events and the impact they can have globally.

They used this equation: BUSINESS = SPORT + ENTERTAINMENT with PHILANTHROPY, CSR and GREENING as side shows…to one where: BUSINESS = SPORT + ENTERTAINMENT + SUSTAINABILITY – which really sums up how we should be looking at this.

Gone are the days of patting the sick child on the head in hospital for a good photo opportunity – now, we can be part of establishing a better life for that child and many more in the same situation.

Or instead of writing a cheque for a village in Africa, go and see what they are really dealing with and get your hands dirty in the process.

At Apricot, we are continuing our work with the North Melbourne Football Club, creating a sensational CSR program that will differentiate them from the other clubs and ultimately, become leaders of the pack.

North Melbourne community embodies a wide variety of cultures, ethnicities and backgrounds. The work Apricot will do with the Kangaroos will tie them closer to the immediate community.

Joining up the recent partnership with World Vision to the community, both in North Melbourne and potentially Africa as well, will be vital to embracing The Kangaroos as game changers and begin to set them on the path for a huge program.

What we have discovered over the course of creating these programs for clients is about the massive affect it can have, locally, nationally and globally. With the right tools, knowledge and passion – it can really save lives.

The journey with CSR in sport is not one that has been broadcasted and is not commonly associated together, but significant impact they have already on the public makes CSR so much easier.

In a report funded by the UEFA Research Grant Program, Dr Geoff Walters and Richard Tacon discuss corporate social responsibility in European football and how CSR has not been reported on in the sporting industry in general until recently.

The role of sport in society has become more prominent and as sport organisations have become increasingly influential members of the global community. The concerns of transparency and accountability evident within the corporate world have transferred to sport. This has led some to suggest that sport organisations cannot ignore CSR and that they have to implement it. 

Sport organisations have, over the last few decades, engaged with various CSR imperatives, including philanthropy, community involvement and both youth educational activities and health initiatives.

Much of the research they have done led them to compiling seven key aspects to utilising CSR in a sporting organisation.

1. The popularity and global reach of sport can ensure that sport CSR has mass media distribution and communication power. That is, the prominence of sport within the media helps to promote and communicate CSR activities to a wide audience.
2. Sport CSR has youth appeal: children are more likely to engage in a CSR program if it is attached to a sport organization or a sports personality.
3. Sport CSR can be used to deliver positive health impacts through programs and initiatives designed around physical exercise.
4. Sport CSR will invariably involve group participation and therefore aid social interaction.
5. This can also lead to cultural understanding and integration.
6. Particular sport activities may lead to enhanced environmental and sustainability awareness.
7. Finally, participating in sport CSR activities can also provide immediate gratification benefits.

With these in mind, the process of creating a stand-out CSR program for the North Melbourne Kangaroos will be a challenge, but we are ready to get our hands dirty for this and potentially change some lives.

Chairman of Ford Motor Company, William Ford Jr. once said, “social obligation is much bigger than supporting worthy causes. It includes anything that impacts people and the quality of their lives.”

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is what is changing those impacts and the quality of people’s lives. It is now being used more and more in the heart of the business strategy. This includes its HR strategies, marketing strategies as well as the thinking behind investor relations.

There are still sceptics, there will always be – but the changes and significance of having a CSR program implemented for many organisations globally, is huge. The variation of transparency on environmental and social commitments, waste management (not just physical waste but power etc) all the way to employee engagement to bringing about massive social change is what makes CSR sexy.

There are points which CSR covers across the board that affect daily running and optimally the strength of companies. To start off with CSR is important for human resources (HR). Why? And who says so? Some HR Managers would argue they already do plenty towards CSR in the company such as employee wellbeing and volunteer programs, so what makes sustainability any different?

To attract and retain the best employees, organisations have to be the best. Employees are very conscious of their own employee brand. They don’t want that “damaged “by a tainted organisation or company brand. The best organisations today are those that are innovative, fun, safe and are impacting the world in a way beyond themselves.

So what about employee engagement and retention? Surely that is a basic connection between CSR and HR?

