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Inside a greenhouse in the English countryside, one of the newest inventions from Dyson just went through its first large-scale test: an 18-foot-tall rotating wheel of strawberry plants, designed to ensure each plant gets its share of sunlight. Dyson, the multibillion-dollar brand, is best known for designing products like vacuums and ultra-high-end hair dryers. But the company also bought a farm in 2013, and now owns 36,000 acres of land across the U.K. James Dyson, who grew up in rural Englandand hauled potatoes as one of his first jobsrealized that engineering and design could play a role in helping solve some of the challenges of the food system. There is a real opportunity for agriculture to drive a revolution in technology, and vice versa, he says. Dyson Farming, a subsidiary within the larger family-owned business, is focused on sustainability and food quality. Some of its practices are low tech, such as using crop rotation to improve soil health, or letting wildflowers grow on the edge of fields to support pollinators. But it also continuously incorporates new technologies like sensors and drones. [Photo: Dyson Farming] At a farm in Carrington, England, the company started using an anaerobic digester to turn manure into electricity nearly a decade ago. (The equipment can generate roughly as much power as 10,000 homes use; some of it goes into the grid and the rest is used on the farm.) The process also generates a lot of heat, which is why the farm initially added a greenhouse: The strawberries can make use of the heat to grow in cooler weather. But the team recognized that they could go farther. [Photo: Dyson Farming] As engineers, were never satisfied, Dyson says. We constantly ask how things can be improved, achieving better results with the same resources. Instead of relying on traditional rows, we have designed and built a system in which strawberry plants are arranged on rotating wheels which are over 5 meters high, fully utilizing the glasshouses vertical space. This dramatically increases the number of plants we can grow in the same footprint, significantly boosting yields by 250%. [Photo: Dyson Farming] In a typical vertical farm, plants sit on shelves or on walls under artificial light. On the Dyson farm, as the Ferris-wheel-like design rotates, the strawberries get as much access as possible to natural light under the roof of the greenhouse. The farm supplements this with LED bulbs. (A sensor detects the wavelengths of light that the strawberry plants need, and then adds more as necessary.) Making better use of sunlight means that the mechanism also uses less energy. [Photo: Dyson Farming] The system is automated, with robots that use vision sensing to pick berries when theyre perfectly ripe. Other robots distribute predatory insects to fight aphids without insecticide. Another robotic system shines UV light on the berries to prevent mold. Though the system is still in the early stages, the first crop of strawberries was harvested in May and June, and sold at a premium in U.K. grocery stores because of the quality of the fruit. Eventually, the new tech will be growing strawberries year-round. Apart from during a few weeks in the summer, the strawberries available in British supermarkets will have been trucked over from North Africa or Spain, Dyson says. There is a significant carbon footprint associated with that movement. Plus, the strawberries themselves are small, colorless, and not at all sweet. Our crop is the opposite of that. [Photo: Dyson Farming] Most of Dyson Farmings food i still grown outside. But there are advantages to growing indoors when its possible, especially as the climate changes. While some other vertical farms have struggled with cost, its possible that Dysons efficient new invention could help, particularly its model of generating electricity and heat from farm waste on-site. Right now, the biggest cost for vertical farming comes from energy use. [Photo: Dyson Farming] Dyson is interested in scaling up the tech, and potentially sharing it more widely when its fully developed. We are experimenting at this stage, but weve unlocked significant efficiency gains for our glasshouse, he says. And for others toowhile we have to be relentlessly vigilant with confidentiality and secrecy at Dyson due to competitors stealing our innovations, in farming its not like that. British farmers have been woefully under-supported by successive governments for years. They need a level playing field with their foreign counterparts. Im in a fortunate position to be able to take on risk and invest in experimenting with new ways of farming. And I hope it is eventually to the benefit of all farmers. We need to stand together. Working on the food system, he says, is not so different from the rest of his lifes work. Farming shares a lot with engineering and manufacturing, Dyson says. You create something, you take pride in it, and you supply it to people who need it. Just as a factory should be efficient, well-designed, and run using the latest technology, the same principles apply to farming. You must get the fundamentals right: drainage, access, boundaries, machinery, buildings, soil health, weed control, and biodiversity. Its about making everything work together, in the most effective and high-quality way possible. That’s how progress is made.
