People, Planet, Profits – Triple Bottom Line

As business owners, it is veery easy to focus on the bottom line, but have you ever looked at the triple bottom line? People, Planet, Profits. It helps to align what you do as a company, with helping the world and the environment.

You are responsible for creating healthy and happy lives for employees.

Let’s Look at Ford

Henry Ford paid his employees well and was often criticized, with many saying he paid his employees too much. When asked why he paid them so well, he has to pay them enough to buy a Ford Motor vehicle. They must be able to enjoy the fruit of their labors.

This is a great example of how he put people as part of his bottom line, taking away profits to ensure a better quality of life for his team.

Your Whole Team Must Participate

Implementing a triple bottom line at your company is not something you can do alone; your whole team must participate. Having your team participate in your triple bottom line activities will align them to your goals as a company, giving them a greater sense of belonging and purpose.

Aligning your activities with various teams’ skillsets can also be a good way to get your whole team involved.

How Do You Start?

It can be overwhelming when looking at the likes of Bill Gates, who has an entire foundation to give back and implement their triple bottom line efforts. However, you don’t need to start so big!

Starting out by volunteering your time to other organizations with your team is a great place to start. This could be at charities, having career days for local communities, or organizing a fundraiser. These all help contribute to the good of other people.

As with most things, it all starts with you! You need to set the example, you need to take the first step, its starts with you. Lead yourself, and your team will follow. Soon your profits will help the people and the planet too.