Without happy and encouraged employees, you struggle to find a happy, fulfilling workplace. The CSR programs and initiatives set up have a huge role in both how staff feel about the company and its schemes and also, whether it is portrayed through staff productivity.

This is particularly apparent for new graduates heading into the workforce who are now on the lookout for these sustainable, transparent organisations. Many are even willing to take a cut in pay, for a company that would encourage volunteering and have a positive environmental footprint. A stat from Harvard Business Review in 2011, stated that –

“88.3% of graduating MBA students said they would take pay cut to work for firms that have ethical business practices, and the average amount they’d forgo is $8,087, according to a survey of 759 students in North America and Europe.”

NetImpact also recently completed a study across all generations, and found many of the ‘new generation’ millenialls expect to make an impact through their work.

This brings out a new trend called ‘impact careers’ – which is simple terms means making positive social/environmental differences through one’s work.  A motion not commonly associated with previous generations of workers.

Generation Y, particularly those with a college education, have been taught throughout their lives to think globally. They are instilled with feelings of becoming a world citizen. This is particularly enforced by technology such as the internet, social networking and increased global mobility.

But although the internal dealings are important, the stakeholders and external interests cannot be forgotten either.

Investors are constantly putting up their money behind organisations that participate in ethical behaviour in their business practices.

Particularly areas such as alcohol, tobacco, gambling or weapons manufacturing are typically avoided – unlike what was reported in Jakarta Post last month reporting tobacco firms targeting minors via CSR programs!

For the most successful and effective corporations, CSR is now a major consideration of overall strategic planning. It affects many aspects of the corporation’s life: its people, consumers, suppliers and investors – prime example of the BP oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf Coast. Now three years on, BP has spent around $150 million into promotions to help recover the region – with a very large positive impact being made on residents and local businesses.

As many organisations do not yet get this concept, implementing these practices will ensure responsible and socially aware corporations are ahead of the curve in HR strategies, marketing strategies as well the relationships with investors and will be around for the long haul. Knowledge is no longer power; responsibility is.

Working with local, national and international sports teams is a dream of many organisations as part of their corporate social responsibility schemes – but what about the sports teams themselves?

Sporting Organisations can be a major driving force for change especially in youth issues such as childhood obesity, academic failure, violence and teen pregnancy. Familiar sport stars and their teams can have an enormous impact on not just their fans, but many people or situations across the globe.

And it doesn’t stop there. Using CSR for sports teams can also combat concerns with the environment, sustainability and other emerging social issues.

FC Barcelona is one team that clearly steps up for their efforts with CSR. A not-for-profit club is owned by their members and paying an annual fee allows them to elect members to the board, headed by a president.

Their motto is ‘més que un club’ – meaning ‘more than a club’. And they stick to this. The work they do on the field is competitive and exciting, but the work they do off is just as good.

The FC Barcelona created ‘The FC Barcelona Foundation’ in 1994 and it was established to use sport as the backbone for promoting education and the positive values of sport.

The Foundation has been an endless source of participation in numerous social, cultural and sporting activities organised through the club. Players and coaching staff also donate 0.5 per cent of their wages to the Foundation.

‘FC Barcelona Foundation’ and Pies Descalzos Foundation (Columbian charity founded by pop star Shakira in 1997) are working together on the ‘Football for youth development and a healthy life’ project which includes the construction of sporting and recreational areas of Cartagena (Columbia) and Miami.

It is to benefit children most vulnerable in Columbia and Hispanic community in the U.S who are at risk of social exclusion.

Their work has been picked up globally and they have partnered with many different charities to conquer different world issues.

Work with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been used to begin the eradication of polio, connections with UNICEF which began in 2006, using projects to fight AIDS.

There are also organisations that are utilising the sports industry to improve their environmental impact. Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is America’s most effective environmental action group and they started work with NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles in 2004 for their ‘Go Green’ efforts. Since then MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL, MLS and USTA have jumped on board to action their efforts too.

It has a web-based resource that helps teams what areas of work are available in their region to pursue environmentally superior operations and supply chain options. From their website they state, “One of the many ways NRDC has been helping stadiums and arenas reduce environmental impacts is by commissioning energy, waste, and water efficiency audits — many of which result in significant cost savings.”

