“Do what you’ve always done, and get what you’ve always got”
Never has there been a more important time in our history to NOT do what we’ve always done.
If you’re recognising that you or you organisation is ready to take a more evolved approach to leading (one in line with what the planet needs from us all), then read on…
- Make the Planet your primary shareholder
What if, every decision you made, you asked, how would making this decision affect the planet and it’s resources? And you ONLY made decisions that positively impact the planet? Maybe even create a spare seat at your board table to represent Mother Earth and keep her in your conscience?
- A different measure of success
For so long we’ve been following a model of success, which requires growth (and often at any cost). It implies there is an unlimited amount of resources, and as we’re now seeing, there isn’t. It’s a major part of what got us here, so it must be changed if we’re to create a different future.
What if, we started to consider organisational health as a measure for our success? What if we stopped competing? What if being the biggest was the worst thing you could achieve? How big is big enough? How do we want our employees and customers to feel when they interact with our business? What does healthy really look like? And what if healthy meant being in alignment with the resources available from our planet?
- Diversity and inclusion steers the ship (and is not an after-thought or bolt on)
To build and sustain effective organisations, we have to consider the impact on every different kind of individual our business impacts.
What if, wherever your decisions get made, those communities included people from all diversities, especially around gender, race, sexuality, and wealth. The turn around needed here, is to be in service of all citizens, not just ones who look like us or have money to spare.
- Dismantle your hierarchies
The world is shifting from a me to we perspective.
It is no longer cool to be in the elite (perhaps it never was). Power needs to be shared more broadly and deeply within organisations. The old hierarchical approach where power comes top down, employees get ‘parented’ by their management, is no longer sufficient to create the change that the planet needs.
What if, organisations empowered people at all levels to be leaderful, taking greater responsibility and becoming more accountable. Not only will this approach enable greater effectiveness in organisations, it will also help you create a more engaged and motivated team.
- Embrace collaborative ways of working for everyone
If you’ve decided not to take a top down approach to leading the business, you will need a new way of working.
What if, collaboration and coaching were core skills at the heart of how you work together? Engaging the skills, wisdom, insight, and creativity that exists in all corners of your business will most definitely support better decision making.
There are many tools that can help you become more collaborative, although it does require a slower pace than what we’re currently used to.
- Enhance flexible ways of working
Today’s workplace is built on the foundations of a victorian work ethic, exacerbated by an industrial revolution, elevated further by globalisation. Shift patterns, long hours, presenteeism, 24/7 connectivity, all create a certain expectation of what ‘good work’ looks like.
What if our workplaces were full of the talented, bright, hard working individuals whose talents are currently being missed out on because of our traditional, out of date beliefs about productivity?
I’m talking mums, carers, young adults, people in poverty, those near retirement. Basically anyone who can’t or doesn’t want to work full time hours or doesn’t fit the ‘traditional mold’. It’s time to rip up the rule books of historical times and find flexible ways of integrating the plethora of talent out there.
- Create a conscious and awake culture
The culture of an organisation sets the tone for ‘how things are done around here’. In my experience, most organisations pay very little attention to their culture. In part, because it’s quite ethereal, and therefore feels more complex to get brains and hands around. Culture is more than just a motivational campaign. It’s the underworld of an organisation, what really happens around here rather than what we hope happens.
What if, taking a collaborative, engaged, tender exploration of your culture will liberate your capacity to adapt ways of working and also ensure that key qualities and values like trust, honesty, integrity are at the heart of your workplace?
- Move your boardroom outside.
If we want to put the planet first, we must be willing to explore our relationship to mother earth herself. Nature is a great teacher (and healer). The seasons show us the dichotomy of change, that everything changes and everything remains the same all at the same time. Being in nature gives us a different perspective, calls us to create in different ways, think in different ways, innovate in different ways.
What if, you take your board room to the forest, or your big problems to the mountains? Gain a bigger perspective, access more intuition (where creativity lies), connect with integrity and generally work better as a team.
- Make wellbeing your priority
Organisations who prioritise their people’s wellbeing see greater productivity, lower staff turnover, and loyalty. In short, they survive longer and it’s more pleasant to go to work.
The planet does not need us to fix her. Long after human civilisation is gone, mother earth will still be here, probably taking a longer breath, giving herself time to regenerate.
What if we prioritised wellbeing in all aspects of life, humans would be better equipped to take better responsibility for their actions and impact? Organisations who prioritise employee and customer wellbeing make a bigger contribution to the planet.
- Start some new behaviours
History has got us here, but we must choose to create a different future for our generation and beyond. That requires a new set of behaviours to become the hero in our workplaces.
What if, the following behavioural shifts, were just the answer the future needs? Power with and alongside, not power over. Collaboration not dominance. Healthy adult relationships, not abuse. Connection not division. Inclusion not exclusion. Together, not alone. Boundaries not manipulation. Leaning out, not leaning in. Speaking truth to power, not muted silence. Courage not bravery. Standing out, not fitting in.
Checklist for setting up your new and improved evolved business
- The Planet is written into your business articles as your number one shareholder
- A clear picture of what ‘healthy’ looks like (without always chasing growth)
- Diversity and inclusion is a priority for your business decisions
- Decisions are made by committees representative of the business, not a board of directors
- Collaboration is your default way of working
- You have just as many people on flexible working contracts as traditional ones
- Your culture is reviewed and adapted on a regular basis
- You take your business into nature whenever you can
- You create an environment where people’s wellbeing is enhanced not depleted
- You experiment with new ways of working
