Talking TO someone is just so much better than staring at myself in a video screen. (Great change from writing, too). Great questions too – so I have a better sense of what interests other people and what THEY want to know about – which isn’t always what I think I should tell them. It’s much easier to explain what …
While the Australian government continues to talk about coal and baseload and electricity prices, Australian communities and entrepreneurs are busy delivering on clean energy in innovative new ways. Smart technology and ongoing legal advances are enabling new ways of doing business and making investments – tools that are enabling exciting new projects to be delivered. Crowd-sourced investment The enabling technology …
In an earlier post, I talked about the 10 key assumptions that blind many businesses to sustainability opportunity. Once you understand them, it’s time to explore your business. There are also four key levels of business activities that you can use to explore for opportunities “hiding in plain sight”. Your product/process maintenance and improvement Your product/process upgrades Function improvements Systems …
I’m a writer by inclination, so getting behind the microphone on a regular basis is still on my to-do list. Fortunately, I hooked up with podcaster Mark Spencer from Climatic.fm a little while ago. He’s demystified the process and featured me in a recent Cimactic podcast.
“…as human beings, we all are susceptible to a wide array of routine biases that can lead to an equally wide array of embarrassing blunders in education, personal finance, health care, mortgages and credit cards, happiness, and even the planet itself”. NUDGE, 2008. Richard Thaler with Cass Sunstein Richard Thaler’s 2017 Nobel Prize for Economics “nudged” me into finally reading …
The first ever research on shifting to an economy that consumes greenhouse gases was released in April 2017. As well as listing 80 current, commercially scalable action opportunities, Project Drawdown‘s first report included 20 high-potential “Coming Attractions”.
(Updated 20 July 2018: gamification, behavioural economics) The craft and science of change-making has been quietly accelerating, sneaking up behind the information technology revolution and the emerging clean technology economy. Most internet marketers know a lot about it – but surprisingly few sustainability advocates.
OK, so you’ve got a proposal for a sustainability project that needs approval. Before you dive into your usual approach, take a moment to ask yourself: “How would a copywriter approach this?”
I’ve been publicizing the opportunity side of sustainability for years in my LinkedIn Regenerative Business group. Recently I decided it needed a wider (and probably younger) audience. So now, when I find a story worth telling, I’m also pinning it to my Sustainability Innovation Board. If that’s where you hang out – or where people you want to influence hang …
It’s a lovely illusion – the myth of the rational human being – but is it “true”? Does it match the reality you’re dealing with? Or are you meeting resistance?
A major work on influencing that can support whatever you’re out to achieve in life is Robert Cialdini’s book “Influencing: The Psychology of Persuasion”. His work explains how influencing is a learnable skill, not just a magical talent.
For years I tried to ignore my environmental concerns. I was worried but felt powerless. Then I was introduced to “Natural Capitalism” and I got interested – almost in spite of myself. The story of a mid-course correction Then I read entrepreneur Ray Anderson’s first book “MidCourse Correction” – and that got me INSPIRED.
A 6 point check for “toxic seriosity” It’s easy to get passionate about sustainability – but is your message EFFECTIVE? How do you know whether you’re creating action – or whether you’re teaching helplessness? Here’s a quick check on what you’re messaging and how you’re pushing it.
There is a growing wealth of tools available for getting change happening in human systems. They come from a range of fields from education to linguistics. If you’re serious about sustainability, then you know that the real work isn’t in the technology – it’s in changing human systems. Some great tools that I keep coming back to are: The fundamental …
Talking regenerative business and systems thinking the other day, we came around to Donella Meadows and her classic article “Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System”. Some web research found this Prezzi Points of Power that gives a nice summary of levels of influence, including:
(Adapted from The Prime Innovation Pattern in The Innovator’s Way) The use of the nouns “entrepreneur” and “entrepreneurship” hide the reality that what we’re dealing with is a process that’s been intensively studied and defined over recent decades – particularly under the label “innovation”. Innovation is another process hiding inside a noun – and what is hidden is the process …
Once upon a time entrepreneurs were thought to be born rather than made. However, like any human craft there’s a strong element of skill. We now know a lot about the skills and habits of successful repeat entrepreneurs. These are 3 of my current favourite skill-builders – along with video intros – for finding, funding and building new business opportunities. …
Not getting the results you want? Maybe there’s a reason. I’m repeatedly amazed at how little many (extremely smart) sustainability advocates seem know about the art and craft of influencing. Poorly crafted sustainability messages are as destructive as any other form of junk mail. How many of these screw-ups have you seen recently? 1. Only talk about the bad news …
“Human behaviour doesn’t fit into a simple cause/effect model…. Resist simplifications…” – Margo Main In an increasingly complex world, “just” is a symptom of over-simplification that blinds us to possibilities for systems transformation. Maybe it’s an excess of super-hero movies, technology overwhelm, or an industrial culture of production line thinking. A single-answer “solution” about sustainability (or any other wicked problem) …
Changing human systems starts with understanding them and the glue that holds them together. Human systems are heavily geared towards maintaining themselves and they often actively resist change. They want to conserve themselves. (Equally true for individuals, families, communities, organisations and societies.) Human systems also have the potential to transform themselves when the need arises. Given a big enough breakdown …