‘No, you’re not making an impact if you keep working in the same way’

We’re living in an era of  “polycrises” – climate change, biodiversity loss, and growing social inequality, to name just a few. Yet when business leaders talk about solutions, the focus is still too often on what we’re doing, rather than how we’re doing it. This narrow view risks repeating the mistakes that got us here and stops us from real change.

Over the years, I’ve tested society’s willingness to change from various angles – from the innovation sector’s (often limited) openness to underrepresented ideas, to policy work, to experimenting with new funding models. Now, as an advisor to startups with bold, high-impact ideas that break the mould, I keep coming back to the same question: Are we truly incapable of imagining something bigger? Corporate structures haven’t changed. Funding systems haven’t changed. What receives funding, recognition, and top valuation is still defined by the same old criteria. The machinery just keeps rolling on as it always has.

Relying on yesterday’s business mindset to solve today’s issues – and calling it 'impact' – is a shortcut. By fixating on the what of an idea, we sprint toward quick, tech-driven solutions with big promises, yet we ignore the bigger picture. With our current ways of working, we sidestep the long-term consequences of our actions on supply chains, people, and the planet. We’re so focused on speed and scalability that we’re blind to the ripple effects – impacts that could shape or harm the systems we rely on for survival.

Put simply, we don’t care enough – or tell ourselves we lack the time and resources – to focus on how we could genuinely do things differently. Instead, we’re building businesses as if it’s all a race, where only the fastest, loudest, and strongest survive. But in this scramble, we’re sacrificing something essential: our connection to what truly matters – our purpose.

Given everything we know about the threats we face, contemporary businesses should have evolved into tools for ecological, social, and systemic progress – – not merely self-serving pursuits measured solely by profit.

If we keep prioritizing ourselves and our own growth, we’ll miss the bigger picture – the potential for businesses to build resilient communities and drive a genuine commitment to protecting our planet.

If we truly want to make an impact, we have to be ready to do the hard, essential work: rethinking how we run and finance businesses, questioning the systems that shape our actions. We need to ensure we understand the impact of our work at every level.

If we’re serious about making an impact, we have to take the tougher but necessary path. It’s no longer enough to just have great ideas; we also need to build new systems, markets, and value chains where others can thrive as well. Only then can a business claim to be part of a truly sustainable and genuine transition.

In a world where purpose matters as much as growth, where collaboration beats competition, and where we’re willing to decentralise power, resources, and information, the true value of diversity can finally emerge – rather than forcing everything into a single mould.

We need to be more flexible, self-organising, and quick on our feet in how we operate. Systemic thinking must replace self-interest, and our definition of value must go beyond money. Preservation should take priority over consumption, and long-term thinking over short-term gains. 

People should be viewed as co-creators, not merely resources, and nature as something to nurture, not just exploit. This shift demands genuine responsibility, recognising the true costs our actions impose on the world

Thankfully, visions of a different future already exist. New economic models – doughnut, circular, mothering, purpose, sharing, degrowth, localisation – aim to break away from outdated thinking and establish truly sustainable, long-term solutions.

Every day, I meet entrepreneurs and changemakers driven by these ideas, looking for networks and support. But most struggle against headwinds, repeatedly running into rigid, outdated systems – especially when it comes to funding.

We need the courage to question and experiment with our methods, continuously integrating new principles into our work. A 'green' label isn’t enough if a business still follows the same old framework in every other aspect.

We’re at a pivotal moment to redefine what businesses can be and to choose what’s right over what’s merely profitable. Ignoring this chance would mean overlooking the urgent threats we face. We need to start asking ourselves the harder questions: What are we really trying to achieve? What kind of future do we want to build?

What are we really trying to achieve? What kind of future do we want to build?

A company, after all, is just a means to accomplish something bigger. So how do we make sure our organisations contribute to the change we need? And how do we communicate honestly and transparently, steering clear of a media narrative that glorifies only success and strength? How do we rethink the norms and systems we’ve built, and replace them with ones that genuinely meet the world’s pressing needs?

We can’t afford to miss this chance. Let’s focus as much on how we do things as on what we’re doing, and build a future that’s sustainable not just for ourselves, but for the entire planet."