Sustainability Leadership and Lollipop Moments

You may be wondering - How can I I get others in my organization to take action? How can I change their perspective about sustainability? How can I get them to help me with my going green project’? 

There are many ways to answer this question, and one that I will briefly touch upon here is ‘by being a leader’. 

You may not feel as though you are in charge or can get others to take action, but the truth is, you can be a leader every day, at work and outside of work.  

Being a leader does not mean that you have to be an executive in your organization, or that your actions have to be so big as to create a change that the whole world – or at least the social media world – will notice and talk about. 

Being a leader can happen every day – we all have the opportunity to be a leader and to create change. 

Being a leader can mean truly listening – so that you hear what is behind someone’s reluctance or objection to take action.  

It can mean having an honest and courageous conversation with someone who does not see things from your point of view. 

It can mean inspiring and/or encouraging someone to take an action that they are not sure they can take. 

And this applies to going green and sustainability in your organization. You may want to take on a project, or may be in the middle of it, and it might be stopped due to extenuating circumstances such as COVID, or you may not be getting the support you need, or you don’t (yet) see how it can be done remotely. 

Being a leader and taking action requires creativity, inspiration, flexibility and perseverance. You can figure it out – and you can choose to be a leader in spite of any doubts you may have about your leadership capabilities or skills. 

This 6-minute TedTalk on ‘Everyday Leadership’ is a reminder that we all have lollipop moments – whether we are on the giving end or the receiving end. 

Those moments can change our lives and others’ . That is everyday leadership. And yes, this can be applied to going green in the work place as well as to other parts of your life.

How can you inspire others to take action on going green? What courageous and honest conversations can you have about opposition to your project? How can you get creative to get your project implemented in spite of obstacles you are facing? You have the answers within you – and you have the ability to be a leader, every day.  

P.S. If you are looking to help your organization go green and have just started or have taken a few steps and would like more no-cost or low-cost project ideas, be sure to download our free Beginner’s Guide to Going Green.