You're at odds with colleagues over sustainability strategies. How can you find common ground?

Communication is key, and one of the best ways to be effective is by talking last. Taking the time to listen and understand where everyone is coming from is key to creating a receptive environment. When it comes to implementing strategies and fostering change, it's essential that everyone feels convinced rather than forced. Conviction leads to adoption, and that's where long-term sustainable actions start. It's also important to measure if the strategies are working and to adjust them if needed. Creating a culture where everyone feels their input is valued can lead to more innovative solutions and a stronger commitment to sustainability. It's all about working together, staying open to new ideas, and celebrating every milestone.

Democracy :) In our case, we took 2 approaches: 1. I spoke our employees about our that came out of our leadership discussions and asked how they wanted us to contribute. They voted for: Adopt a Highway as their contribution 2. We added a holiday and asked what day would they like to observe and one idea came up - Earth Day! Dictatorship ;) 3. I came up with the tagline Sustainable + Trust because the only reason we exist is our use of upcycled CO2 to replace hydrocarbon solvents. This tagline hit me in bed and I felt we had to use it because it best represents our technology and our company values. Ultimately, it defines us because one can trust our contract services work, engineering designs and equipment.

Your colleagues may not have the same priorities. It takes a great deal of listening and understanding why other teams or individuals may not wish to partake in a sustainability initiative. For example, while they may adhere to the principles, they may be constrained by budgets. By understanding the hurdles they face, you can strategize on how to bring them the best support (and sometimes even solve their issues), allowing them to trust you and follow your cause. In other instances, you may not have the same values or priorities (some people focus on environmental initiatives, others on social). In this case, negotiate your way into making things happen: even if it's not what you would have done first, you're working together for the SDGs.

Everyone needs to be heard before anything is done! This is great advice before starting anything. Their reasons may be things that did not come to your mind and may cause you to rethink the idea. In addition, they may not be on board because of a misunderstanding they have so listening to them would help you recognize and fix the misunderstanding. Great advice!

Finding common ground with colleagues on sustainability strategies starts with active listening. Engage in meaningful dialogue to fully understand their perspectives. Show genuine interest in their ideas to foster respect. Sustainability is complex, and diverse opinions can drive innovation. Emphasize shared goals and values, highlighting how collaboration can enhance outcomes. Encourage an inclusive approach to problem-solving, ensuring all voices contribute to the solution. By creating a respectful and open environment, common ground can be effectively established, leading to more robust sustainability strategies.

The important thing is to focus on the goal. "Several roads often lead to the market" is a popular saying where I come from, indicating that there could be multiple ways to arrive at a goal. So what's the sustainability goal? That should be the focus. Then you can now play things backwards and start considering things like what's more cost-effective? What's more practical? What's more realistic? Etc More often than not, there are always different ways to achieve a sustainability goal and you should therefore keep an open mind.

He encontrado que muchas de las diferencias parten del examen de materialidad sobre el cual cada colaborador concibe la estrategia de sostenibilidad. Alinear los intereses, así como el propósito y las metas desde una escucha activa, permite una acción mucho más asertiva y eficaz para implementar escenarios hacia donde pueda conducirse la acción organizada. - Atender, compartir, entender, implementar.

Embora a sustentabilidade seja cada vez mais importante para o mundo corporativo e para a nossa sobrevivência como humanidade, aos que atuam diretamente na área cabe a humildade de compreender que a temática ainda não é tratada como uma prioridade. Diante disso, é fundamental compreender quais são as metas financeiras, de crescimento organizacional, de TI e tantas outras áreas e conseguir realizar uma associação onde a adoção das práticas sustentáveis conseguirão auxiliar no alcance das demais metas pré-estabelecidas da instituição, gerando valor para quem não visa práticas de sustentabilidade importante por si só.

