I’ve just had a client send me a dossier on what they’ve achieved so far on Sustainability, and there’s a huge amount more good stuff in there than I think either of us expected. This shouldn’t really come as a surprise to me as it has happened several times before. Often you find that a small number of dedicated individuals has been plugging away under the radar, doing all kinds of wonderful things but with little official recognition.

As a consultant, I actively try to nurture such activity, rather than take a macho ‘out of the way, amateurs, and let the professionals take control’ attitude that certain individuals adopt. This kind of organic progress can be the launch pad for so much more: providing initial forward momentum, warming up decision makers for more radical change, and providing the kind of case studies of ‘ordinary employees doing amazing things’ that really resonates with others.

It’s really worth having a periodic situation appraisal of what’s going on – and giving credit where credit is due.