I'd like to think that I am more of a Greenie than some of the Greenies I know, so here is the good business stuff you can learn from the environmental movement. Only a little is about being green, and for some this might be only about the profit baby :-)

I don't believe it's right to assume business is anti-environment, although our track track record could be better.

But what we can learn from our environmental friends is that our environment is a reflection of us ... a reflection of our choices ... a reflection of our behavior and most importantly a reflection of our values and focus. Not the values we talk about to feel good, but the ones we live by day to day. Our environment says more about us than our words will ever say.

And similarly your business is a reflection of you.

Like it or not, excuses don't cut it ... Your business is a reflection of you. If things are a mess, it's because of how you show up. If things are disorganized then it's because you have not been focused. Not only do you get what you tolerate, you also get what you dream of.

So here is a list of seven things a lucky person could learn from a Greenie.

Take them to heart and your business will love you for it.

#1 Because we can doesn't mean we should

Life is about choices, and just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. In just the same way as cutting down rain forests might provide immediate jobs and cheap timber, sometimes we need to take the high road and just do what is right. Leadership is not about doing what's easy it's about doing what's needed.

#2 Why so much waste?

Many business owners still haven't learned that it's often not just environmentally but also financially good to reduce waste in business. To many it seems hard, and therefore we put progress off until tomorrow, but reducing waste can be as easy as not buying something in the first place. Until my good friend Alkesh taught me a very special lesson. His food bill for a week was a third of ours. We didn't value food as he did and therefore threw so much in the rubbish bin. His lesson was that ... god is in everything ... food is god ... to waste food is to disrespect god. Maybe there is a 'god of profit' in everything. It might refocus things if you started to think you were dishonoring the 'profit god' just by buying unnecessary things or throwing stuff in the rubbish.

#3 The future is important too

I am so frustrated with executive remuneration around the world. If any one thing has brought this recession about it is the personal greed and 'gaming the system' that has come from remuneration schemes that reward employees for today, without a view of tomorrow. We must, must, must start to have 3, 5, 10, 100 year views of our business if they are to be strong, leadership-based and powerful long term. We need multi generational business. We must find a way to allow businesses to do what is 'right' even if it brings a small dip profit today. Anything else leads to companies being scuttled from within to extract short term value, rather than building value and strength for the future.

#4 Burning is not good!

You don't hear this so much anymore, but a guaranteed way to lose my respect is to tell me some version of your 'burn rate story'. Telling me how you are going to be losing money for five years while you capture a market is usually complete stupidity, and a waste of resources. Tell me how you are going to give me a return on every dollar spent and I'll be impressed. Words like "above and below the line" must die. Of course nothing can guaranteed a return, and sometimes it's difficult to show exactly how a customer was won, but we need to stop pretending it doesn't matter if a promotion has measurable value. Anything else is waste.

#5 Are you proud?

Probably pride more than anything else motivates a Greenie ... that is, that they want to be proud of how they did their bit. Did they make good choices and lead by example? Business should be no different. Are you proud of the long term legacy you will leave ... is it sustainable, do you think the grand kids will also be excited and proud? We believe that life is short, and we need to be proud. For us there is a set of measures every decision must go through. This is so simple but also so very very powerful. Does 'x' fit with ... WHAT we want to do ... HOW we want to do it ... and WHO we want to do it with?

#6 It's cool to nuture

I don't know why we get caught up with nurturing being too feminine ... a sign of weakness or a potential to be compromised. Sorry but that's BS ... It's much harder to do what's right, run a tight ship and care for people, but that's why it's called leadership.

#7 Being green isn't a word, it's a way of life

I don't mean to sound like I am taking some moral high ground with this, I'm not. Your life is your life and as far as it doesn't effect me, I'm not going to judge. I do however feel that following the points above is a great way to feel good. It's not about having something clever to say at a dinner party, it's about doing what's right and common sense. I promise that the more you do this, the more open and transparent that you and your business are, the better you will be. It's fun, and while it makes you smile inside it is also good for the bottom line.