Summer Newsletter, July, 2009
Our mission has been to "Generate the courage in individuals for sustained performance in organizations". In this newsletter we are announcing two very important alliances that address both sustainability (The Natural Step) and courage (The Courage Institute). We are also very proud of becoming the second company in Canada to be awarded B Corporation status. A magnificent movement that alters the current thinking of what a corporations should be. Perhaps GM, Nortel and even Iceland might still exist!
The Viking Economy Saga
An article by Tom Bowes
On a recent trip to Iceland, Tom discovers that this tiny country of independent people are now having to come to terms with the same unsustainable get-rich-quick practices that have got so many other economies in such a mess. Iceland, however, does not have the resources to get out of trouble like bigger and richer countries. When GM, Lehman Brothers and AIG sink overnight, it makes quite a splash, but when a nation faces the same fate, it is a trauma that we surely do not want replicate.
read on...
New Alliances for InCourage
We are very excited in forming an alliance with The Natural Step, a global organization whose mission is consistent with what InCourage advocates: to promote real change toward a sustainable world. TNS is "dedicated to connecting leaders and change agents with the inspiration and education they need to make real change for the long-term benefit of our environment, economy and society". We are working with them to achieve that by partnering their scientific approach and content with our organizational development moxy. Together, we can offer more complete solutions for our clients who are working on executing their sustainability strategies. We are happy to introduce our customers to some of their tools which help people in organizations understand what sustainability really means. Click here for more information and to register for Program A and Program B.
We are equally excited about our new relationship with The Courage Institute, based in Israel but working with leaders and organizations across Europe and North America. The Courage Institute believes, as we do, that it is courage, that ultimately leads to effective teamwork, inspirational leadership and organizational agility. The Courage Index is a robust assessment tool that can be used for individual leaders (360), teams or organizational cultures. It is based on 5 Courage Factors of Purpose (pursuing lofty goals); Will (inspiring hope, spirit and promise); Risk (empower, trust and investment in relationships); Rigour (creating protocols and making them stick); and Candour (speaking and hearing the truth). Give us a call to learn more. These folks speak our language.
Awakening the Dreamer; sponsored event
Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream
“It is easy to get drawn into and overwhelmed with the challenges of the day. While an important first step in being aware, it is perhaps more essential to take action. Many disengage here though because the problems are too big and the average person questions what impact they could have, if they even knew where to start!. Start here.
This powerful program developed by the Pachamama Institute provokes much reflection that leads participants to positive change. Symposiums have been popping up across the country and as their mission of "bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on planet earth" is a tonic for our challenging times, we thought we should host a couple of them. Contact us for details of this program and the dates for the Toronto and Calgary symposiums.
InCourage becomes the 2nd Company in Canada to achieve B Corporation Status!
We are proud to be a Certified B CorporationTM. B Corporations are a new kind of company which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. In a little over a year, there are already over 185 Certified B Corporations from over 30 industries, representing $1 billion in collective revenues and $6 billion in capital under management.
Certified B Corporations meet higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. The performance standards are comprehensive and transparent. They measure a company's impact on its employees, suppliers, community, and the environmental. Unlike traditional corporations, Certified B Corporations are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their employees, suppliers, community, consumers, and environment.