3 Strategies to Sustainably Build Your Business, Career, and Relationships in 2017

"That which can be lost cannot be deemed riches."

- Leonardo Da Vinci, Thoughts on Art and Life

In this article, I will touch on how, in only 4 years of building successful companies, I have learned how to make my career, relationships, and organizations, thrive, scale and become sustainable.

Anything created with short-term framework and with the intention of simply "surviving" is a losing formula. Ideally, the purpose behind building something is not to lose it. We want to create and not destroy. We want our creations and relationships to last forever – or at least as long as possible. Unavoidably, death, destruction and loss are all a part of life. There are protocols, strategies and habits, however, to decrease the chances of them – with which we can learn to build a sustainable future.

Take, for example, an engineer building a bridge. Their task is to design a bridge that will hold 2 tons of weight. They will design a bridge that can hold over 10 tons of weight, in order to ensure the "survival" and "sustainability" of this bridge. We should build our careers, relationships and products just like this engineer builds this bridge: in ways that ensure their sustainability against matter, time and other variables. Similar to how a plant produces seeds in abundance to ensure its continuous survival, we should create our future with the same approach.

There are 3 ways I've learned to integrate sustainability in my every day activities. By creating streamlined systems, leveraging technologies and using consistent communication cycles.

1. Creating streamlined systems. A system is a " set of principles or procedures according to which something is done." In other words, systems mean having structured protocols for addressing certain things - especially things that we do very regularly. Systems are formulas that can deliver the same result every time. So, if X happens then another Y happens automatically which provides a signal for Z to happen for the right person to act on it. For instance, when a conflict arises in the workspace - which is normal in any successful business- a process should be in place to attack these conflicts through a scheduled meeting with all parties involved. All parties should be engaged through a series of probing questions. Once this meeting is done, it should be summarized. Then, as part of this system, a follow up call should be done with each party to address any remaining questions or ideas that they didn't communicate earlier. Lastly, the HR manger or a designated official should continue to monitor both parties in case anything else arises. This procedure is an alternative for “letting it go” every time differences arise.

Another way to look at creating streamlines systems, would be having your monthly utility bills on auto-pay. These bills will need to be paid monthly, and automating them can save you time and as result ease other aspects of your life. For instance, you might have an extra hour a month to spend with your family. Spending that focused hour with them can determine the sustainability of the relationship. These are just small examples of why systems are important for our survival.

2. Leveraging technology. There are different ways of leveraging technology to create a more sustainable life. Think of using a CRM (customer relationship management tool) to organize your businesses' work flow. Or, the use of Uber to get from point A to B. These tools should be maximized because they can provide high levels of control and time freedom in our lives . Time freedom means having the time to move deliberately through the world as we want. Uber, for instance, allows me to make calls, send texts, or get in an extra 15-20 min of reading every day - while simultaneously getting to my desired location. A commonly used technology is Facebook. We can stay connected with our friends and loved ones, without calling them every day. We can stay up to date on their birthdays and careers – simply through scrolling down on a newsfeed. Simple, and powerful. Another example is taking the train. This technology has allowed me to get transported during rush hour in San Francisco in half the time it would have taken me to drive, and at the same time I was able to read a chapter of my favorite book, scroll through my Facebook newsfeed to check up on all my friends, and then get a 15 mediation session in. That’s the power of leveraging technology.

At Dvinci Energy, we have leveraged technologies such as Whatsapp as centralized platforms through which our employees and strategic partners communicate regularly. We leverage email for most of our high-level communications. However, the features in Whatsapp allow us to share our excitement about updates and ideas through different mediums. We can share ideas we like from other social media platforms, and we can create different themed communication channels within Whatsapp to discuss any department or division-specific ideas. With these technologies and a plethora of others, we can do more on a micro and macro level, and therefore we maximize our potential as human beings.

3. Consistent communication cycles. From beginning a conversation with someone you never met before, to building a fortune 500 company, scheduled follow up is integral. It’s about continuing the previous conversation, if both parties like and trust each other. Follow up has the potential to build relationships. For example in a marriage, for the relationship to grow over time, this “checking in on each other” attitude is imperative. It could make the difference between a good marriage and bad one. It also determines whether your employees or business partners are fulfilled and motivated. It makes the difference between earning someone's business and being heard in your marketplace.

