only fictional fortune favours the brave…: why we need to be courageous to become sustainable

We are at the beginning of a sustainability revolution and time is running out. If this is news to you, stop and read this instead.

https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change

The need to become sustainable is the greatest threat to humanity that we have ever known, and the role businesses need to play in the sustainability revolution is becoming ever clearer and more urgent. As leaders, the choices we make today have far-reaching consequences for the future of our organisations, communities, and the planet. And, that future is not so far away anymore. No amount of sustainability goal-setting, planning and reporting will make a big enough difference if we don’t have the courage to take a stand, think transformationally and lead the sustainability revolution, putting it at the centre of our respective agendas.

The challenge of how we help our organisations respond is daunting, and if literary heroes and icons have taught us anything, it is that we need to be brave. While bravery may seem like the obvious trait to possess, it is courage that will truly empower us to become sustainable.

Bravery… courage… what is the difference?

From the beginning of human civilisation, we have told ourselves the story that to succeed in the face of our greatest challenges we must be brave. From Odysseus’s victories in the Odyssey to Harry Potter’s vanquishing of Voldemort, fictional heroes have typically been bold, fearless adventurers who triumph by jumping in feet first, often without contemplating what lies ahead. These characters reinforce the trope that fortune favours the brave.

Whilst fearlessness and boldness are admirable, without an author to draw the story of the sustainability challenge to a satisfying ending, bravery won’t help us. Charging in, with all the right intentions could lead us to making reactionary decisions with unintended consequences. The scale and complexity of the challenge that most organisations face in becoming sustainable requires something greater. A thoughtful, introspective approach, that acknowledges fear and uncertainty but maintains the conviction to do what is right. Courage.

Previously, we spoke to James Clement from Egremont Group and Gerrard Fisher from QSA about how organisations can become more sustainable by embracing a circular business model . We continue that conversation here, this time with Alec Brazier from Egremont, to explore their experiences on the value of courage and how critical it is to enable your organisation to meet the sustainability challenge.

Gerrard, where have you seen the importance of courage, when helping organisations transition to a circular business model?

I suppose it is easiest to see the importance of courage when it is not there. In our last article, we spoke about clients who have ‘started the conversation’ about embracing new circular business models, but ‘run out of steam’.

We have worked with clients who have recognised the need to change and have been brave enough to recognise the failings of their current business model, but when starting to engage in the change, lose their conviction as they have underestimated what is actually required to transform. This mostly happens when they must shift from the theory of what circular business model to the practice of implementing a test or pilot of that model.

If I was to pick fictional heroes with real courage it would be the modern film Cinderella or Penelope from the Odyssey – people who kept their nerve despite great unknowns and recognition that much was outside their own control.

Alec, in your experience what role has courage played in helping businesses achieve breakthrough transformation?

Breakthrough transformation starts as a single idea, or innovation and too often these ideas are squashed as they fail to gain traction. People then learn to hold onto transformational ideas for fear of rocking the boat or apathy because “nobody will actually listen to me”.

When an organisation values courage in its people, it encourages them to be thoughtful, determined and challenge the status quo based on their convictions. A culturally courageous organisation will hold a healthy tension between the perspectives of different people, or teams as they engage with and help shape the path forward. It is this engagement that will make change successful.

Alec, how can business leaders build a courageous culture in their organisations?

First, you need clarity, a clear direction, in which everyone knows how they play a part (See our article lost on the sustainability journey? start with a map). An organisation’s culture is shaped by people’s attitudes and beliefs, it is the unwritten code for how to behave. This code is developed through the organisational climate that is created. An organisation’s climate is created through everyday action and interactions - the questions that are asked, the behaviours that are rewarded and the decisions made, over which leaders have a disproportionate influence. I’ve been inspired by the work of George Kohlrieser on ‘secure base leadership’. Kohlrieser focuses on creating the balance between leaders caring for people and also daring them to stretch and strive. When in balance, caring and daring creates a courageous climate where people ‘play to win’.

Gerrard, can you give us an example of a courageous leader in the sustainability revolution?

There are so many to choose from! I take great inspiration from those who’ve stuck to their values and shown huge tenacity in their objective. Some great examples are Kyle Wiens at iFixit (disrupting the repair industry especially in consumer tech products), Nicole Bassett and Jeff Denby – who originally set up The Renewal Workshop and are leaders in mainstreaming fashion repair, and closer to home people like Rick Mower at RAW Workshop who combines an excellent business model with massive social impact.

Alec, can you give us a tangible example of what courageous leadership means to you?

We worked with an organisation over a period of several years, supporting them though a full-scale transformation. The vision and catalyst for this multi-year journey came from one of the directors. This person showed the courage required to mobilise the change, to drive through symbolic improvements, and over an extended period of time, hold on to the essence of the company culture being created. This required courage to avoid the impulse to chase new initiatives or waves of management theory and fads. In doing so, the transformation permeated the climate of the organisation, filtered through into the behaviours and still now defines the core ways of working successfully in the business.

If you enjoyed this article, you might also be interested in:

How to drop the leadership act

How to embrace the sustainability challenge

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