How can you encourage sustainability in your team?

I wasn't going to contribute but then I was named top voice in leadership so I guess this is kind of mandatory. Sustainability from a corporate perspective has to start with the notion that everything you do has to be able to be broken down to it's core and captured so that it can easily and quickly be found and interpreted. Leaders need to grasp it and in the event of work changes including attrition a person other than the designer of whatever it is can pick it up and run with it without hassle or difficulty. From there plans need to include long term outlook and predicting future trends so that they can be ahead of the curve. This is not easy and is one of the reasons so many new businesses fail.

If you want to empower your teams to be creative and innovative, don’t define ‘Sustainability’ in detail, though they may want you to. Moving away from tight definitions/details within organisations is becoming increasingly important as we shift people from transactional/knowledge based work towards more creative and complex work. Give a concept with principles and attributes. They know their work in detail and if you define sustainability in too much detail teams will get stuck trying to figure out details rather than finding at least one improvement to a more sustainable approach to the work.

The agency superstars at MoreVisibility display some amazing social responsibility, to their local communities and nationally. As a leader it’s important to help foster and support for the causes important to your team. This starts by providing the platform, time and space for them to take the reigns, which will lead to a culture of sustainability. One of my favorite displays of this is during October where our cultural sustainability focus is the health and wellbeing of our team and beyond. In a peer led effort, company matched, the team makes meaningful charitable donations. This is done through a variety of creative outlets, including virtual options, appealing to all team member’s likes/interests/financial means/demographics.

Include sustainability in your procurement process and project prioritisation approach to show it’s not just stand alone but embedded in everything you do. Ensure sustainability is part of any business case development or multi criteria analysis. If you are on a steering group ask about how sustainability is being considered. Our organisation has a required field in any governance or exec level decisions regarding the climate change impacts of any decision.

This aligns with shared values. An organization cannot thrive when the community of stakeholders around it are not thriving along, data driven and evaluated decisions around how to build collaborative stakeholder value is key in enhancing sustainability.

One thing I have found helpful is active listening. As the world and our relationships evolve we have to evolve with it. Collectively we have to focus on mutually beneficial partnerships leading long term partnerships! Transparency and accountability are key!

The best way to encourage teams on sustainability is lead by example. The things being done on daily basis. Set clear sustainability goals and expectations. Lead by example by going green and saving. Provide training and resources on esg and sustainable examples Engage and empower your team. Celebrate and reward your team on sustainability initiatives.

To promote sustainability in your team: Educate on its importance, set clear goals, lead by example, embed it in values, offer resources, encourage open discussions, reward efforts, conduct training workshops, track progress, gather feedback, remain flexible, and integrate it into long-term planning. This comprehensive approach can create a culture of sustainability, fostering eco-conscious practices and responsible actions among team members.

For too long, the relationship between our planet and the economic world was one-sided. We’re all citizens of Earth and have the capability and responsibility to create change to bring our planet back to balance. By embracing sustainability as a core part of a business model, affiliating with organizations that promote eco-friendly practices and incentivizing change, we can create positive effects for our future. We need to reevaluate how businesses and the workforce support an environmentally sustainable future. Through commitment and action, we’ll create a better world for generations to come.

Ensure you give hope. Sustainability can be a hard issue for people as it can feel like an existential crisis, and small change can feel meaningless even though it is actually critical. Use international and national examples of success/change to show that this is not just your organisation but globally we are transitioning to a more sustainable way of life. Show them that the environment is a key factor in business improvement globally. They can ‘be the change’ in their everyday work.