Grit and perseverance are just as important as creativity. I have invested a lot into innovation, but over time I have found that the winning organizations are those that reward the employees with stamina and ‘stick-to-it-ness.” Success often comes from those who think beyond the great next idea, trudge through the tall weeds, solve problems and regroup when things go off track, and still deliver.

The pendulum always swings back. Public policy issues with serious societal concern almost always “come back.” I started out in 1986 when the nightly news obsessively tracked the progress of the lonely “Islip garbage barge” that could not find a place to offload its cargo. Images of overflowing landfills took hold, and for 12 years, my work was focused exclusively on helping companies and municipalities manage packaging and increase recycling, largely in response to this catalyst. As opportunities to recycle packaging grew, the issue receded. But the pendulum has now swung back. This time, I’m heartened to see how seriously packaging companies and their customers are working toward increasing the recyclability of hard-to-manage materials.