One communication cycle isn't enough either. Communication must be maintained over long periods of time. By communication, I'm referring to things like: actively prospecting for new business, nurturing your current customers and employees, team meetings on specific projects, family dinners, engaging with your online following - all of these forms of communication are required of us regularly to thrive in the 21st century. And, they should be scheduled, framed and lead in a way that ensures their growth over a period (aka, their sustainability and their survival). Time-block on your calendar when you must follow up so time cannot get in the way of your relationships. If these communications aren't scheduled, you will increase the chances of them not getting done. And if they are not done, you decrease your chance of a sustainable life. However, if these communications are scheduled, they will get done - this is assuming you commit to completing things on your schedule.

What does maintaining such a high level of consistent communication do?

 Here are four, of many, exponential benefits:

Benefit #1: pertaining follow up communication cycles, is not only earning people's business, but also earning referrals (referrals = more business = more money = sustainability). This means you're able to be customer-centric and serve people with such high value that they want their friends to go through the same experience.

Benefit #2: it creates feedback opportunities so bad news can travel fast in your organization/relationship- thus you can attack any problem before it becomes a cancer. Reciprocally, good news will travel fast so you can reward good behavior with your employees.

Benefit #3: you allow relationships to be deeper than just surface level. The more time you invest in listening to people, the more trust you will create. Therefore, you create a dynamic for both parties to prosper.

Benefit #4: pertaining to consistent communication cycles, is that attracting and maintaining an online communities' attention. In doing so, we are empowered to influence positive actions - whether that's buying a product, raising money for a local relief campaign or increasing awareness of a mission. This is done through posting consistently on our social media outlets without compromising quality. This digital form of communication means more likes, more engagement, and ultimately more life.

In summary, the only way for anything to last is for it to be built to thrive. More eloquently said, we should be, do, and have - sustainably. We should be sustainable through our thinking and decision-making. We should do sustainably through our actions and communications. And in doing so, we will – by default – sustainably reap more “riches” and more wins.

"That which can be lost cannot be deemed riches."

- Leonardo Da Vinci, Thoughts on Art and Life

(Key words with definitions below)

1.    Thrive: to prosper; be fortunate or successful. to grow or develop vigorously; flourish.

2.    Survive: continue to live, to remain or continue in existence or use.

3.    Scale: to rise in a graduated series.

4.    Sustain (sustainable): able to last or continue for a long time. able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed; involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources.

5.    Framework: the basic structure of something : a set of ideas or facts that provide support for something.

6.    Protocols: a system of rules that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations.

7.    Leverage: to use for gain.

8.    Technology: the use of science in industry, engineering, etc., to invent useful things or to solve problems; a manner of accomplishing a task especially using technical processes, methods, or knowledge.

9.    Cycles: a repeating series of events or actions; a permutation of a set of ordered elements in which each element takes the place of the next and the last becomes first.

10.  Centralized: to concentrate by placing power and authority in a center or central organization.

11.  Platform: a declaration of the principles on which a group of persons stands.

12.  Communication: a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.

13.  Customer-centric: Customer-centric is an approach to doing business that focuses on providing a positive customer experience both at the point of sale and after the sale in order to drive profit and gain competitive advantage.

14.  Feedback: information about reactions to a product, a person's performance of a task, etc., used as a basis for improvement.

15.  Awareness: knowledge or perception of a situation or fact; consciousness.

16.  Integral: necessary to make a whole complete; essential or fundamental.

17.  Time-block: An arbitrary grouping of several consecutive hours of a day.

18.  Process: action composed of series of techniques or exercises.

19.  Win: improvement, increased ability/understanding, betterment, accomplishment achieved.

20.  Streamline: arrange or organize to gain maximum efficiency & simplicity.

21.  Monitor: keep track, regulate and control a process of operation.

22.  Formula: sequence of steps.

23.  Reap: to get (something, such as a reward) as a result of something that you have done.

-W.H.