Winning the long race: lessons from the Tortoise for today’s business

A few weeks ago, we organized a webinar to launch our next Butterfly School cohort on Introduction to Regenerative Business. A participant in the 1st Butterfly cohort from a very large French company had invited his CSR manager to take part in the webinar. The following week, he told me that his CSR told him: "They talked about slowing down, it's not for us!' Indeed, every week, in the Butterfly course, additional to the “Business Models” Live session, there's a "Slow down" Live session aimed at sharpening our discernment and changing our way of thinking.

This anecdote reminded me of a fable by Jean de la Fontaine that all children learn at school in France: “The Hare & the Tortoise”.

“A Hare was making fun of the Tortoise one day for being so slow.

"Do you ever get anywhere?" he asked with a mocking laugh.

"Yes," replied the Tortoise, "and I get there sooner than you think. I'll run you a race and prove it."

The Hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the Tortoise, but for the fun of the thing he agreed. So the Fox, who had consented to act as judge, marked the distance and started the runners off.

The Hare was soon far out of sight, and to make the Tortoise feel very deeply how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a Hare, he lay down beside the course to take a nap until the Tortoise should catch up.

The Tortoise meanwhile kept going slowly but steadily, and, after a time, passed the place where the Hare was sleeping. But the Hare slept on very peacefully; and when at last he did wake up, the Tortoise was near the goal. The Hare now ran his swiftest, but he could not overtake the Tortoise in time.”

This age-old fable by Jean de La Fontaine echoes a profound truth. This narrative is not merely a childhood lesson but also a prescient analogy for the business models of our time: the regenerative and the traditional.

The pace of the race: traditional versus regenerative Business Models

In La Fontaine's fable, the Hare, confident in his ability to outrun the Tortoise, takes a nap mid-race, leading to his ultimate defeat. This overconfidence mirrors the traditional business model, where short-term gains are often pursued at the expense of long-term stability. The Hare's quick dash is akin to quarterly profit chases, where the immediate surge overshadows the marathon of industry.

Conversely, the Tortoise, embodying consistency and endurance, represents the regenerative business model. Regenerative businesses focus on long-term resilience. They integrate practices that regenerate ecosystems, communities, and economies, much like the Tortoise's steady pace ensures his victory.

Long term strategies

The hare's nap is symbolic of traditional businesses ignoring the environmental and social impacts of their actions and growing trends changing the fabric of society and their own ecosystem of providers, clients and brand —taking a 'rest' from responsibility, societal changes and weak signals.

Meanwhile, the Tortoise's unyielding progress is illustrative of regenerative businesses that are attentive to every aspect of their environment, aware of which ecosystems they rely on, and prioritize not only the reduction of the impacts through circular economies, waste reduction, ethical practices but the regeneration of the ecosystem they are included in.

They understand that robust, sustainable long-term value, ie true progress requires uninterrupted commitment to co-development with all Living Systems, whether human or non human. They create the conditions for each living system to nurture its singularity and associated potential. They understand their role within the living systems in which they work.

Resilience over rush

La Fontaine's moral is clear: "Slow and steady wins the race." In business terms, this translates to a strategy that values resilience over haste. While traditional businesses may sprint ahead with faster profits, their regenerative counterparts are pacing themselves for a future where they can thrive without depleting their resources. And let’s be clear, it's not speed as such that I'm questioning, but speed combined with a short-termist view!

Slowing down to transform our Mindset

We, both as individuals and collectively within organizations, are caught in the mindset of materialistic quantification—accumulating more clothing, gadgets, leisure pursuits, employees, customers, and revenue. We engage in an unending race for more. This pursuit is ceaseless: identical mindset leads to identical outcomes!

The imperative, then, is to pause and introspect about our thought processes. Cultivating a discernment mindset necessitates structured and deliberate thinking. For instance, before I act, I consider the following: Will my action have negative consequences for other stakeholders? Will it mitigate negative impact? Will it actively contribute to good? Or will it foster regeneration and enhance life's capacities?

From my perspective, decelerating and reevaluating our thought patterns often leads to reclaiming much common sense, especially when we examine situations from fresh perspectives.

First, let’s take the case of Expanscience, highlighted in the Butterfly School course:

Expanscience, known primarily for its Mustela brand, strove to minimize their carbon footprint but recognized that was not sufficient. They embraced unconventional thinking:

Typically, product manufacturing involves determining the desired composition and dispatching buyers globally to procure the necessary components. Expanscience chose to slow down and adopt a novel viewpoint.

They surveyed their Epernon factory, demarcated a 200 km radius, engaged local farmers, and inquired about their production capabilities and potential to diversify their output. This paradigm shift enabled them to substitute 80% of their ingredients. Instead of making their products with resources from the other side of the world, they looked at what was available around their factory and made products with those local resources!

For the remaining 20%, such as Peruvian avocado and Moroccan Argan oil, they forged direct partnerships with small-scale producers. This complete transformation of their way of thinking guarantees their long-term resilience.

Another transformational story is that of AXA Climate :

In my previous five companies before AXA Climate, bonuses and salary hikes were tied to individual performance, which did little to promote teamwork. Instead of rushing to reproduce the same salary increase model as everywhere else, we took the time to slow down and really think about what AXA Climate needed in the long term.

This is how we made a cultural shift towards collective bonuses—everyone benefits if the company meets its goals, and no one does if it falls short. More radically, we motivate employees to enhance their skill sets. Each year, employees select two skills to develop, backed by a €3,000 budget. Their pay raise is then linked to the impact of these newly developed skills, evaluated by four assessors. Essentially, AXA Climate values the additional worth generated through the cultivation of employee skills. By prioritizing each employee's skill development, AXA Climate invests in its sustainable growth and long-term capabilities.

In sum, the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare extends beyond a mere race; it is a metaphor urging us to shift our mindset. Success in the evolving landscape of business is no longer about speed; it requires a thoughtful pace and a commitment to regeneration. As we venture forward, let us integrate this lesson into our ethos: to win the race towards a regenerative future, we must transform not just our actions, but fundamentally, our way of thinking. Let’s adopt the Tortoise’s perspective, where the true victory lies in a mindful approach to progress and a steadfast dedication to the health of our planet and communities.