Leaving Planet Simple
Embracing Sustainability, Resilience, and ESG to Transform Your Business
by Alex Gold
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| Publisher | Forbes Books |
| Publication | Oct 29, 2024 |
| Format | Hardback |
| ISBN | 978-1642256994 |
| Pages | 248 |
| Dimensions | 6 x 9 x 0.69 in |
| Age | Adult 18+ |
| Price | $29.99 |
Leaving Planet Simple
Embracing Sustainability, Resilience, and ESG to Transform Your Business
Sustainability, resilience, ESG. What does it all mean? In his groundbreaking book, Leaving Planet Simple, Dr. Alex Gold cuts through the clutter and sensationalized headlines to explain how you can truly transform your business. Many business leaders today are stuck on Planet Simple. It’s a pleasant place―and state of mind―but it’s not the real world. For centuries, particularly since the Scientific Revolution of the 1700s, humankind has sought to master and rule over nature. While this has brought many benefits including increased human health, nutrition, and quality of life, it has also brought catastrophe, environmental degradation, a warming climate, and an often-inequitable society.
Now, Dr. Gold, with a PhD in resilience science and extensive corporate experience, shows us that rather than trying to master it, nature has quite a bit to teach us. With his deep background in resilience science, which emerged nearly fifty years ago from the world of ecology, Dr. Gold explains that what often hinders business leaders today is an outdated mindset. This is life on Planet Simple, a world where businesses can operate in isolation, separate from the environment and the communities they inhabit. Instead, Dr. Gold shows us that a business, really any organization, is much more like a natural environment, an ecosystem where all the parts are interconnected and changing all the time. Business leaders must leave Planet Simple, abandon this simplistic mindset, and embrace a new resilience mindset better suited for Planet Earth.
Companies and organizations around the globe are increasingly being asked―or required―to report on how they are resilient to environmental and social change. As a modern-day business leader, you have a choice. You can ignore these trends―although that is quickly becoming impossible in many jurisdictions―or treat these requirements as just another compliance exercise; a series of boxes to be checked or reports to be filed. Alternatively, as Dr. Gold argues in this book, you can embrace them, transforming your operations to build a resilient business that learns, evolves, and adapts in the face of uncertainty.
It's time to leave behind the simplicity of old paradigms and begin a thrilling journey toward a sustainable, resilient, and thriving future.
Reviews, Awards & Endorsements
Review
"Sustainability executives are bombarded with a flood of advice, much of which is preaching to the choir. Leaving Planet Simple stands apart because it focuses on the foundations of corporate strategy, decision-making, and value creation. The insights are relevant for business leaders across all disciplines. Dr. Gold has done a remarkable job to distill complex concepts into actionable advice that resonates with experienced executives looking to make a difference. Leaving Planet Simple is a must-read for business leaders seeking to transform their organizations to succeed in the 21st century."
― Diane Kappas
Retired VP, Global Sustainability, Fortune 200 materials company
"Leaving Planet Simple stands out in the increasingly crowded field of corporate sustainability literature. The book offers a rare combination of practical business tips and deep research into the why of today’s sustainability movement. It’s a must-read guide penned by a legitimate expert. Highly recommended for directors and executives who want to transform sustainability from charity into competitive advantage."
― Simon Shakesheff
Non-Executive Director
"Leaving Planet Simple is an essential guide for business leaders trying to make sense of what corporate sustainability means. I especially like how Dr. Gold sets out the various Planet Simple traps that affect businesses today and what they can do about it. In my decades of experience in corporate strategy and governance, I’ve come to know that sustainability is about transforming mindsets―and this book explains exactly how to do it."
― Gib Hedstrom
Founder, ESG Navigator
"Mankind’s hubris in assuming dominion over nature has been disproven countless times, from Gilgamesh to the Dust Bowl. Yet, even today, people are burning the planet’s lungs to produce palm oil and beef. Who is accountable? Who should be? How can change occur? (It must!)
Corporations control the majority of the global economy. As the beneficiaries of the natural environment, it falls to them to lead a paradigm shift.
Dr. Gold candidly explains the folly of the simplistic approach, cutting through the clutter of 'ESG' and other nomenclature. He lays out an enlightened approach beneficial to business and the planet alike.
Dr. Gold applies resilience science to both the natural and corporate environments. Even the term 're-silience' is inherently reactive; it involves preparation to rebound from an adverse occurrence. Let’s hope readers and the corporate world embrace the necessity of 'pre-silience.'"
― Douglas Hileman, FSA, CRMA, CPEA, P.E.
Coauth...