Category:
E-Commerce
If we havent been there ourselves, weve seen it happen: A well-respected team member, bursting with potential, is promoted into a new leadership role. There are congratulations and smiles all around, and the new chief digs in, scheduling meetings and even offering sneak peeks at their 90-day plan. But as the good vibes fade, and everyone sets their eyes on the workKPIs, deliverables, an upcoming board meetingit soon becomes apparent that somethings wrong. The new leader may find their ideas and ways of working arent quite . . . landing. Have senior leaders moved the goalposts? Are peers expressing less enthusiasm? Is the team holding back? Whatever the disconnect, frustration builds. Anticipated quick wins become slow-rolling fails. Senior leadership begins to express concern, offering feedback that only increases the pressure. The new leader feels awkward and isolated, losing sleep and second-guessing every move. Soon, their job may even be at risk. A widespread problem This kind of failure would be tragic enough if it were uncommon. But its not. Some 46% of leadership transitions underperform, according to research and advisory firm CEB Inc. (Now owned by Gartner Inc.) The stats are even worse for the C-Suite. New CEOs have a failure rate as high as 50%, according to McKinsey, and 90% of them wish they had handled their transition differently. According to McKinsey, a failed leadership transition can cost the company more than two times the executive’s annual compensation. But of course the cost of ripple effects from the failurelower productivity, higher turnover across the team, and missed opportunities can cost even more. All told, failed executive transitions are one of the most underrecognized systemic risks facing organizations today. So much of a companys momentum depends on getting transitions rightpromoting top performers, replicating success across departments, expanding the leadership bench. A leadership failures impact ripples outward, causing direct reports to hunker down, peers to pull back, and cultural damage to deepen. Leaders across the organization begin to doubt its ability to manage change. Growth itself can stall. But organizations can inoculate themselves against this negative feedback loopand accelerate the success of their new leadersby rethinking how they support transitions. Here are four against the grain rules that can help a new leader take root and thrive. 1. QUICK WINS, YES; HERO MODE, NO New leaders often arrive eager to prove themselvesscanning for early wins they can capture. But that motivation can come across as self-serving and raise a red flag for the rest of the team. Early moves should build trust: showing the leader is focused on enabling the team, not spotlighting their own capabilities. The organization can play a critical role here. The new execs own leader should define what success looks likesteering them away from hero moves and toward shared goals, with an emphasis on team visibility, engagement, and inclusion. This matters even more when the new leader is promoted from within. Others may have wanted the role or expected a different outcome. The new leader must address that dynamic directly, affirming each team members value. But its the organizations job to reinforce early and often that the teams success is the leaders success. Thats corporate culture at its best. 2. WHAT GOT YOU HERE WONT GET YOU THERE Most new leaders were promoted because they excelled in a previous role. But that success was likely built on different strengths: technical skill, individual output, or tactical problem-solving. These arent the skills needed to create and communicate a vision and strategy, lead across functions, and navigate complexity. Internal promotions must make a clean break from their old roles or risk blurring the focus on the most important thingwhats next. Without this increased self-awareness, its natural to fall back on whats familiar, especially as the pressure rises. Instead of stepping up to a broader mandate, newly elevated senior leaders tend to double down on execution. It may feel safe, but it stunts growth and signals a lack of readiness. Even worse, the new leader may have blind spots about their own skills and inclinations. Getting 360-degree feedback, even if informal (and if possible, additional psychometric data) is critical to building self-awareness. This is where a neutral confidante, a coach, or even a practice of asking others for their candid feedback, can be invaluable. 3. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE POLITICAL Theres a taboo in most organizations about gossiping to a new boss or appearing to be highly political. But avoiding all such discussion can in fact be dangerous. New leadersespecially external hiresoften walk in blind to personality landmines, power dynamics, and team history. Instead, they need unvarnished insight into who theyll be working with: the stakeholders who are aligned and the ones who clash; the teams that collaborate and synergize; and those that dont. They need clarity on how things get done. Imagine how much more effective you could be in a new role if someone detailed all the team members and their relationshipsalmost like a pregame scouting report analyzing each players mental and physical strengths and vulnerabilities, and the plays they like to run when a games on the line. It would instantly improve your ability to collaborate and record successes. Even better if it will give you insight into how your own work style fits in. Consider a product leader recruited from a fast-moving startup into a legacy organization. In one version of his story, his trademark urgency, focus, and accountabilityincluding take-no-prisoners KPI reviewsalienates peers and they quietly sideline him. In another scenario, hes warned that his bulldog style could backfire, thanks to a hiring manager who was transparent about personalities and fit. Its the organizations jobideally the new bosss bossto reveal this before Day One and keep the conversation going. Every workplace has its unique culture, comprising people, politics, and pressure points. If those arent surfaced early, the new leader struggles to find their way, which at best delays success and in too many instances derails it completely. 4. THERES NO SUCH THING AS MAGIC New leaders are often handed a mandatesometimes clear, more often vague. Theyre expected to bring change and energy, and turn things around. But rarely do they get clarity on pacing and priorities, resourcing, and success measures. Who are their internal customers anyway, and what are their requirements? Consider a COO, hired into a high-growth company with a mandate to increase operational efficiencies. In one version of the story, she immediately overhauls the supply chain strategy and upgrades technologyonly to clash with a CEO whos laser-focused on short-term KPIs. In another version, she seeks clarity on priorities up front, aligns her approach to what the CEO needs to make quarterly numbers, and executes a plan that builds lasting momentum. Without early, specific alignment to stakeholder expectations, a new leader is left uncertain about the playbook, the true priorities, and how aggressively to move forward. Worse, they may act with confidence, but in the wrong directionaiming all their energy at an objective no one else shares. Dont assume talent plus title equals traction. Hiring or promoting the right person and letting the magic happen isnt a strategy. THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF GROWTH Successful leadership transitions are essential to a companys growth in the same way that new routers are essential to an expanding telecommunications network. Scaling up requires that each connection works. When they dont, the existing structure becomes overburdened, everything slows down, and the limits to growth become painfully clear. All leadership transitions bear risk. Most of the risks are identifiable and predictable, and afford opportunities to apply strategies that mitigate them. Taking deliberate steps to make transitions go well wont eliminate that risk, but it will shift the odds in our favor. The only thing more risky than changes in leadership is leaving leaders to face them alone.
