Long-Term Management Strategy From The Iroquois
A simple guideline that helps modern companies.
When settling into a debate, leaders of an Iroquois tribe would elect one of their leaders to be a representative of the future.
This meant that while all the other leaders were thinking about short-term implications, at least one leader was thinking about how they’d be explaining this decision to their tribe 7 generations from now.
Framing decisions this way helped influence the short-term decision-making of the tribe so that it was aligned with their long-term goals.
Yvon Chouinard, founder of the clothing brand Patagonia, brought this concept to his company when they faced certain bankruptcy in the 90s.
“Long term values can guide quick decision-making every day.”
-Yvon Chouinard
Obviously, this kind of thinking lends itself nicely to environmental sustainability, but I challenge you to consider what other ways this could help you in your work.
Environmental sustainability is critical—but so are social, economic, and political sustainability.
Just a thought for you to do something with.