Sustainability Success Story: Chipotle Restaurants

Chipotle exemplifies what I think is going right in business today: a commitment to rethink how commerce is conducted and, in the process, creating greater prosperity and benefit to a broader group. ABC recently covered their supply chain efforts that include only buying free range, hormone-free pork and chicken, locally grown where possible. This approach is better for everyone involved: consumers, farmers, the environment, and the animals. Contrast that to Starbucks where, at least in Canada, they've decided to ship muffins bound for Vancouver stores from a factory in Toronto. That's a lot of carbon for a little muffin and illustrates how you can really tell when an organization truly holds values dear. If Starbucks was really green they would have kept sourcing locally.

Take a look at Chipotle's website and review their employment section. It's very clear that internal promotions are a heavy focus and that's largely possible because of their commitment to internal development and promotion. They remove roadblocks (like language and education) to diverse candidates moving up through the pipeline by training their employees and only allowing managers to move up who embody the company values. This is a great example of another dimension of sustainable practices: treating employees as valued individuals, worthy not only of respectful behaviors but of greater trust and responsibility. This trust and the shared values express themselves in ways small and large and I believe draw people into the restaurants. So although some fast food restaurants review revenues and costs through the lens of an accountant, truly progressive organizations are dropping the old filters and asking more fundamental questions, challenging assumptions, and creating a new wealth. If you're interested in exploring new ways to strategically lead your organization there's a new workshop led by Peter Senge in Washington, DC in November.