For four years, I didn’t publish.
I still wrote. Often incisive one-liners shared only with family and trusted friends. But I didn’t publish.
Allow me to (re)introduce myself
I’m Georgie, the writer behind the Good Business blog. I’ve been scrutinising, commenting on, and often taking a wry approach to, business, energy and environmental policy for nearly ten years.
The reasons for the (not so brief) hiatus are many, but at root, I was lost. I had a job with a lot of responsibility that created company value and paid well, but kept me from the work that makes me come alive. Work like analysing, writing, and talking with you lovely people on policy, psychology and how big picture topics like regulation and economics impact day to day business.
I can’t write in public when I’ve lost my identity inside. The humour becomes hollow.
That might be a creative hack for teenage writers of emotive music, but it’s not to be encouraged in a team leader. It’s unsettling for colleagues, and too easy for maleficent beings to take bites off you.
But now, I’m back.
After so long, it feels regressive to dust off the blog from before. I’m older (and feel older), I’m more thoughtful, more experienced. I’ve changed, and so should my focus.
This, therefore, is my new blog. Starting from scratch. Building an audience from scratch. And yes, I know it’s so much harder these days. There’s so much more competition. That’s ok. I write first for myself. If you learn alongside me, that’s a bonus.
Future posts will be less self-indulgent than this one.
If you were a fan before, you’ll be wondering where the sharp wit has gone. It’s still there. I’m still the same G. I learned over recent years to keep the wit wrapped up, softly, so I don’t cut people without intent. If I fail on that, call me out.
So there we are. These regular letters have begun as part of a quest to become a better person, a better leader and to take my place in the growing ranks of business and government leaders working to make the world a better place.
Same G. Better content.
Hang on… did she just say “government leaders working to make the world a better place”? Yes, I did. They exist and it is only when the public and private sectors work together that we start to see real economic progression…. that’s a discussion for a later blog or I’ll get distracted.
For now, I simply wanted to leave this post here in case my followers from before stumble across the Good Business site. To provide context to where I’ve been, and why I’m starting again.
Coming up next on the Good Business Blog
Many of my writings will hark back to what I’ve always been known for: picking apart the market trends, the policy and the technology. The big things that impact businesses and public bodies. Explaining in simple terms what it means to you, and why.
I’ll cover anything in energy and ESG that interests me – financial reporting standards, energy policy, environmental compliance… all the fun things that stir my cerebrum.
But in the four missing years, I’ve watched others and questioned myself. A lot. I’ve spent hours reading, learning psychology in the workplace. Human behaviour from customer decision making to office interactions.
So, from time to time, I’ll write about the human side of ESG. The people that deliver action.
And just like four years ago, I’ll distill this down into “what does this mean in practice” but instead of writing purely from the perspective of the environmental manager, I’ll tie this more effectively to bigger business ambitions.
See, I’m still the idealist that believes we should leave our part of the world a better place for having been there, but I’ve since gone and got myself an education – both a theoretical one, in a proper business school, and a real one born from the hard yards as a senior leader in a listed company.
I now know how to quantify cost as well as carbon. How to improve operations as well as energy pattern. How make sustainability make sense on the spreadsheets.
Profits AND principles? Now that’s Good Business.
I’m excited.
Together, you and I can explore so many ideas and developments and learn how to make a real, positive, lasting difference. Please, tell me what you’d like me to cover. I’m listening.
Let’s go!
Wishing you love and profit,
G