In 1943, an engineer named Richard James was working on springs to stabilise sensitive ship instruments. One day, one of the springs fell off his desk, and kept tumbling, step by step, across the floor.

That unexpected moment became the birth of the Slinky, a simple idea that would go on to sell more than 300 million units worldwide.

Often, the ideas that change the game aren’t gradual. They’re the sparks — bold, different, sometimes risky — and they create momentum we never expected.

As leaders, we don’t just manage the day-to-day. We shape what’s possible for this business, for our people, for our place, for the profit and legacy we create.

For our next workshop, we’re not looking for small tweaks. We’ve covered those easiest wins already.

We’re looking for sparks.

This is your moment to think big; no limitations, no budget concerns (yet). The bolder, the better.

Need another example?

Launched in 2005, GE’s Ecomagination wasn’t just a green initiative, it was a growth strategy. The goal? Prove that clean tech and commercial success can go hand-in-hand.

GE poured billions into R&D to develop energy-efficient engines, water-saving tech, and renewable energy solutions. By rethinking innovation through a sustainability lens, they created over 100 Ecomagination-certified products and opened up massive new markets.

The payoff? More than $270 billion in revenue and a sharp cut in GE’s own emissions and water use.

Ecomagination showed that when business gets serious about sustainability, everybody wins.