….An increasingly VUCA-driven business environment is now a hard-nosed global reality. VUCA refers to the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity that has turned into satire attempts at any long term, business planning.

Bob holds the view that this turbulence is partially a creation of business itself. He begins by singling out climate change with demonstrate-able fluency, ‘Part of the volatility that we are seeing in business is driven by the Plan A. Plan A for business, which we have been running for 200 years, has not taken us into a good place.’

‘In 200 years we have destroyed more on the planet than we have destroyed in the preceding billion years. That’s a shocking thing for us to say as a business community. If you look at how climate has changed – more than one degree rising on the earth temperature over the past 200 years – that’s a shocking thing.’

He continues, ‘What does that mean? That means we will see rising sea-levels. And as the sea-levels rise, islands will disappear…whole communities will disappear. We will see increasing droughts. Here in Kenya right now we are still having drought. Even with the rains it’s not going to be enough. We are going to see more challenges for scarce resources – and as you see those challenges for scarce resources, you will see more human conflicts. You will see more refugees…’

Bob decries, ‘…If you don’t have a different plan for it…if you do not understand why dealing with climate change is so threatening for us in the future – for our children and our grandchildren – then you do not deserve to be a leader either in business or in politics; or indeed in religion or any of those other leadership areas.

Owners Of Tomorrow

Age demographics also come into play in fueling volatility. The so-called generation Z is explicitly curious about the kind of world that businesses are creating for them.

Bob says, ‘A twelve year-old comes up to me and says – What are you doing about human rights? What are you doing to protect the girl-child? And they are the ones who will become our employees and our customers; and our owners of tomorrow. Because they will become shareholders. Unless businesses address that, it will be very difficult for those businesses to engage with those young people.’

In combating previously uncharted paths and fluidity within business environments, Bob is confident that the global goals provide a comprehensive and capable framework for strategic application by business leaders. He quips, ‘You never see me without my sustainable development goal badge because I really, really deeply believe in them.’

More Plastic In The Sea Than Fish

The critical role of sustainability in Building Africa by advancing the continent’s prosperity cannot be gain said. The leading economies of South Africa and Nigeria have markets that are wholly or partially sustainability-regulated.

Bob argues that in these markets, the concept has not really been embraced in a holistic way. He therefore advocates for dialogue between governments and businesses. He is certain that there would be a huge resistance in his market if lawmakers were to embark towards a regulatory approach to sustainability.

He says, ‘Whenever there is regulation, industry will push back, but often that pushback is really not justified. It is because people are only looking at the short term.’

Bob cites the recent ban of plastic bags in Kenya amidst shrill protests from manufacturers.

He observes that replacing plastic bags in Safaricom’s shops have had zero consequences because the substituted woven bags are much cheaper, last longer and do not degrade the environment.

‘No wonder they banned plastic in Rwanda a long time ago – and you walk in the streets of Kigali and you think wow, this is a nice place,’ he enthuses.

‘Think about it,’ Bob urges. ‘Think about – what are the consequences of there being more plastics in the sea than the fish by the year 2050? If you just hold that thought for a second – more plastic in the sea than fish – that is not a good place to be…and therefore you have to address it.’

Bob says in such obviously dire cases, regardless of industry resistance and some anticipated dissonance, the government should courageously stick to its guns because it is the right thing to do.

Bob’s activism in sustainability is far-reaching. He is a board member of United Nations Global Compact, a corporate sustainability initiative. He also sits on The B Team, an outfit co-founded by Sir Richard Branson. The B Team comprises of a global group of business leaders in search of better ways of doing business; for the wellbeing of people and the planet. Bob is one of the commissioners at the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, whose aim is to build a compelling case for businesses to advance sustainable development. Other commissioners include Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba Group; and Paul Polman, the ex-Chief Executive Officer of Unilever.

Caring For The World

Regarding corporate sustainability as a key ingredient in building lasting legacies for business leaders, Bob Collymore says, ‘I don’t think its about the legacy of the business leader, its about the legacy of the company. My company has to be successful one hundred and fifteen years from now. My predecessor does not think about his legacy. Whenever we talk, he does not say – that’s my legacy. He says – that’s our legacy…and that goes for me, and my successors, and for their successors. And the best legacy you can have is a world that survives and thrives.’

As an Architect of a Better World, Bob concludes by drawing a conscietous, value-based portrait of a prosperous Africa thus, ‘A prosperous Africa is one where we get back to our core. Our core of caring for the world around us…our core of caring for the ecosystems…our core of caring for our brothers and our sisters. That’s all we need to do. No more. And that’s actually built into even ex-Africans like me, if you like, having been a descendant of Africa. That’s what we’ve always done, and that’s what we need to get back to.’

Legacy Piece: Excerpt from The Late Bob Collymore’s Feature: ‘CCA: BUILDING AFRICA’ Sustainable Business Coffeetable book’