Sustainability: It's Not About Lightbulbs

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Now, McDonald's tells its employees: Perhaps the single most important thing to consider in a McDonald's career is the role you play in the community.

Protecting the environment is a big part of that community role. McDonald's minimizes the weight of its packaging and maximizes the use of recycled materials. It won't buy beef from rainforest areas. It encourages its suppliers to follow best environmental practices. It's transparent about its activities and engages with outsiders on a company blog devoted to social responsibility called Values in Practice.

the new pardigm: connect and collaborate

Those values go well beyond being green. McDonald's has responded to America's obesity epidemic by offering healthy choices on its menu, being transparent about its ingredients, and even encouraging customers to get more active. The company is trying to connect on values across the board and not just in a siloed approach. It provides training and promotional opportunities for entry-level workers. And like many companies, it gives back to communities, notably through the long-running Ronald McDonald House Charities.

In these tough times, values matter more than ever, and coercion and motivation are becoming less effective and less relevant leadership modes. Leaders can't coerce their people and expect to be sustainable in today's work. And they can't use money to motivate them, either—there's not enough money to throw around. Instead, leaders who aim for maximum impact must inspire their people to connect, collaborate, behave, and perform. And in case you're wondering, I have no commercial relationship with McDonald's. However, I do see McDonald's as an example of a company that is not compartmentalizing its values and is working hard to live them.

Ric Richards, the franchise owner of that eco-McDonald's in North Carolina, gets it. Sure, he's doing the green thing. But it's what's behind those efforts that matters. At the restaurant's grand opening, which was attended by other franchise owners, staff, friends, family, the city's mayor, and yes, Ronald McDonald himself, Richards declared: "Passion is what built this restaurant." And a passion for making the world better is what makes companies truly sustainable.

Dov Seidman is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of LRN, a company that helps businesses develop ethical corporate cultures and inspire principled performance, and the author of HOW: Why HOW We Do Anything Means Everything…in Business (and in Life). LRN recently announced the acquisition of leading green strategy firm, GreenOrder.

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