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ray anderson

As I sit in my home office I hear the thump of a bluebird flying into my window over and over again trying to get into the fichus tree inside. While this keep my cats entertained and off my keyboard, I shake my head thinking “crazy bird; you’re going to get hurt if you keep doing that.” I stop mid-stream while writing the leadership chapter for my forthcoming book “The New Corporate Facts of Life” to ponder the bluebird’s dilemma. Is the bird crazy or courageous? How often have we thought others were crazy, when they pursued a purpose that others thought foolhardy? What seems an act of lunacy at one point can be visionary in retrospect.

I was honored to be the lead-off speaker for Georgia Tech’s IMPACT Series. Sponsored by the College of Management, the IMPACT Series provides an opportunity for students alumni and the Atlanta business community to learn from successful entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and notable business and non-profit leaders. The topic, Creating a Culture of Sustainable Success, addressed ideas on how to embed sustainability into an organization’s culture. While transforming culture isn’t easy – it certainly can be done when approached systemically. I presented three keys for doing so – to Lead, Engage and Align.

The world suffered a great loss when Ray Anderson passed away last week. Ray was far more than the founder and Chairman of Interface, a Georgia-based carpet company. While not a household name, many know that his visionary leadership continues to transform business in and out of the carpet industry and has influenced our perspectives on how we live our lives. Ray has said that it is the responsibility of leaders to “see around the bend.” Many were concerned that he was “going around the bend” when, in 1994, he challenged the Interface management team to come up with ways to transform their fossil fuel, petro-chemical based carpet company into an industrial ecology leader – without sacrificing profits.