The 17th Century poet Matsuo Basho (right) said:

“Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.”

While there is much to be said for learning from the experiences of others (my Corporate Sustainability Mastermind Group is based on that very principle), I still find that the majority of sustainability practitioners blindly set off in the same direction as others, without thinking through where that path might lead – if it ends in a swamp, you’ll sink just like them.

The second part of Basho’s quote is the interesting one – focus on the destination and then the path will become apparent. In practice, I use ‘backcasting’ to develop sustainability strategies with my clients – we start at the end and work backwards to the start. You’d be surprised at just how much that simple change in approach can deliver.