Apricot Consulting, who has extensive experience in working with elite Sporting organisations in Australia (Australian Football League and Australian Cricket), has recently been appointed by the North Melbourne Kangaroos to work with them on their corporate social responsibility strategies.

Over the coming months we will be working closely with the Kangaroos Board, CEO and Senior Managers to critically analyse all elements of the current CSR program and to help design a world class strategy. These discussions will provide deeper insight into potential operations of what CSR programs could achieve and a future vision for the Kangaroos. It will also lead to bringing about major social change as a result of the engagement of Sport.

Areas of work will also cover employee, fan, media and player engagement, marketplace perceptions, commercial partnerships and game development initiatives.

As things progress Apricot will keep thorough updates of our work and progress via Twitter, Facebook and the website.

As the third most destructive, environmentally damaging industry in the world, shouldn’t fashion be just as environmentally friendly as the next industry? Now, it is.

Huge names in the fashion world such as Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, American Apparel and even Bono (who even knew he designed clothes!) are doing their part in changing the carbon footprint from this $300 billion a year industry.

H&M’s 10^th annual CSR report has been buzzing in fashion networks, showing off their further commitment to being a ‘conscious’ fashion label. From the report noticeable areas of change are seen from the highlights, including – 2.4 million pairs of shoes made with water-based adhesives, using organic hemp as an alternative fabric and saving 300,000,000 litres of water from denim production.

In fact they aim to be using only sustainable cotton by 2020, but have been open about the challenges they face to getting there.

H&M CEO Karl-Johan Persson says in the report, “We are proud of all the achievements we have made during the year. But we are also aware of the challenges ahead. We strive to be as transparent as possible about the progress we make.”

But it doesn’t have to be these mass, global companies doing all the good. For example, Country Road in both Australia and New Zealand has a sensational sustainability guide for the company and has been in action since 2008.

They have connections with Red Cross that make huge impacts for both organisations. Collect any unwanted Country Road clothing or accessories, take it to any Red Cross store and receive a $10 voucher towards the next purchase over $50 at Country Road. Isn’t that a good motivator not to just throw our clothes away!

This is also seen through The Salvation Army (TSA) in their Adult rehabilitation programs and thrift stores. These programs provide an environment for people to regain self-esteem and valuable vocational skills. Anyone purchasing recycled clothes from TSA stores, not only prevents the waste going into landfills but helping others reclaim their lives and helping families.

There are even such events as ‘Eco-Fashion Week’ recently held in Vancouver. The three-day event brings in more than 2,000 global VIP’s, buyers, guests, designers and many more.

And they are not just there for the fashion shows, EFW promotes speaker seminars and industry panels which propel all the aspects of the fashion industry, but into an ecological society and culture.

ASOS, one of the top online fashion retailers attracting nearly 18.5 million visitors a month, has also just recently announced its certification as a CarbonNeutral company. They are the first retailer to achieve this status under The CarbonNeutral Protocol, which is the international standard for continuing integrity and quality certification programs.

Due to their online presence, ASOS has less of an environmental impact compared to other retailers, and their main source of emissions is from packaging and customer delivery. The CO² emissions from ASOS’ energy use, business travel, non-recyclable waste, deliveries and commuting has been measured and reduced to net zero, through verified carbon offset projects.

They are also involved with numerous small charities throughout the UK including, The Prince’s Trust, Udayan Care, Oxfam and Retail Trust. As the business continues to grow, ASOS will add further initiatives to their CSR program and further its ongoing environmental policy.

Finally, a completely new initiative from London College of Fashion who have teamed up with clothing giant, Marks and Spencer to create the UK’s first Sustainable Fashion Lab. The project gives customers an insight into the world of fashion and even allows them to try designing some of their own pieces.

By taking in unwanted clothes, each item is assessed for potential use and then can be reused and transformed or taken to a local Oxfam shop. This fashion lab is happening from 26 April to 9 May in East London.

All of these changes are what can begin to make fashion sustainable and affordable for many average citizens. Let’s hope this year and for years to come, companies are open about their promises and make real changes in this ever-growing industry.