As usual the holiday month’s prove to be a bit challenging and can often times create levels of stress, which are not necessary. I’ve been trying to be more and more aware of how my actions affect those around me and take them into consideration when choosing one way over another in the way I act and live, and to not carry home the stress from work into my personal life. Stress is compounded however when you spend your days working in a place that doesn’t offer room for self-development and thoughtful strategies to the work being performed.
In my current position, I’m finding myself feeling more and more as part of a herd rather than an individual who is helping and improving the work/flow of the organization. We are dictated to follow a particular set of rules within defined parameters, but this isn’t possible in a fluid and dynamic world. Every situation presents a different set of variables, which need to be considered on an individual basis in order to generate the best/most effective outcomes. While I see this position as a means of paying bills and surviving, it has illuminated exactly what I don’t want to be doing on a daily basis…for the rest of my life. I truly and firmly believe we have the power to find that “thing” that makes us happy and has the ability to provide the income/means necessary to flourish in our environments. Changes will manifest themselves to help promote evolution towards the paths I need to follow in order to help ensure the happiness I’m seeking, but I am the change agent who needs to facilitate and initiate the process.
Rant Part Deux:
I went for an interview about a month ago with a company I’ve idolized for the past two and a half years because of their commitment to Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). I suppose I am a little bitter that I didn’t get the position, but I was more let down than anything and after the interview (even if offered the job), I’m not sure I would have accepted it.
For the past two years I’ve been working on my MBA focusing on Sustainability, and I have become very interested in SRI and the core principles and values it represents. The types of investment practices and industries SRI tries to avoid could include: Nuclear, Tobacco, Human Rights Issues, Weapons Development, Slavery, Gambling, Alcohol, Fossil Fuels, and Environmental Degradation. Instead, SRI looks to invest with companies that are developing Renewable Energy Sources, Community Investing Projects, Micro-finance for the Social Good, Environmentally focused organizations who perform remediation and education, and even larger corporations who are taking on initiatives to improve their operations overall (such as Pepsico and Unilever).
Towards the end of the interview, I asked the question “Do you see this company developing the SRI end of the business more as times are changing and you could solidify your place as a leader in the SRI world?” The answer: “No!” I was shocked! I went on to ask if they had interest in moving away from investing in fossil fuel companies and their reply was that it is impossible to manage a fund without fossil fuels if it is in a large cap family or something similar (I know this to be false because there are several options from other companies available currently). After a little more digging, I’ve found that the only sector this company does not invest in, is Tobacco. This means they are still supporting Nuclear energy/development while supporting renewable energy technologies, bottled water production while speaking out against water exploitation in third world countries, and the list continues.
I’ve been trying to rationalize this in my mind ever since this experience and perhaps it is just me being too critical of this company and their efforts pertaining to SRI, but I firmly believe there is a need for organizations and institutions to provide investment options that do support sustainability in our world that do not include those negative industries listed above. While the transition from traditional investing and investment options may take some time, a company portrayed to be the leader of that particular industry should be taking those bold risks and making bold statements that draws a clear line between themselves and what’s traditional. Traditional has worked in the past and continues to do so to some degree today, but we are moving into a future where that tradition isn’t feasible anymore and a new method needs to be identified and implemented.
Insightful Strategies 