The month of January takes its name from Janus, the Roman God of beginnings and endings. As transitions go, January 2021 must surely rank as one of the biggest we have ever faced.
I was recently invited to speak with a group of senior managers working for one of the world’s leading insurance companies. One of the things we talked about was sustainability, and the work of William Bridges, who is famous for developing a change model built around the idea of transitions. I’ve always liked it for one simple reason – it focuses on people over process.
Begin with an ending
At the heart of the model is the concept of ‘endings’, the idea that excited as we might be about a different future, other people may not be. And often it’s not because they don’t agree with what the change is or where it’s taking things, it’s because they have to let go of something they are not ready to leave behind. That’s a risk for leaders, especially those who are trying to tackle sustainability. Ask people if they want to help build a better world for their children or community, and of course they do. Start changing their role, or eliminate their job entirely, and the reaction quickly becomes lukewarm or even hostile. All of which means great sustainability leadership can’t just be about facts, figures, technical knowledge, metrics and the mechanics of change. It has to focus on shifting mindsets too, bringing people with you along the way. Otherwise, it quickly becomes unsustainable.
Find the balance
Coming up with ways of improving economic sustainability in balance with environmental and social sustainability is more important than ever. A report on sustainable business leadership by the UN Global Compact and Russell Reynolds Associates concluded that “to be successful in the long term, leaders must innovate and manage across commercial, societal and environmental outcomes”. A big question for leaders is how to do that without leaving people behind?
In recent months countless articles have told us it is a great time to accelerate, full of golden opportunities to transform. Yet for many people, especially the more marginalised in our societies and those who have lost employment, it has been an incredibly tough year. Harping on about transformation and agility is simply reinforcing the endings, without giving enough thought to the sense of loss that goes with those endings and the time needed to mourn that loss. The pressure on people’s mental health is immense, and needs understanding, acknowledgement and support.
Include and empower
Leadership right now needs to start with meeting people where they are, not where you want them to be. Listening, empathising, being flexible. And please don’t say those skills are ‘soft’ as if they are somehow lesser. They are very often the hardest skills of all.
That is real sustainability leadership, because when people are ready, they will remember the listening. They will acknowledge the empathy. And they will return the flexibility.
Best of all, leading in this way creates the conditions for true inclusion and employee empowerment. They will co-create the change with you, and the end product will be far better than you could have achieved on your own. It will mean you can implement change that doesn’t just align with purpose and look or sound good, it’s meaningful change that actually lasts.
A future worth building
As we near the end of 2020, there will be many calls to lock the door behind us and throw away the key. Maybe it’s not that simple – people may still want to go back for something we’ve forgotten, something that’s important to them. It doesn’t mean they won’t move on, it just means we ‘leave no one behind’.