Category:
E-Commerce
One hundred miles off the coast of New York City, there is an underwater canyon teeming with marine life. Seabirds soar overhead as whales, sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, and fish gather around Hudson Canyon. With so many species calling the canyon home, the Wildlife Conservation Society wants Hudson Canyon to be designated a National Marine Sanctuary. The designation, awarded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would protect the ecologically diverse area from companies hoping to mine the seabed for oil, gas, and minerals. Its not just the endangered species WCS is hoping to save from disruptive and dangerous miningit also wants to save the fish you eat for dinner. With a striking new campaign created by the advertising agency McKinney, WCS is calling on seafood lovers to sign its petition urging NOAA to protect Hudson Canyon, home to the creatures that stock seafood markets in New York City and beyond. [Image: courtesy Hudson Canyon] Were protecting the species out there, were protecting their health, but were also protecting the economic viability of our waters, says Christine Osekoski, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society. To help communicate the importance of Hudson Canyon to the people who enjoy the spoils of commercial fishing there, McKinney took an analog-first approach to the campaign. They printed the petition right onto the butcher paper that seafood markets wrap around the fish they sell. [Image: courtesy Hudson Canyon] What better way to get the actual cause, actual information, and actual petition into peoples hands . . . than at the moment you are consuming the very thing that is being threatened? asks Omid Amidi, chief creative officer at McKinney. To create an eye-catching design on the butcher paper, McKinneys team members used a Japanese printing technique called gyotaku, brushing the types of animals found in the Hudson Canyon with blue ink and pressing them onto paper. The process yields nearly perfect impressions of the very same creatures the campaign is trying to saveblack sea bass, scallops, and crabs, for example. [Image: courtesy Hudson Canyon] The fish prints are paired with maps of the Hudson Canyon, copies of the petition text, and QR codes to sign it. These elements, all in blue, are overlaid with blocky red letters reading Quit Floundering, Then Save the Canyon and Save the Scallops, Then Sear Them, among other sayings. The simple layouts and contrasting blue and red ink are meant to evoke the advertising and storefront design choices of old New York fish markets. The end product is a far cry from the plain brown butcher paper that markets traditionally use to wrap seafood. [Image: courtesy Hudson Canyon] The design itself is just meant to stop you in your tracks, Amidi says. Even though its a light piece of paper, it has the weight of all the work and all the care we put into it. Adding to the campaign, McKinney designed window clings and counter cards for participating markets, as well as created signage displayed at the New York Aquarium and online videos featuring local fishmongers supporting the effort. [Image: courtesy Hudson Canyon] The campaign launched June 9, the day after the United Nations World Oceans Day. Since then, participating seafood markets in the New York City area have wrapped their fish in WCSs petition and stirred up support mong customers. Six markets are participating in the campaign: Mt. Kisco Seafood, Greenpoint Fish and Lobster, Metro Seafood, Mermaids Garden Sustainable Seafood, Martys Gourmet Seafood, and Lobster Place at Chelsea Markets. We definitely have a crew of loyal customers who are into sustainability, says David Seigal, culinary director at Lobster Place at Chelsea Markets. But we also have a lot of customers who want to know where their food is coming from, and I think those are the people who are most interested in this. Some participating fish markets are already asking for more shipments of the paper, Osekoski says, as more people see the design and sign the petition. This show of support is an important step in the process toward Hudson Canyon being designated a National Marine Sanctuary. Soon, NOAA will release its draft of the designation documents and solicit comments from the public before ultimately choosing whether to make the area a sanctuary. By the end of the public comment period, WCS hopes its petition will have 25,000 signatoriesand the nonprofit is already one-third of the way there. For Seigal, also an avid fisherman who frequently travels to the Hudson Canyon, protecting the area is a cause especially close to his heart. Were in business with Mother Nature, when it comes down to it, he says. Any threat to Mother Nature is a threat to, at a minimum, our business, but really to our existence as a human race.
Category:
E-Commerce
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