The Problem
Corporate executives in charge of sustainability—the CEO or the Chief Sustainability Officer—typically come to me when they realize they keep having misunderstandings with others about the company’s sustainability agenda. They have spent time, effort and money on the sustainability strategy and plan. They try to explain these to others, but face considerable resistance, which can come from the finance or the marketing department, the board, partners, or others. As a result, things do not get implemented as planned, creating more problems.
Leaders also come to me when they see that despite the company’s considerable and genuine efforts trying to do the right thing—everything that the experts have recommended—they still get accused of greenwashing or some other kind of lies.
A third group of leaders come to me when they humbly admit that they do not fully understand what the sustainability experts or authorities are saying. These are well educated, open, and pragmatic executives. They want to do the right thing, but just do not see how all this jargon and complexity can become something simple and concrete that can be implemented in their company.
All the above issues are “sustainability communication” issues. All result in financial losses or missed gains. All have to do with a disconnect between words and action. And all these executives and their teams realized that they have a communication problem. They have become so frustrated with the situation that they seek help to resolve it. They all want to feel the wonderful sense of relief that comes with clarity, simplicity, and shared understanding. They all want to get things done with enthusiasm and harmony, and see their company flourish financially and for the good of all involved.
Sustainability communication problems are part of a wider issue—a world issue, in fact.
“Emerging as the most severe global risk anticipated over the next two years, foreign and domestic actors alike will leverage misinformation and disinformation to further widen societal and political divides.”
–World Economic Forum, Global Risks Report 2024.
All humans are having a very serious, growing communication problem which affects trust, relationships, business, our health, and the entire socioeconomic system, all over the world. In its worst form, dysfunctional communication leads to chaos, conflict, and deaths. Dysfunctional communication is, in fact, a central sustainability issue in its own right.
The Solution
If I tell you “I have a dog”, what will you see in your mind’s eye? A chihuahua, a German shepherd, or a Saint-Bernard? The simplest word can label different realities. Now, what’s in your mind’s eye if I say to you “sustainability” or “sustainable development”? I get a different response each and every time I ask this question.
Behind all communication problems lies, among others, a very simple fact: we say words and sentences, but the pictures—representations of reality—that these words and sentences evoke in the speaker’s mind are different from those evoked in the interlocutor’s mind. And yet, guess what: it is the picture that gets implemented, not the word. Our bodies can only do what our own brains see in our own imagination. An architect designs a detailed building plan. It is only when all can see the same drawing on a piece of paper that the building can be built exactly as designed. Words alone wouldn’t do it. At best, we’d obtain a pile of haphazardly assembled random materials. Our world leaders are currently mostly failing at communicating what needs done. “Misinformation” is an understatement.
I help top executives clarify sustainability, both as a general concept and as it applies to their own organization, to both themselves and their audiences, so that it can happen as designed, based on one single design.
I do that by having Socratic conversations with them. Originating from the teaching style of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, Socratic conversations stimulate critical thinking, encourage self-examination, and deepen understanding of complex concepts through a series of questions and answers. What was abstract becomes tangible.
Tangible means visible. If you want something, anything, to be implemented, it needs to be communicated in a way that appears visible to your audience. And all must see the same reality.
Think this is easy? Think twice. This article merely informs. But good action-oriented communication needs practice and experience. You could read a book on how to swim. But you’ll never swim if you never get wet and start moving your limbs in some body of water, preferably with an instructor.
I am not perfect (no one is). But just like other pragmatic leaders, I am concerned with doing concrete things. Communication is a doing. It is a doing that affects all other doings in the system of systems in which human beings live and operate. Nothing gets done without communication. So, what exactly do we want done?
Take my… ahem… word for it: if you start paying enough attention to your words—and if you are a leader, I really hope you do—you will soon realize that they can make or break all endeavors, starting with your own.
Sustainability leaders: do not wait until your frustration becomes unbearable, or you lose your customers, or your company’s value plunges. Your number one concern should be with communication: what you are told by others, what you tell yourself, what you tell others, how, and when. And you should seek experienced professionals to help make your sustainability story so clear that it happens… fast enough. Or else…
Let’s talk! Reach out here to sample the magic of a Socratic conversation about your company’s sustainable development.
