Learning The Sustainability Ropes
Well it’s first day back in the saddle after a great half term doing dad things with my eldest, Harry – the break coincided with his 5th birthday, so there’s been a lot of fun going on. One of the things I’ve really noticed over the last year is how far his confidence has come on when it comes to climbing frames, adventure playgrounds and the like. This time last year he was rather timid compared to his peers, now he’s at the top of everything, showing off.
While some of this change could be natural development, I put a lot of it down to my own attitude holding him back. For years I did what many modern parents do and stand over (or under) him, shouting encouragement, advice and warnings. Often he would just give up, so eventually I gave up too, and let him do his own thing while I checked Twitter from a park bench. The change was incredible – every time I looked up from my iPhone, he’d be trying something new. And over time I noticed he would be even more adventurous when the climbing frame was crawling with other kids – I thought they’d make him nervous, but I was wrong – it drove him (literally) to new heights.
I’ve noticed the same thing with the thousands of people I have trained in sustainability over the years. If they’re into sustainability then, yes, you can play the expert role and give lectures. But for people who less convinced, I’ve found it is better to put my ego in check and let them explore sustainability, and what it means to them, with their peers. So more and more of my work is about asking the right question, rather than providing the ‘right’ answer. Getting a group of people who work together to develop their own sustainability solutions moves an organisation much further forwards than, say, giving individuals an understanding of the concept of ‘Factor 10’. And you often get some corking new ideas to boot.