The Ashkin Group conducted a LinkedIn poll in December 2024, to explore practical strategies for convincing company leaders to adopt sustainability practices.

 The survey asked LinkedIn professionals: “How can you best persuade your boss to implement sustainability business practices in 2025?”

 Among the strategies and potential answers listed in the poll were the following:

1. Explain Sustainability: Provide a clear understanding of what sustainability means for the business.

2. Highlight Economic Benefits: Demonstrate the financial advantages of sustainable practices.

3. Say Competitors are Doing It: Show how competitors already implement sustainability.

4. Just Catch Them on a Good Day: Select the right moment to have the conversation.

 While the last strategy, “just catch them on a good day,” received no votes in the survey, it does have merit.

Executive Leadership Coach Cheryl Keates says, “[Your boss’s] time is valuable. Honoring their busy schedule increases your chances of a positive outcome.”

 However, according to Steve Ashkin, the leading advocate for sustainability in the jansan industry, the tactic that received the most votes on LinkedIn was “discuss the economic benefits” of sustainability.

“While highlighting the economic benefits of sustainability can be a game changer, it’s not a guarantee for success,” says Ashkin, “although it does often lead to positive outcomes.”

Instead, Ashkin argues that the most compelling argument for convincing your boss to adopt sustainability practices is telling them the company’s competitors are already doing it.

This strategy is supported by considerable research, including a recent study conducted by McKinsey & Company and published in December 2024. *

That study reported that “growth leaders…build a strategic vision of who they want to become by applying competitive insights.”

Essentially, explains Ashkin, “when business leaders observe that their competitors are gaining an advantage by implementing new strategies, such as sustainability practices, they tend to follow suit.”

 Ashkin was also asked if he believes we will see more companies embrace sustainability in the coming year. He confidently predicts, “Absolutely. 2025 will be a year of significant change. If business leaders observe their competitors gaining an advantage through sustainability efforts, they will swiftly adopt similar practices. “

Source:

* Breaking the mold: Five behaviors of leading growth transformers

December 16, 2024 | Article

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About the Ashkin Group and Steve Ashkin

Stephen Ashkin is recognized as the “Father of Green Cleaning” and a leading voice for sustainability within the professional cleaning industry. He founded The Ashkin Group more than 25 years ago. Today, it is a globally recognized consulting firm dedicated to promoting environmentally friendly cleaning practices and sustainability.