Work out how their and your proposed sustainability goals contribute to one or more of the following: 1. Rev growth 2. Cost reduction/ efficiency 3. Brand equity & Impact 4. Risk reduction

Gemeinsame Werte und Ziele identifizieren: Beginnen Sie mit der Identifikation von gemeinsamen Werten und Zielen, wie Abfallreduzierung oder Energieeinsparung, die für alle Beteiligten wichtig sind. Diskussionen auf gemeinsame Ziele lenken: Nutzen Sie diese gemeinsamen Ziele als Grundlage für Diskussionen und lenken Sie Gespräche darauf, wie verschiedene Strategien zu diesen Zielen beitragen können. Fokus auf Verbindendes legen: Konzentrieren Sie sich auf das, was Sie verbindet, anstatt auf Unterschiede, um gemeinsam auf nachhaltige Ergebnisse hinzuarbeiten, die allen zugutekommen.

Brainstorm strategies together without immediate judgment. This inclusive approach encourages innovative ideas and collective solutions that are effective and acceptable to all.

Once the team has openly discussed their differences in opinion about the sustainability strategies, it is important to do objective research about types of sustainability strategies implemented and used in other organizations. Exploring and expanding options is a critical step to finding common ground when establishing sustainability strategies. By collecting more data about what has worked and has not worked in other organizations' sustainability strategies, the team can compile more potential sustainability strategies to consider.

Let's look at the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement negotiations. The agreement involved 196 countries with diverse perspectives and priorities. Despite strong opinions and differing views, the negotiators acknowledged each other's expertise and experience, leading to respectful dialogue. This approach allowed for the compromise and consensus necessary to create a unified global strategy. By valuing every perspective, they crafted an agreement that aims to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, showcasing how respect and collaboration can lead to meaningful progress in sustainability.

This mutual respect fosters trust and helps build consensus, as every perspective contributes valuable insights to a more robust sustainability strategy

Seeking expertise within the company or from external partners or consultants is key when investigating options forward. If not opening up for wider or other perspectives by consulting the “hive-mind” would be a missed opportunity- especially as the world of sustainability is moving and developing so fast - no single person can now all. When it comes for the time for decision making that widespread gathering of ideas will come in handy.

Como profissional da gestão pública, algo que me ajuda bastante é, além de buscar experiências bem-sucedidas em outras organizações públicas, portanto semelhantes, buscar em áreas totalmente diferentes da minha. Portanto, ver práticas de sustentabilidade em empresas financeiras, de educação, aviação e tantas outras áreas que naturalmente têm um modelo de pensamento diferente, dada a diferença de setor.

Realizar projetos-piloto é uma ótima maneira de experimentar diferentes abordagens em um ambiente controlado e ver como elas funcionam na prática. É como testar uma receita nova em casa antes de servir em um grande jantar: você consegue ajustar os temperos, alterar os ingredientes e garantir que o prato esteja perfeito. Esses testes são extremamente úteis para coletar dados concretos e comprovar o que realmente funciona. Ao testar várias estratégias, você e sua equipe podem descobrir quais métodos dão melhores resultados, quais precisam de algumas mudanças e quais talvez não sejam tão eficazes quanto esperavam.

1. Identify shared goals : Find common objectives, such as reducing environmental impact or improving brand reputation. 2. Agree on key principles: Establish a shared understanding of sustainability principles, like transparency, accountability, and stakeholder engagement. 3. Focus on data-driven decisions: Use factual information and metrics to guide discussions and decisions. 4. Explore compromise solutions: Seek mutually beneficial solutions that balance different perspectives. 5. Collaborative problem-solving: Work together to address specific sustainability challenges 6. Foster open communication: Encourage ongoing dialogue and feedback to address concerns and adapt strategies as needed.

Usar a tecnologia para gerenciar metas de sustentabilidade é fundamental, utilizar IA, BI e tantas ferramentas quanto possíveis para que aqueles que não sejam atuantes em áreas específicas de sustentabilidade, consigam contribuir com a área sem ter a impressão de que estão tendo demandas a mais, e sim que seu trabalho já está naturalmente integrado à temática.

It's not just about the strategy; planning and implementation depend heavily on the execution team. Therefore, involve stakeholders from the execution team and seek their input to help reach a consensus. It's important to stay flexible and understand both the desired outcomes and the speed at which they can be reached. Set clear milestones and choose strategies that effectively support reaching these milestones, considering the efficiency of execution.