Sustainability is about more than better solar panels. I distinguish 9 areas of work that need attention for the transition to a sustainable world. Let’s work on it!
It takes two to tango
A theme for one of the participants of a mastermind group was her dynamic with her cofounder.
One is direct, the other indirect. The one goes. The other thinks. The ones see opportunities. The other risks.
And this can be going on in any relationship.
Both can get frustrated and annoyed with the other.
The solution is always more contact. More conversation.
Rediscover your shared goals that you connected over.
You might learn that the other has the same feelings.
Or you might learn that the other had no idea.
You might find out that your frustration has nothing to do with the other, but with an old wound.
You need to hear the way the other processes the situation.
You both want it to work. And you both want the benefit of the extreme you don’t possess.
A trick for customer interviews
One of my coachees had a brilliant trick.
I tasked him with homework to talk to potential customers to get a grasp on what they would be willing to pay for his products.
His way to find these people was brilliant: He went to the train station!
Now, you might be thinking. I see people trying to stop me to “ask me a question” all the time and I always rush past. Everyone there’s in a hurry!
Now, here’s his brilliance. Not everyone in a hurry!
Not the ones waiting on the platform waiting for a train that leaves 15 minutes from now!
They were happy to talk to him. And he learned a ton and had fun doing it.
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Our Work
I’m working on a big post for next week. It’s about how there’s so much social work we have to do in order to do sustainable work.
I got the urge to write this because our sad election results in The Netherlands from last week. Predictable after the fact. Frustrating because some problems don’t wait while we get our act together.
To create a truly sustainable world, of course we need a lot of intellectual and tangible work. The work of innovation, techniques and infrastructure.
But to get there it is not enough.
Here are 9 more area’s that need more attention.
Information & Analysis: Checks on government and corporations & Insights in effective steps
Organisational technique: Governance structures & horizontal organisation.
Financial Systems & Level playing field: Stopping exponential growth & True Pricing
Building a public sector for all: Willingness to change for the collective comes from trust in the collective.
Activism: Put it on the agenda & Pressure
Connecting across boundaries: Meeting the ones you don’t & Everyone part of progress.
Culture building: For the Commons & How do we want to be?
Leadership: Taking ownership & Daring to be indebted
Worldview Change: From individuals to connected systems
WIP
I’m still writing it. So, I’m curious to hear from you what you think of these. What are you missing? Who is doing great work in these areas (so I can give a shout-out)?
